Matt said: > Of course I want to know, but first let me guess. I always want to guess > for > the practice I get at guessing. Years ago I decided that since I couldn't > really know anything for sure, I needed to become a good guesser and one > gets better at anything with practice. So I'm guessing the stern hit the > sand and seriously damaged the kayak where it was folded probably about > half > way between the back of the cockpit and the stern, likely at some natural > fold point in that general area. It probably had some damage to the rudder > as well. At least bent it if it didn't break it right off the stern or > broke > some fiberglass off the stern with it. Don't know about the rudder. Most get killed in the surf - that's why I bought a VCP for my rudder addition - a bit more robust. As for the crack on the CD kayak, it was right behind the back coaming where the damage occurred. Nothing that hasn't been addressed in more modern renditions with strategically placed reinforcing. Still, I like the heavier lay-ups myself of the Brit boats - or MORE strategic reinforcing, anyway, in locally made ones. The latter may be a bit more scientific than thickening up the entire hull and deck, given the huge weight gain penalty. I think a good weight gain compromise for the surf/impact zone boat abuser is maybe 5 to 7 pounds. More for me, or go to vacume bagging. Matt then said: > I've more than once had to use my kayak to block the wind to a Nordkapp > HM's > bow so the paddler could turn up into the wind. As I recall your Nordkapp > had been an HM before you modified its keel to more closely resemble an > HS. > Was that before you stuck that honking husky rudder on it or later? Yes, vintage material Matt. I well imagine a few Nordkapp HM owners worldwide could have had a need for that Mariner-block procedure. Was it in your manual? Funnily enough, I don't recall seeing the maneuver in the BCU handbook. :-) Me? Knope. I didn't buy an HM. I knew nothing about sea kayaks in 1980, coming from a canoe and river kayak background. But I knew the HM would limit maneuverability. Just had to look at it (oh, it was nice to look at). I had to beg Derek at Pacific Canoe Base to get me the HS; so, no. I never modified the hull. For some reason, most North American Nordkapps were brought in, in the skeggy HM version. Apparently, owners were supposed to grind the skeg down to fine-tune the tracking to their preference. Few did. Few knew. I learned to paddle my HS, developing big muscles sweeping that old girl for countless hours in all day gales down the west coast, including big open water sorties in winter. I can assure you, there were few if any other paddlers out there at those times back then in those conditions. If I got any blocking action, it was behind a reef - or maybe a Fisheries vessel or whomever was trying to persude me off the water. I got sick of sweeping and had a real horrible experince in big seas off the Hesquiat Bar and then added the deep draft rudder after hanging with Paul Caffyn. So, I was in good company at least, fine sir. After my orthopod told me to give up kayaking due to extreme degenerative shoulder changes, I just started using the rudder even more, tweaked it for heavy duty use and abuse, and didn't look back, though there was this guy from Seattle with skegless, rudderless kayak hull technology that heckled me continuously. :-) Oh, by the way, I love big North American kayaks. They create a fantastic wind shadow when I pull up beside them downwind. Heck, even the lower bow, fat-butt models still completely silhouette by nosy Nordkapp with its weather-vaning rear rudder. Of course, then guys like Turner Wilson can paddle up beside me in their SOF's downwind for a break from the wind for them beside my Nordkapp! :-) DL *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue Mar 18 2008 - 22:43:39 PDT
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