1) Kapok was and is not the problem. The problem was with the plastic used to enclose the kapok. B Current generation PFDs with kapok fill perform well, or so my local paddling shop claims. B 2) Is it reasonable to conclude that the solar panel manufacturer's poor choice for a sealant and silly response to the problem implies that free enterprise should be treated with the same contempt that government is treated by our free market fundamentalist kayaking friends? B B B Dana B B Date: Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:43:05 -0700 From: Craig Jungers <crjungers_at_gmail.com> Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Australian state (even more) severely restricts B kayaking B On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 10:34 AM, Craig Jungers <crjungers_at_gmail.com> wrote: B > B > In a similar vein, some 30 years (or so, but who's counting?) lifejackets > were not called PFDs and mostly filled with kapok which is a natural > substance obtained from certain trees that can get waterlogged and lose > buoyancy over time when exposed to water. > B B You would think that using a substance which can become waterlogged as the primary buoyancy for a device that is intended to be used in water might negate some of its useful properties. You would, apparently, be wrong. At least in bureaucratic terms. Testing has shown that it retains buoyancy "long enough". Since these things are all but unreachable on most ships I suppose the question is moot anyway. B But re-reading my post reminded me of another silly-cism. I bought an early set of two solar panels in 1980 that generated 33 watts each to use on our sailboat, Kibitka. They worked fine at first but began to deteriorate. The clear epoxy coating the manufacturer had poured over the individual cells was susceptible to the ultra violet rays of the sun and had discolored to the point where it impeded the efficiency of the panels. When I complained to the manufacturer - who no longer was in the business of making solar panels but had turned to making toys - he suggested that perhaps I had left them out in the sun too long. B He did, however, offer to honor the lifetime guarantee by giving me an equivalent value in stuffed animals. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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