Welcome to UKRGB! Puffin Island is not a particularly difficult paddle but it's not without its risks (for more info you could buy this book ). There are quite significant tidal streams; do you know how to find out which way the tide will flow, and what effect tide has on the waves? It's also on the...

letting the wing blade come out at an angle Yes, I think that's essential. I've never liked the suggestion that wing paddles generate lift like an aircraft wing, and my understanding is that they work by reducing the eddies from the blade. You can't stop the water flowing off the blade, so what the...

I'm only having trouble when 'having a wobble' and I want to use the paddle for support, mid-stroke. Since you paddled K1 before, I guess you must have developed the reflex for supporting off a (nearly vertical) paddle during the stroke. I would re-learn that before going further with wings - I wou...

I wondered if it might be the Wellerbrücke section on the Ötz

I prefer straight uprights - less height to lift the boat to (and less headroom needed under barriers), don't take up as much space on the roof bars, easier to strap the boat to the roof bars not just the J-bar. I've never notice any detrimental effects on any boat I've carried, including composites...

It doesn't have to be epoxy, polyester would be OK in that context, and (I think) it takes colour better than epoxy. Do you know whether the boat is epoxy or polyester? Also how old is the boat - it looks quite new from I can see, if so the maker might assist (I wouldn't ship it back to them for tha...

My guess is that there was a small bubble under the gelcoat at that point (almost impossible to avoid) and the thin skin of gelcoat has burst. Sandpaper the surface of the gap, fill with resin, tape over it and then sand it flat when the resin has cured. Use progressively finer grades to get a good ...

Not normal. If it's only on one side, it can't be normal, because then it would be both sides! If there are no obvious faults in the spraydeck (including the join to the body-tube) then I would look at possible faults where the cockpit rim is fixed to the kayak. To test, fit the deck, lay the boat o...

If you can't find a suitable sea kayak coach, there are lots in Anglesey. If second-hand composite boats are hard to find in Ireland, you may find that bringing one over from Wales or England may mean you could, if necessary, sell it for more than you paid. Do you know whether the ferries allow pede...

It's always difficult to meet all the things we want in a boat - stable, easily steered, fast, light, not too expensive… so you may need to compromise. I paddle a Rockpool GT, which is a good compromise between fast and steerable, and is just over 20kg. But it's a big boat, and may not suit a smalle...

Changing 4* to a leadership qualification probably seemed like a good idea at the time, but was probably a mistake with hindsight. The newly named Leader awards correct this and it seems sensible to update the personal paddling awards now. I think the perception of what leadership is can vary. I se...

I was surprised how easy it was to reset muscle memory. I've paddled with unfeathered blades for about 25 years, but was helping supervise some novices in open canoes. There were no more open boats available, so I used a kayak from the centre, and one of their paddles, which was feathered. I was pro...

I did wonder that, Allan, but I think it takes a number of successful rolls to develop the feel, so indexing is useful to start with. It's a good point to raise, because it may be that temporary indexing, taped on, is better than buying a new paddle that might be unnecessary or even a nuisance in no...

I've always found wings will "self centre" - if you relax your grip and allow them to, they will naturally take the correct angle in the water, so no bulge is needed.

Depending what you're glueing, hot melt glue guns are good, and the 'glue' is just low melting point plastic so unlikely to be toxic.

One possibility might be to buy a 2 piece paddle. That would enable you to add an additional 'ovalising' strip at the grip and slide on shrink wrap to fix it into place. That was the standard way to ovalise an alloy shafted paddle.

Correct (and the paddler is Chris Sladden)

"my local run" was a bit of a big clue! Although "South Alps" almost put me off, as it's not what I think of as South.

So where's this?

Dranse?

Maybe the Ötz rather than the Inn?

No problem - this isn't the kind of site that flames people! For what you want to do, a SOT or the Mirage will work. The SOT will be slower, and probably colder when the weather turns, but you may not want to paddle then. The Mirage will develop your skills better (in case you get the bug and want t...

The Mirage was designed as "general purpose" kayak, perhaps more towards rivers, and was the first mass-market polythene kayak. If I remember right, it first appeared in about 1983. At that time, there wasn't as much specialisation in kayak designs as there is now, and you just paddled what you had ...

There's no reason why a Mirage can't be used for non-serious paddling on the sea, and (sorry to say) nothing that makes it unstable except the paddler! A full-spec sea kayak will be longer and the keel will be more of a straight line (not rising up towards the ends as the Mirage does), and it will h...

As stated above, one of the key points is 'reasonable excuse'. If a box cutter knife becomes illegal most of the builder's van's will have illegal knives in them, which they obviously aren't, hence the 'reasonable cause' clause. A Scout walking to his group meeting, in uniform, carrying his sheath ...

Rainshine, can you quote a source for that interpretation of the words, please? Reading the draft and the accompanying explanation, I can only take the literal meaning from the words.There can't be a test case in UK law as they words aren't law yet, but I know there are links to Commonwealth law.

Allan, you can carry a fixed blade knife in public in the UK if you have legal authority or "reasonable excuse". The law doesn't specific what that means, it's left to case law, or precedent. That means that in order to find out what the law means, somebody has to be prosecuted - bad luck for them i...

Tricky. What size is the group, ie, is it feasible for the non-pasta & rice eater to cook separately? Is bread also a problem? If so you are only left with potato for carbs, and spicy is the obvious way to get something tasty without complex cooking. If your bear country is in N America, be aware of...

the wording is not very clear, as andynormancx says: "any knife which has a blade which opens automatically" and "by manual pressure applied to a button, spring or other device in or attached to the knife" That, to me, is a contradiction - if it requires manual pressure, it's not automatic. So what ...

The Offensive Weapons Bill is currently going through Parliament. Among other things, it includes new restrictions on the sale and possession of knives, which could significantly affect us as paddlers. I've posted details about the issues, and a petition, in a thread in the Sea Kayaking forum , but ...

The Offensive Weapons Bill is currently going through Parliament. Among other things, it includes new restrictions on the sale and possession of knives, which could significantly affect us as paddlers. Section 15 makes it illegal to sell a knife for delivery to a home address or parcel locker. In ot...