My understanding is that triple layer is usually a way to make a boat that is similarly stiff, but a bit lighter. You also need to consider the difference between the stiffness of the whole boat (pick it up by the ends) and the stiffness of panels (does it 'oilcan'). Triple layer will help the secon...

we've already done the Mersey estuary stretch from Wallasey to Stanley lock flight

Interesting - how did you get out of the river at the docks? Were you able to paddle in at HW?

Anybody who is within reach of Liverpool and is trying to think of somewhere to paddle during lockdown should give it a go. Yes its a 'boring canal' BUT honestly it was a great day out. You can actually paddle right to the very end point of the Leeds/Liverpool canal (just beyond Stanley Lock flight...

Wedge (Elvstrom) and venturi (Supersuck) type self bailers as used in dinghys typically need a speed through the water a bit faster than a sea kayak, a ski might be fast enough, but they would also be very vulnerable when landing and launching. I think most skis have the cockpit floor above water le...

For comparison, my pump runs on a 2AH sealed lead-acid battery, 150 x 20 x 89 millimetres (similar size to starter packs?), weight 700g, cost about £12. I tested it when the pump was new and it would empty the cockpit 11 times. It does lose capacity over time and should be replaced after 5 years.

Jump starter packs are designed to put out a high current for a short time, so they may not be well optimised for a low drain load like a pump. Or they may be, I don't know enough about lithium battery technology (I assume from their size that they are lithium based). An ordinary power bank as used ...

I would look on the Whitewater and Touring Kayaks For Sale forum here, and on sites like eBay and Facebook Marketplace. If you do a Google search for 'touring kayaks' that will tell you the models to look out for. If you find something you think might be right, post the details here and somebody wil...

No, those wouldn't be suitable for you. The Big Dog Havoc is a playboat, intended for doing tricks on rough water, and you'll will find it hard to keep in a straight line, and less comfortable. You would be better with 12-14ft touring kayaks (for some reason, canoe and kayak generic lengths are stil...

not sure how this website works lol Usually, people contact sellers/buyers by sending a PM or email. On a phone, tap the username to see the options. On a desktop, click the 'contact' bubble on the right. The point of these is that you can avoid putting your contact details on the public page and g...

I would have thought a full size sea kayak was the ideal boat for paddling side on to waves. Stable enough not to be too twitchy like a ski or a K1 would be when the wave moves it sideways, but not so wide that you can't keep it level when on a sideways sloping water surface. A hard chine tends to i...

So in summary, you're relating historical rainfall to historical levels, then using that relationship with forecast rainfall to predict short term future levels? Another possible source of data is ECMWF.

Problems with a rudder adding lateral area at the stern and making it hard to turn upwind are not limited to tandem kayaks. One of our group on a trip in the Greek Island had hired a Prijon Kodiak, with a rudder, and ended up removing it entirely in strong winds. If down, it was adding lateral under...

Very impressed. Are those screw threaded hatch covers?

The RYA site has a list of places that offer training and exam, but you have to go to the individual training organisation sites to see if there are courses being run: https://www.rya.org.uk/wheresmynearest/Pages/CourseDetail.aspx?code=SRCC The search by place isn't brilliant; I found you need to pu...

I disagree that (for most paddlers) the plb is more important than the VHF. I only bought a plb when I was planning a trip in the Outer Hebrides, where I knew there was no phone or VHF signal. With a plb, you can indicate that you're in distress, and where you are. It may not be picked up immediatel...

Thanks for your input. the capella already has rudder lines that you can see were fitted in manufacturing as they are molded into the plastic, also has a hole in the stern that would be the pivot for the rudder. Apologies, I have clearly misinformed myself! He had a go in my scorpio on a river and ...

First of I get the impression there doesn't seem much of a consensus in terms of 'to achieve x, do y'. Perhaps i'm wrong? No, I think you're right. We are all different in terms of shape, flexibility and musculoskeletal history, so different things will suit different people. Do whatever suits you ...

I think fitted from the inside means they are original or that has been some very clever work done. For example, if a previous owner had wanted to move the bulkheads, while they were out a hatch rim could have been passed up the inside. The state of the hatch covers means nothing; they only last som...

So far as I know all Capellas had adjustable skegs, but none had rudders. Some of the newer P&H/Venture polythene boats have the option of a 'skudder', which can work like either, but I don't think it's ever been an option on the Capella. Fitting a rudder would mean changing the footbraces to take r...

somebody on this forum once maintained that because you're pulling on the paddle at the same time as pushing your foot forward, you shouldn't need any support behind you at all. The pulling of the paddle should prevent you from slipping back on the seat That might have been me. and you shouldn't be...

Maybe the OP would prefer to paddle 5 hour windows than 7 hour window On a coast to coast trip with an estuary at each end, one of them is going to be upstream and one downstream! The upper reaches of all estuaries tend to flood faster than they ebb, so you get a sawtooth tide graph. If the upper H...

My friend Jim paddled Coast to Coast in support of the RNLI and wrote a blog . He has also written a Guidebook to Northern England , which includes 4 chapters on the Coast to Coast route, which I recommend you buy. I paddled the Humber Estuary with him, which researching the book, from Goole to Paul...

always burp the air out before setting off If you have to burp the air out, it's not leaking much. A sign of a drysuit ageing is when you don't have to burp it. Tidal streams along the coast at at the mouth of an estuary are usually fastest at mid-tide, but as you go further up an estuary, the fast...

maybe I was expecting too much from a 300£ surface drysuit I don't think you are. A new drysuit shouldn't leak, and Typhoon are a respected brand. Is it airtight? If it holds air and balloons out when you walk into the water, it will hold out water, and if it doesn't hold air you should see bubbles...

Impressive progress, especially in NoVember!

how many Nigel Foster Vyneck kayaks (circumnavigation of Iceland) do you see now ? On the other hand, you never did see many Vynecks! I've sold mine; I really enjoyed paddling it but after 20 years I was finding it too twitchy for photograph and rescues; Jeff Allen bought it for his collection. and...

An offshore wind is good for training and exercise purposes though but should not go far out in more than a force 8 wind. The other day though did venture into a force 9 onshore wind also against tide for 40 minutes so this is good practice if you get blown out . I'm surprised (and impressed) if yo...

Thanks, both, OC1 as Outrigger Canoe makes much more sense - so one of those would work on the sea for the OP, but for dodging sea stacks and things a ski might be better. There are skis with "K1" characteristics and others with "sea kayak" manoeuvrability - look the Tsunami Rangers!

A ski would probably suit you, but OC1 are specialist whitewater boats and would be very hard work on the sea. A proper open canoe would be good, in suitable conditions.

There's probably more interest in day trips, rockhopping and tideraces, compared to multiday trips, but some of us still do trips. I don't tend to write them up on here (or anywhere else) - I've been too busy, and it didn't occur to me that other people were interested. More recently I've put some o...