That's odd. Wikipedia redirect 'PLB' to ' Emergency position-indicating radiobeacon station' . This contains an entry for Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs) which are are fairly expensive beacons for aviation use. This section says: According to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, ground te...

how many layers of 200gsm ish woven cloth do I need to aim for As many as it takes to build up to the surface level. the 3kg of gel coat I've ordered I don't believe you need gelcoat, as such, for the repair you're doing. Gelcoat is thickened resin without wax additive, for use as the first layer i...

Is there such a thing as specialist drysuit repair glue, or will Super Epoxy work? Epoxy would not be suitable, it's too rigid and would just crack when the suit flexes. I would use Aquasure . It's a flexible sealant, not a glue, so you don't need tape, just apply a thin layer of it over the leak a...

The day went like this:

Everything there is what you'd do for a paddler who wanted to learn how to go paddling, ignoring awards. Which says to me that the award is doing the right thing - it just (without being too heavy) formalises what a paddler should learn, for those who want it formalised.

He was very clear that those wordy, kind of vague, documents aimed at the paddler being coached is all we are going to get That suggests to me that the vagueness is intentional, so that providers can be flexible in their interpretation to suit the paddler - for example, the ability of younger paddl...

I don't have experience of Packrafts (and I know they are lighter fabric than some inflatables) but as a general comment on durability, when the RNLI refurbish their Class B (RIB) lifeboats after something like 20 years, they scrap the rigid hull and retain the inflatable part.

I've used the bike paste on a carbon paddle shaft for the opposite reason - to stop it creaking with every stroke. It was a very slightly loose fit, after being sanded down because somebody thought it was too tight... It's intended to increase grip, not as a lubricant, and contains fine grit. Pencil...

As above, it's been very neatly done. The cockpit moulding appears to be an unusual shape; compared to other sea kayaks the rim is more pointed towards the front, and the seat is well forward. It could be from any kayak design, not necessarily a sea kayak, and given the neatness of the modification ...

In general, you need a licence to canoe on most artificial waterways, that is, canal and canalised rivers. The cheapest way to get a licence is usually to join British Canoeing. A list of the waterways covered by membership is here: https://www.britishcanoeing.org.uk/go-canoeing/access-and-environme...

Hi, can you clarify what the blades are please?

The photos are too small to see, except the one close-up, which shows a left blade, Kinetic Xti in carbon, with a paddlok joint. Can you describe the rest?

do you know if this will work solely on a tablet/phone or do you need the desktop app to manage the android device? I think it should be possible to copy the chart files from the CD and load them onto the android, but I haven't done it. You might need the PC software to manage the licence. I will t...

How much do you pay for that bit? You can buy the 1:50k maps for the whole of GB (not UK, NI is not included) for £50 from Memory Map . The android app used to be £10 but I think it's free now. Memory Map also sell a full set UK marine charts for £25, which is a real bargain. (They were £50 when I ...

Mine is a Homtom Zoji Z8 with a 5in screen 64gb memory etc etc. IP68 rated cost me £93 Thanks, Fozzy. I use Memory Map, and I think their app will run on that. Your link doesn't work, but I found it on Aliexpress - that's in the US, did you get it from there and if so did you have to pay import dut...

I mentioned paddling positively - at HPP, that means keeping the boat moving forwards on the boils, with power on the paddle not drifting. A big boat can get away with it, a smaller boat is more vulnerable.

Asking price is a difficult question - it's an unusual item and on that basis it's worth what somebody will pay for it, and I'm not sure what that is. I'm not in a hurry to sell.

What would it be worth to you? (send email or PM if you don't want to post that on the forum)

I've always used silicone grease to lubricate a TiZip (and silicones have a reputation for being able to creep into gaps), but looking at their website I see there's more than one type. Maybe http://tizip.com/storage-cleaning-maintenance/ will help, if not I'd identify the model and contact TiZip di...

I have a very good condition high volume sprint kayak with removable O1 conversion. See photos below; post or PM if you would like any more info. I'm in NW England. https://media.ukriversguidebook.co.uk/uploads/1849/1550602954378-3495.png https://media.ukriversguidebook.co.uk/uploads/1849/1550602982...

I would tend to go by the listed range, rather than the waterline relative to the seam (which will vary depending on the shape of the boat - the seam is placed to get it out of the mould). The question I'd be thinking about is how will a boat handle if I'm at the top of the weight range, and that wi...

Signed, in the hope that it might be used as evidence to a ferry operator. But without much hope - a petition really needs to be directed at somebody, eg, petition to Government (no use in this case), petition to DFDS (if they're still called that), etc.

Thanks Greg, that's useful - the point about independence is key, and doesn't come across at all in the FAQ, although I did infer it from the syllabus. I think BC need to test their communications on a selection of the intended recipients before releasing them, as they are written around internal BC...

There a few possibilities, but if you can give a bit more background to what you want the advice will be more relevant. Are you thinking of lakes or rivers? Do you want to be camping, from the kayak, on a different site every night, or staying at a campsite and doing day trips? How generally fit and...

this table may not really be a translation table, but something else, for example a table showing that the required personal performance level for the "Coastal Sea Kayak Award" assessment will be roughly the same as needed for Sea Kayak Leader. Overall, I agree that the FAQ document is not easy to ...

Allan, as I understand it, the change has been in two phases: First, 4* and 5* were replaced by SKL(MW) and Advanced SKL Second, 1*, 2* and 3* have been replaced by Sea Kayak Award, Coastal Sea Kayak Award and Advanced Sea Kayak Award. These are Personal Performance, they don't have any Leadership e...

One of the people in the kayak was a wildlife photographer. He became fascinated by why the whale breached and whether it meant to hit the kayak - the story of his investigation has just been broadcast on BBC2 Natural world - it's on iPlayer here . Lots of interesting footage and discussion about wh...

I've never tried inflating a packraft at sea Neither have I, but it's an interesting idea. What I have done is inflate a survival bag - the 8' x 4' orange plastic type. Tread water, hold the bag over your head and let the wind fill it. Pull it over your head and down into the water, bring your knee...

I just find the BA tries to put me on my back

so I wondered if you could have too much buoyancy.

Yes, too much buoyancy in your legs from the wetsuit! You need more buoyancy in your BA to compensate!

I don't think an adult size BA with less than 50N is legal to sell in the EU. The racing ones are probably close to the 50N while sea kayak and white-water BAs will have more - partly because if the water is aerated, it's less dense and nothing floats as well. A wetsuit does give you buoyancy, but n...

I agree that a bulky BA can make pulling yourself across the back deck more difficult, but I don't find it acts against me when in the water, quite the opposite. I also find buoyancy helpful if doing a re-entry and roll. A typical sea kayaking BA also has a lot of pockets - which make it more bulky,...

Could be genuine, but I'd be watching for a scam. Since the buyer controls delivery, they can divert it to a different address and say they didn't receive the item. Paypal then refunds them (with your money). See here under "shipping scams". I'd tell them you want cash on collection and see what hap...

I would expect it to be per upright, but I don't understand the logic of giving a weight (vertical load) capacity for an upright. The upright is there to take sideways force, which for a kayak is more dependent on the area subject to side winds than the weight. Weight only affects the force when cor...