I normally ignore skeg threads, having never had a skeg, but noting that you started it piqued my interest....

Almost got to Zion last year but with so much to see I never got quite that far north. The temperature regime you describe sounds less extreme than I have experienced in the Grand Canyon, which I have run 4 times now. I never felt like I wanted a dry suit in the Canyon, most days I have paddled in s...

Yes later Glides and Slices had fin boxes, mine is early and doesn't. Also the generation that followed, I think the Prankster and Trickster or was it the Dominatrix? they also had fin boxes. Riot or Dragorossi also made a plastic surf boat at some point, I think Mega still do? My Glide surfs pretty...

The thing is that the argument Otherwise you'd end up with athletes using incredibly specialised boats that no-one could justify buying for actual whitewater use, like slalom (or the Green boat), completely misses the point - those athletes are getting far more time on the water in their boats than...

For flatwater freestyle and surf you want a slightly older generation long but slicy playboat - they won't surf like a proper surf kayak and you probably won't be flat-looping them but they will flat wheel and wavewheel nicely. In fact, for cartwheeling a longer boat gives you more time and control ...

Nope. Slalom boat lengths went down in 2006 (from 4m to 3.5m). This year ICF increased minimum weight of K1 and C1 from 8kg to 9kg, BC followed suit but only apply dimensions and weights in div 1 and Prem. I can't remember C2 weights, I think they went up too. The 'well meaning' behind the increase ...

Rules always come in with good intentions to level the playing field, but there will always be people with different viewpoints. In buggy racing we had few limits - eventually on the continent some small kids were using buggies heavier than themselves (putting lead into the tubes as permanent weight...

The idea behind the rules is to prevent 'chequebook racing' where it comes down more to who has the richest sponsor than who is necessarily the best paddler - if some manufacturers are getting away with supplying non-production boats to chosen paddlers they are flouting the rules and the organisers ...

My Corsica S came with a bow cap, it disappeared at some point, I always assumed I had snagged it on something endering at Hurley and ripped it off. Maybe manufacturers stopped doing them because they were rubbish and caused more damage than they avoided?

I'm sure there is a way to do ship to shore calls through VHF but it may be quite expensive. Surely an easier solution would be to log your trip with the coastguard, and if you are running late call in to let them know your plans have changed and a new ETA. If you use CG66 to permanently register yo...

Gentle wafting with a heat gun on low or hairdryer will soften the adhesive enough to peel off without leaving marks. In fact, its a good idea to do it when you stick it on too to get the best bond. You can get replacement adhesive pads. The adhesive is much stronger than you will get on vinyl, that...

That just means you are getting a feel for it and starting to do stuff instinctively - that's good!

Don't underestimate the usefulness of a chase boat - it wouldn't have helped in Dave's case (although maybe useful if he'd have let go of the line before getting to the eddy) but I'd say that more than 90% of the time 'rescue' is collecting a swimmer that has already flushed, and for that a chase bo...

Hatches should be 17cm diameter. I think Valley still sell covers, or Kajaksport probably do some that will fit.

Get your comments in before lunchtime tomorrow.

Sea King, same colour as mine except my cockpit is orange too.

Swap a few litres of water for a water filter so you can make extra water instead of carrying it and that should save at least the 1kg you are over weight....

One of our scout leaders took this video while on camp, which is a pretty reliable roll in the pool and still water... https://youtu.be/MRmIvzFaG3o Unfortunately when I visited CIWW, I swam a number of times (in both 6 and 8 cumecs) as the roll just didn't want to work. Is it the panic of moving do...

Leaning back to finish a roll is not cheating, it is a valid kind of roll which is reliable. Remaining in the lay back position once you have rolled leaves you vulnerable to falling straight back in so best to learn to roll leaning back and then sit up immediately. In time you will find you start si...

Tell the shop you won't place an order until you can try one on, and let them work out with the supplier how to get a demonstrator suit to the shop for you to try. The fit of a paddling drysuit is almost everything, make sure you try it at least sitting on the floor but ideally sitting in a boat so ...

I liked how on the radio they felt the need to explain that he was the frontman for the band called "Tom Petty and the heartbreakers", as though the audience might be too stupid to work that part out....

Have a great event this year Ali.
I decided I couldn't face driving to Llandysul and Symonds Yat on consecutive weekends so I got a paddle up at Tees instead, it's a mere 4 hour drive :)

Yes, shock, adrenaline, exhaustion, cold - until you have had a bad one it is difficult to understand the effect of these. My worst was in 1994, broached on debris in Dora di Rhemes - I have no idea how long it took the guys to set up the hauling system to release the boat pressure on me and get me ...

I've had a read through your Baidarka Explorer thread - I never paddled one although my dad had one for a while and I've never thought of him as preferring a tippy boat, although whenever I paddled with him we always had kit for a week. There are lots of great touring boats out there and everyone ha...

Given that the sum total of all committed slalom and freestyle paddlers in the UK is just a few hundred paddlers, they should probably get over this and work together. I don't even think there is very much interest in it from British slalom paddlers, the percentage that paddle in multiple classes i...

After many years of growing underground through independent events and alongside freestyle events, ICF finally noticed BoaterX and introduced their version of it to this years world cup series and the world championships. For some of you alarm bells will ring when you hear it is called Extreme Slalo...

Interesting all the positive comments about VE. Out of interest, the bulge / pocket on the rear of the blade - are you not aware of that when doing sculling or similar strokes ? Im no paddle designer but would have instinctively thought a smooth surface to be better ? (Notwithstanding the need to s...

Never used kayak foundry (I downloaded it once), in autohydro I can get a print of lateral plane status for current draft and trim which displays the underwater and above water lateral centres of area. If wind areas are also defined they are included in the above water lateral areas in addition to t...

So glad they didn't get the demo runs or my officials runs, I was terrible!
I think I did get all the gates by the end of the weekend (the film is saturday only), the prem paddlers make it look so easy!

I've been a big fan of Lendal paddles for years, slightly less of a fan of Celtic paddles (I don't feel the finish is as good as it was under Lendal) but they are still what I use for sea kayaking (mostly Lendals which are still going strong). The Kinetic touring blades are good for all day use, try...