Celtic Paddles came back to me, after a prod. They say the new Kinetik 700 has the same blade area as the old Kinetik Touring. [My own measuremnt of teh area gave about 670 cm^2, though it depends where you assume the blade stops and the shaft starts.] I'd missed the helpful Sea Kayak Oban website, ...

Well, they now do Kinetik Touring 600, 650, 700 - although I suspect yours is of a generation prior to those size offerings. Between us, Cat and I have 4 sets of KT's, but I'm afraid that none have the size noted on them and I suspect they too pre-date the size choice. You mentioned that you'd not ...

I have asked Celtic Paddles, but answer came there none.

https://media.ukriversguidebook.co.uk/uploads/2786/1599476337764-0763.png After many years, I've cracked one blade of ny much-loved paddle. The width of the is 19 cm - I'n not sure where to measure the length from. I need a new blade, or, most likely, a new paddle. The blade area id just right for ...

Franky
Up to a point, yes .... but a Dagger GT is still a white-water boat, not an all-rounder. Depennds on whther the OP's aim is to have fun or to learn-through-suffering. Something with a skeg would be good - an Easky would be ideal.

As you've probably already sussed, the kayaks you mention are designed for white water, where the critical thing is to be able to turn really fast. On flat wter they will be painfully slow and frustratingly difficult to keep on a straight line.

This is a common problem, even without salt water. The bolt is steel, and the footrest bar is aluminium. When damp, there's galvanic corrosion. There's usually a nut on the inside, between the hull and the footrest bar. If you can get a slim spanner in there, and a big pair of grips on the hand-nut,...

In theory someone could get their hand caught in this, in practice it is very unlikely. Current best practice is to adjust the size of the loop as small as possible, so you can get a crab through it, but not a hand. Seconded. It's useful to have some sort of loop so's to allow another rope to be ti...

The imporatnt thing is to get a boat which fits you. They all fit the water, as the water's infinitely adjusatable. First thing is size: small person, small boat; big person big boat. It mightseem that you can't go wrong with a too-big boat - but it doesn't work well. Manufacturers usually quote a d...

I understand that the silicone spray also prolongs the life of the hatch material

I've used a silicone spray designed for the job - nver thried WD40. As you find, the hatches become a breeze to fit, and, like you, I've worried about them being washed off by a wave.

But it's never happened, and I continue to use it. The extreme slip wears off quite quickly, anyway

I'll repeat what I said over in ther WW and touring section: insurance is a good servant but a bad master. If we have an interst in isurance, we need to decide what we want to do and then get insurance to cover that, not the other way round.

If a group of paddlers who do peer paddles decide to form a club, and wish to affiliate to BC, do they need some of their members to become qualified? I don't think any qualifications are required for affiliation. The issue is whther qualifications will be required to get the benefit of the neglige...

I'm not as despondent. Very few people get sued, and few of us hesitate to help, and I don't think anyone what has helped has been sucesfully sued (?? anyone know?). I think that the issue here is that someone is negotiating with the insurer from a position of weakness - "here's the contract, now te...

I agree with you, except that I don't think that a rescuer who acts under their own free will can sue a rescuee. We need to try to avert the doom by speaking out - the document was a consultaion, and I hope clubs responded. [I'm in Scotland, so my club didn't get a vote. I am worried that the insura...

I don't think the rescuer (if injured) could sue the "taster", and so no insurance claim would arise.

Also, the trip leader remains covered by the insurance.

For the insurance to be useful to the "taster", they would have to damage someone else by their negligence. So if the "taster" ignores instructions, no-one's been negligent.

Maybe all of theses things full down to insurance, maybe some people will need to accept they are not insured but would it invalidate the insurance if you had an uninsured person along? Are you insured as a group or as each individual? Current situation is that insurance is for people, not groups. ...

My view is that insurance is a good servant but a bad master. We need to decide what activities we want to do, and then find an insurer to cover those activities - not the other way round.

Anyone seen this?

https://britishcanoeing.formstack.com/f ... FsX6EfCKNE

I had a similar issue (actually two issues) with a child of a similar age (also in a Dynamo, lovely boats) Addressing your issue, I put the spraydeck over the BA. Means that rain and splashes run down inside, but 7 year olds fall in for fun anyway. Now he's 10, I've bought a deck with a smaller wais...

Well, I went to the oracle and asked them. Here's the oracle's (Molyslip Atlantic Limited) reply: "Dear Robert Thank you for your recent enquiry regarding use of MOLYSLIP COPASLIP, apologies for my late reply which is due to my being away from the office on annual leave. Molyslip Copaslip is predomi...

The glue I mention is the one pathbrae links to.

I had a similar problem, and a similar aversion to the high cost of the Sikaflex components. With advice from this forum, I used Tradeweld Acrylic VT-FS. I didn't use bolts, as I believe that these create hard points leading to rim cracking. A previous replacement, where I used Sikaflex (unprimed) a...

Did find a tame metallurgist, who said: "Donno why it works. But I use it on my bike all the time".

To return to the OP question, there's no permit to ask for, and I never tell anyone where I'm going ... unless they're expecting me back for dinner.

I find they give a substantial advantage when paddling in winter. Pogies stay much drier, and my hands are therefore warmer. I've occasionally tried paddles with no drip rings, and I do notice the difference. While they might be a bit of a faff for rescues, I've never had to do a recue for real in s...

Anyone understand how Copaslip works? Naively, I think copper + another metal = electrolytic corrosion and seizing. But it works!

My own car has welded-on loops at both ends. The front one wouldn't work as a tie-down point for the car, as there is bits of bumper in the way, so I guess it's for towing. Both are buried well out of hazard way. I've worked with other cars with screw-in eyes, which stick out the front substatially ...