I've got the latest version of The Twist and can confirm it's bomb-proof, despite the material being much lighter than the heavy rubbery stuff used in the previous incarnation. The only problem I had was that the inflatable back and foot rests are a bit Mickey Mouse, so I replaced them with a commer...

The quarter turn covers - when I have had them, a stick with a couple of knobs, stick long enough to give leverage, knobs to go in the indentations where you grasp the cover to turn. The little holes definitely help prevent your hatches being vacuum-locked in position - I use a slightly posher vari...

That photo only shows the circular hole cut out for the day hatch - any circular recessed hatch of the right diameter could fit. However, you'd want to choose carefully as some are no good. You definitely want to avoid the sort which aren't fully threaded. (Difficult to explain in writing but essent...

Could anyone kindly identify the manufacturer? https://media.ukriversguidebook.co.uk/uploads/4998/1545757690148-2384.png I'm not sure you've posted the right photo. The one you've posted is of a Shrike built by Neall in Devon, and was originally posted in Nick Crowhurst's Shrike thread here: https:...

D) I could go out on my friend's borrowed kayak (hard structure, with borrowed friend). Is the canaltrust license only good for a specific vehicle? What about the BC membership? Is BC membership ok for multiple vehicles or only one specifically registered? Is BC membership a more flexible licensing...

I'd consider changing your post title to include specific boats. Using 3-letter acronyms (or initialisations) in adverts reduces your audience at the best of times, but it's a real own-goal if the majority don't recognise them. I've spotted a few performance boats being flogged off on here and Gumtr...

OK so I priced roof rack for motorhome for sea kayak nearly fainted.. Today I was in decathlon they have an inflatable one man kayak which seems OK anyone had any experience of them. I've got a good quality, small inflatable kayak. (A Gumotex Twist.) It's very robust and packs down ridiculously sma...

Is it worth doing this, and fixing the suit oneself? ... If so, how easy is the tape to get hold of? If your only problem is a leaking seam, then it's definitely worth buying some tape and doing it yourself. However, my experience has been that heat-applied tape doesn't work unless you've got some ...

Backband: I've ditched mine in all my boats. Replaced with a small foam block that just pushes on my backside to stop me sliding too far back and upsetting the trim of the boat. Fantastic for lay-back rolls and lying on your back-deck watching the stars, but obviously offers zero back support so you...

Hi, If you are considering inflating a drysuit, one problem is that because the BA holds the top close to your body you end up inflating the legs. I have seen people float upside down in a drysuit unable to get their head to the surface because they forgot to purge the dry suit of air. This happene...

The wind would take you for miles though.... Then you'll be interested in the skeg/rudder kit that I'm selling at a time-limited price of.... The only problem I can think of with the idea is that, unlike diving suits, quality surface drysuits are breathable. When searching for leaks on my Goretex s...

I took the plunge and bought a selection of 8 different sized Ortlieb bags (PD350 with valves) which came to £120 on the cheapest online vendor I could find. Go Outdoors would only have been marginally more expensive, but only if you've paid for their membership card (and I can never bring myself to...

Here's another invention that should earn me millions: a little oral-inflate tube fitted somewhere near the neck of your drysuit. (Before anyone gets excited: I'm not proposing this as an alternative to a BA or lifejacket - just as an additional layer of protection.) After surfacing from a scuba div...

I kayak a lot and have tried loads of different drybag brands. Last year I scrapped them all in favour of Ortlieb - I reckon you can't beat them. ... I'd previously discounted Ortlieb as my only experience of them is their cycle panniers, which are excellent but made me think their products would b...

There's neoprene and neoprene... Just before Christmas, I did a 2-hour dive and, as usual, my neoprene neck-seal didn't let in a drop (unlike my crotch, foot and hip...) If you get the stretchy sort which has a smooth rubber surface against your skin, you get a wide band of adhesion to your neck, as...

Thanks for all the replies. It was well worth asking as I at least now know that there aren't any 'buy and forget' solutions if you want a small, stowable dry bag. I hated the idea of throwing away the junk dry bags I've already bought, so I'm instead going to buy some of the suggested lightweight b...

Having just searched, there doesn't appear to have been a thread on drybags for a couple of years, so I started this as I'm in the market for some new ones and want to know about any good deals currently available. Over the years, I've picked up some budget junk from Mountain Warehouse, Trespass and...

If Hammond drysuits have been recommended by Sweet and System X, then you can't go wrong using them. However, re. your concerns about companies that haven't got experience with Goretex: I've been buying/repairing old Goretex suits for a couple of years and I can confirm they're exactly the same to w...

Very common problem with latex neck seals but only affects some people - it's your skin reacting to the latex and it will only get worse the more you use it. My neck used to end up bleeding after repeatedly using my first diving drysuit over a short period of time. People will suggest using all sort...

I'm similar dimensions to you so ended up buying a Perception Madness as it was one of the few boats I found that I comfortably fitted into. It's a bit of an all-rounder: okay for most things but not exceptional at anything. Perfect for a paddler of my limited ambition.

I've swapped out many seals on drysuits - usually going from latex to neoprene in the neck, but have done the other way too, as well as replacing seals on odd stuff, including Reed's Aquatherm material which feels a lot like glide skin. I've found that two-part drysuit glue has always worked - just ...

The zip lube depends on what you've got. E.g a Tizip plastic zip is only supposed to be lubed at the 2cm 'dock' section where it finally closes. (I use Tizip lubricant, which is probably just silicone grease, but you ought to check before using that.) If it's metal, then you lube the teeth all the w...

I think there’s one on eBay at the moment Yep, Nick Gates posted a link to that one above. The seller doesn't know what it is and isn't getting much interest. I was tempted to send them some more info via an eBay message so they could advertise it better, but decided to stay out of it as that might...

How would they have made the apex on the foredeck that pronounced without the ply fracturing I don't think you could make it from a single unscored piece of ply. I suspect they've either used two pieces or they've deeply scored a single sheet of ply in the middle and cracked/folded it along that li...

It's unlikely that the OP will reply - he was only active on this forum one day over a year ago when he posted the advert.

All the PLBs I've seen have been waterproof and completely plastic - i.e. nothing to corrode in salt-water. My model (McMurdo FastFind Max) has only one potential failure point as far as the waterproofing goes - the battery terminals. This model has a user-replaceable battery, which you screw onto t...

Then it sounds like your boat turns in the direction you're edging towards, the same as my low-decked boat. This would make sense if you're talking about your Anas Acuta as my Greenland boats are Shrikes, for which Nick pinched the dimensions from the same historical boat that the Anas Acuta is base...

Now I know that I may well be out on a limb here, but I really don`t get this idea that you should edge / lean outwards to turn a sea kayak. When people discuss the topic of leaning-away edging turns on sea kayaks, they're not talking about dynamic turns like breaking in/out of an eddy. They're tal...

Yep, shouldn't have said fill the suit with water. I just block off the neck and wrists and pour about an arm full (Hancock reference there to match your Laurel and Hardy) and zip it up. Then you can slosh it around inside the suit to find all the holes.

I can't help with chemical re-proofing as I've never had any success with it, whether it be on tents, motorbike clothing or drysuits/cags. However, it's worth investigating whether you've got individual holes in your suit, as opposed to the material going porous. I've been buying used military drysu...