@mcgruff. Rule #1 don't get seperated from the boat! Swimming is never an option. Certainly not in some of the west coast tidal streams. With a deckless ski reentry should be practiced until bombproof. If you doubt your ability to maibtain contact then get a leash and start to use it before things g...

I note from the floating photo it is an HM, which narrows it a bit further. I'm guessing it started life with an ocean cockpit. The seat bucket btw looks more like from a ww boat or surf shoe than a sea kayak, given the highish thigh lip and splayed leg position. What is the rear deck like? Day hatc...

Whatever it is, and the workmanship looks excellent btw, ☺ it was a long time ago. The single piece RDFs were only fitted to the very first mid 70's Nordys, and soon replaced with the black ABS screw-in inserts. That is not to say the cockpit wasn't fitted (much) later, but it looks aged with the de...

Worlds hottest city??? Probably best to build in the winter then :) even in our mild summer's a 1 lb pot of resin can go off in 10 mins. You could do worse than build a nice cedar strip and take a mould off it. That way the plug subsequently serves as a boat too. Check out http://www.etiennemuller.c...

To be fair, making a plug, then a mould, which needs to be particularly robust (tool coat or thick gelcoat, 5+ layers of CSM, reinforing ribs and flanges) is a LOT of work if you are just making one boat. building a nice cedarstrip is about the same work as making the plug alone.

Llanca, Costa Brava, Spain (Catalonia) April 13-19

https://pagaia.club/simposium/?lang=en

There are strange, very fine, circular swirl marks on the gel coat. For the life of me I can't imagine what caused them :o) :o) Hi Douglas, it is just an optical effect. Micro scratches (and I mean MICRO!!! - all surfaces have them) when lit from a certain angle show up tangential to the light sour...

Hi Mike, old head is great fun, make sure you get tide and swell right to go through the tunnels. A figure 8 course out of garrylucas or the speckled door (free parking and put in at both, and within walking distance of each other so no shuttle needed). MIZEN is fantastic. Barleycove to Dunmanus tak...

Dont firget the Pilgrim either, myself I would say Isel or Romany, but beware the LV, there are, according to some, issues with the seat placement and fore/aft balance.

Watch TITS (this is the sea) for a pretty close call of Justines' . Imo safest bet would be to get in the water and swim until it passes over

You are the same age as me when I started in 1974! Join a club, get free coaching, meet nice people with cars, driving licences and roofracks, follow a coaching scheme. With disinterested parents but the support of adult club paddlers, i went through the BCU schemes to advanced sea proficiency (4*) ...

Remember the raw materials alone cost £300-£500 depending on resin used, carbon, Kevlar etc. Then another £300+ for hatches, footrest, skeg, rdf's etc. Then add 40 man hours work at what, £20? The manufacturer's cost of building a kayak is easily £1600, add delivery, dealer margins, advertising, cos...

While I agree that for a new boat you can expect a flawless product, kayaks by their nature are an artisanal one off, and this damage imo is minor and cosmetic and relates to the add on keel stop and doesn't compromise the hull. It seems that the gel (flow coat) cover on top of the keel strip tape h...

If you use dilute sea water for cooking, do you use the same dilution ratio for sea water from different seas? No! In the Aland islands (northern baltic) we used it neat for rice, pasta etc. It was also fine for washing brushing teeth etc. The salt concentration is about 1% there. In the med it can...

I don't see why they had to pay for their own repairs? If your car is vandalised in a car park overnight presumably your insurance will pay for it, as long as the damage is reported to the police. If the culprit can then be identified, presumably the insurance company will the press charges with a v...

Small donation made! I don't do this FB crap, which seem the only way of sending a message on gofundme, so posting here instead if you are reading Nigel, i was so sorry to hear about the disaster, I recently got a small refund for cancelled travel due to the same storm, you can use it more than me, ...

Check out TITS and Pacific Horizon DVDs for some inspiration. Fabulous kayaking at all level, including awesome tidal races, e.g. Skookumchuk near Seychelt on the Sunshine coast. Keep a weather eye, there can be some sudden and awesome wIlliwaws (catabatic winds) down the fijords on crossings. Cold ...

I agree, if you are uncomfortable in it, then it is not fit for purpose, that said, these a classic British boats (Nordies HS & HM, Seakings, Baidarkas, Anas Acutas etc), and IMO are worthy of preservation and should be treasured as collectibles, for all their foibles and quirks. Think of them like ...

... I would advise a small amount of WD40 directly on the mechanism. I didn't like using it much because I didn't want to get it on my hands while paddling later, but it worked like a charm. Not so sure about that (WD40), any oil based lube collects dust and grit, turns gunky and IMO is impossible ...

Not wanting to get into a debate Jim, and your fix is fine too, albeit a bit complicated IMO but: 1) 100ml of layup is hardly going to generate serious heat, or contribute structural damage, confined as it is to the last 2-3" of the bow 2) I DID advise mixing in plenty of finely chopped CSM (take a ...

I would just Dremel the fill out a bit, roughen the inside of the loose piece back to exposed fibres, then tape it in place, stand the boat on end and pour a yoghurt carton (150ml) of catalysed lay-up resin down the front hatch, careful not to splash the sides. Or you can make up a 150ml paste of la...

Maybe we could just have a basic test for paddlers proficiency (we could call it something simple, how about a "proficiency test") etc. etc. LMAO! Steve: Former BCU "sea proficiency", "advanced proficiency" and now a member of nothing at all. I'm with Nick Crowhurst and Mark Rainsley on this one!

Or even better don't drill your hull. Simply glue threaded insert studs in the right position using a methacrylate glue, and bolt your for footrest rails (Yakima, kayak sport or similar) to these.


https://www.ecfibreglasssupplies.co.uk/ ... eel-thread

Hi, is anybody traveling this route in the coming weeks with roof rack space for a Romany? I have a secondhand boat needs collecting in Holyhead, and I can meet the ferry in Dublin or Dunlaoirgh. Return by car is €250 if I collect myself, so happy to make a generous donation to the ticket cost. No d...

Hi Mirco, will drop u a text later today, 15/11. Saw photos on FB, 😊

Hi Mirco, I would be interested in the Romany for my GF. Currently in Kinsale, Ireland, but travel to Scotland (West Coast) regularly either via Dublin/Holyhead or Belfast. Can you refer me to the original thread ad some photos, or PM me?

Steve

I previously (2010) bought a couple of these (buttons and internal gubbins) from Surf Lines in N. Wales who were very helpful, only cost a couple of £, (now snowdoniawatersports.com ) but website seems to be down. The trick is to google "padlok" and not let google default to "padlock". Otherwise try...

The skerray looks to be in great nic and imo is the one to go for, I had a PE skerry and it is a good all rounder! This seems to be an older model, so if you are at all "handy" over time you may want to remove the deck pump and replace with a day hatch and third bulkhead, moving the pump to the foot...

Paggaia symposium in Llanca costa brava at Easter. There is a long weekend of workshops and bcu courses in the following week

Hi Martin, yep Alaw Bach. Not much to fit in in this case. No tent or cooking gear, just a sleeping bag, thermarest and a small tarp. All she packed was a change of clothes and dried food, fruit energy bars, cereal, etc. no dry suit, gps, laptop etc either. Just a cag, salopettes, vhf, PFD, compass ...