Get some height - top of a hill - whatever... to get the arial clear of any obstructions and increase range by "seeing" over the horizon. (Didn't you learn anything from "Stanger Things")
Any paddling mates local to you with a VHF? Ask them to do a radio check on an unused channel

Forget all of the above. I don't mean to put a damper on your enthusiasm, just to protect your wallet. If this is your first sea kayak look for a good SH boat unless you really do have more money than sense. And even then - paddle it for a while first. No kayak is "right" for everyone or for every o...

The only problem with silicone is it's ability to creep and then make any f/glass / gelcoat repairs more difficult - but that's not an issue on a Scorpio.
Halfords sell a silicon spray for car window rubber seals - it seems to work very well.

https://www.escape-watersports.co.uk/cl ... ket-detail

Well within your budget. I've got an older version of this and have found it excellent for warmer weather paddling when it's too hot for a dry-suit

Where are you based? How old is the Vortex?

Spinning on the spot in a tail squirt should not be attempted in a sea kayak :) Falls of Laura?? Not always intentionally!! To the OP -- don't neglect flexibility training as well as strength - TBH, after a certain point in a sea kayak, shoulder strength becomes less important than flexibility and ...

I went back to square bars to support my Karitek Easy-Load carrier as I didn't feel the aero-bars were giving a very secure connection. The slot / T-Bolt fitting on bike carriers does seem to work on aero bars though so maybe it's the comparatively smaller volume of kayak carriers sold which is prev...

People do seem to have an idea that hand held flares are much safer than launched flares, but from most of the reports I've heard from people who have used them they still seem pretty hazardous. A cautionary tale.... Many years ago, when the coastguard / RNLI organised dates to come and fire off ex...

Getting back to the original question here.... Register the set with Ofcom - it's free, do it online, wait about a year or so and they will add you to their database. (They don't seem to work very quickly...) Pick up a copy of the RYA Short Range Radio course book (or look up online) https://www.rya...

Interesting point being raised from the above. I have two VHF hand-helds, one DSC one non-DSC but I've only registered the DSC set. If I had bought the non DSC set first, I would have applied for a licence for it (why not, it's free...) then, when I bought the DSC set I would also have registered it...

I just had a good read of that ofcom link provided by Richard and it reads well, it's looking like I don't need any additional certificates to use a vhf within 12 nautical miles of low tide so this should be plenty coverage for my uses, if I'm wrong please correct me but it does look like that I th...

No, no and yes.. So thats a yes then No - you don't need a license to listen to weather updates. No, you don't really need a license to call for help in an emergency but yes - you are required to hold a short range certificate if you intend to use a portable marine band VHF to comunicate with others...

Beryl wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 21, 2020 6:00 pm

pathbrae wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 21, 2020 4:45 pm

The OP was December 2018 and the poster hasn't replied to any of the advice offered, nor have they posted anything else to the forum.....

Good read mind...

I was hoping for volume two "The Plan" if not volume three "The Voyage" :-)

The OP was December 2018 and the poster hasn't replied to any of the advice offered, nor have they posted anything else to the forum.....

Only when I'm in the boat and launching through surf..... The I remember getting trashed trying to get into the boat in the first place!

The switch on mine broke after a few months. Attwood sent a replacement from USA, no charge, so their customer service was very good a few years ago.
Mine's been OK since.

I just put mine behind the seat in my Etain. It's held in by the elastics for the back-rest and stays in place during rescues etc. but is reasonably easy to get out if I need it. I presume the Nordkap has the same sort of seat arrangement?

I thought it would go fairly quickly... :-)

Hi Mike - I sent you a message a few days ago but I don't know if you got it. Is the paddle still for sale?

David

Just a quick "thank-you" to the folks at Belfield Software http://www.chartsandtides.co.uk/ I've used Belfield chart plotter for years on the PC to help plan routes etc. but having finally abandoned Windows move to Widows 10, I couldn't re-intall the application as I had "exceeded the activation lim...

The original eTrex range is not USB, it is RS232. You may be able to use it with a USB/serial adaptor. Garmin sell (or at least sold) a usb to Garmin cable for the etex range. In Memory Map I had to play with the settings to find a port number to get my old Sumit to work but it got there eventually...

The original eTrex range is not USB, it is RS232. You may be able to use it with a USB/serial adaptor. Garmin sell (or at least sold) a usb to Garmin cable for the etex range. In Memory Map I had to play with the settings to find a port number to get my old Sumit to work but it got there eventually...

Memory Map still seems to work with my old Sumit GPS, which has the same Garmin 4 pin connector.

My list for defo keeping on the person at all times is: PLB Whistle VHF Emergency food (I'm type 1 diabetic) GPS (or wear a GPS watch with Lat/Long and GB grid ref on it) What's yours? PLB VHF Whistle Knife Strobe Bright yellow Reed skull cap (in case I end up bobbing about...) And in the pockets o...

It's getting there - previous versions were very buggy (not a lot of use in an emergency) and, on Android on 3 different phones, wouldn't display the trak I had just recoreded, crashing the app every time I tried. I don't know how it behaves in terms of battery life yet, it used to kill my phone bat...

No - Gel coat is the outer layer of a composite boat. It's not as "runny" as resin and is waterproof once it cures It doesn't set in air so when the boat is being built once it's applied to the mold it stays "tacky" on the surface to give a good bond to the resin used with the glass / diolene /kevla...

It looks like a bit of gel-coat repair might be all it needs - or possibly a bit of repair to the "hole" with stiffened resin then gel coat to make good the cosmetics (and waterproof the repair)

KCS - Expedition Trolly https://www.kayakcarriers.co.uk/product-page/expedition-trolley-mark-5-10-foam-filled-tyres For - very light, (3.2Kg with extension fitted, 3.0Kg without) packs into the boat without any problem, solid wheels are pucture proof, tool-free build and take down. Against - not muc...

Sounds like an excellent idea. Possibly a page in the Almanac could be used to keep links to photographs of all our classic boat logos before they fade away?

I replaced leaking hatches on an Island Explorer several years ago. All three were originally stuck on with Sikaflex and bolted. All three had cracked and split around the bolt holes. After cleaning and sanding I used a two-pack acrylic adhesive for the new rims. No bolts. I can still pick up the bo...