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...

Any second-hand boats available near you? Local club? As a beginner maybe you shouldn't be considering a new boat but work your way through few second hand options over the next few years so that, when you do buy new, you know exactly what you want and can spec your new boat to suityou. Buying an of...

Which country are you in? No need for any insurance, permit etc. in the UK but that's not the case in other countries

Putting a vhf into an Aqua-Pac type dry-case solves the water in the speaker problem, makes it float and acts as a wind break to make your transmission much more readable in windy conditions. Downside is a slight increase in overall size and (for a DSC set) you can't activate the DSC alarm while it'...

The Reed paddle britches can be threaded onto the deck lines for a semi-permanent fitting, that way the deck lines don't need to be too tight to keep them in place. I untied one end of my deck line, pulled it through to the bow and back down past the point where I want the paddle park to sit then fe...

I can't help with any local knowledge of your area but in general.... (and you've probably done most of this already) Proper buoyancy aids for everyone and a couple of ways to call for help are good advice. Don't put a phone in a dry bag in the boat - keep it attached to you in case you end up in th...

Reed will have one to suit. https://www.chillcheater.com/decks/aqua ... ixed-waist. There's a size chart on the page or they will make to order if needed.

or a flexible 1/4 wave antenna that again is longer and more efficient. A 1/4 wavelength of insulated wire connected to the metal body of the radio, and allowed to hang down will also improve the efficiency of the radio/antenna system. Interesting idea. To save my tired old brain from doing the mat...

Nikon AW1 was excellent but isn't available any more - but if you see one second-hand it's worth considering. It was an interchangeable lens camera with a reasonable sensor size and is capable of producing very good quality images. The negatives - It's a bit bigger than the compacts but is still man...

Not misunderstanding - just not fully understanding. Seems to me that I am understanding very well. Calling for help would be done using the device you have on your person. Not the device you have stowed away in a hatch. As I wrote in my latest post: As far as I know, there is no law against owning...

You can retrofit a spray hood to most life-jackets. I wonder if it would be possible to design something similar to protect a kayaker's airway in an emergency situation? Without one the advice is to breath trough hands cupped in front of your nose and mouth to prevent inhaling spray. I've also wonde...

Lomo do a very good tapered bag which I've found to be ideal for up in the bow.

https://www.lomo.co.uk/acatalog/tapered ... ml#SID=117

An interesting debate indeed, raising several points. My only hope is that we don't all get so bogged down in concerns about our own (or our groups) "followership" skills that we forget to enjoy ourselves. A lot of the points made about the original article seem to be based on the premise that the p...

I think we might be in danger of overthinking this....

Am I misunderstanding the purpose of this app? I thought the purposes were: Registration of a planned route before the trip Tracking during the trip For the first purpose, you need neither phone coverage nor access to your phone during the trip. For the second purpose, you need phone coverage, but ...