If you join a club they may well have members with just the right boat at the right price at the right time and won't rip you off.

Hi I travelled down the Spey in an open boat wearing a cycle helmet when necessary but saw it wasn't the best. So in invested in a mid range helmet. That piece of coast by Solva is great for rock hopping and looking into caves where you could possibly bang your head if picked up by swell. I'd take s...

"Always three when out at sea" was something a swimming teacher said to me a couple of years ago. Sound advice even if two of those three are on land but know where you are and what you intend to do and approximate return time. I've been paddling for about 3 years and done some solo trips at sea but...

I looked up the boat and found this https://www.flickr.com/photos/camwader_ ... 823799526/

Oisin thanks that is an interesting point. Orange was a colour I was considering for the lower half of my build when I get to that stage for the reason that you allude to that if my boat is upside down I just might want it to be visible to would be rescuers but where can one purchase a marine class ...

Thank you. Yes it is also a little thick and unwieldy so I'll keep it for the purpose intended perhaps snip a bit off for a test as a possible gap filler.
Fyne do have tough cloth rub strips for bow/ stern. The graphite powder appears to be a tint as the info says it has no anti fouling qualities.

After a basic check the main material for fire blankets appears to be fibreglass. Take that as you wish.

Thank for this food for thought.
Mm I had not thought of asbestos so until I find out what the fire blanket is made of I'll keep it in my van for emergency.
Fyne sell graphite powder that's why I asked but I need some more disposables so I may ask them.

The plot got lost for me somewhere about the mention of a barrister and a dog. However on canals and rivers it is almost impossible not to disturb wildlife, what with ducks playing injured and flapping for distances before adeptly flying back over ones head or kingfishers flitting along to the end o...

This keel strip discussion is food for thought. I am well away from these niceties as I have only just taped my panel strips together and am working through some issues in that stage. However I salvaged an uncovered fire blanket the other day which is presumably made of Kevlar judging by the weight....

Hi Stuart That is a tad extreme. I have an original roto seat in my Capella to which i attached a thin layer of salvaged floor insulation foam but some foam roll mat would have done the same job of making it more comfortable. I'm never one to extract original features until I know what is going to b...

Depending on how perished the covers are you could try using stormsure glue. I have extended the life of my square hatch covers on my Capella. I do have spares as they are no longer being produced but this fix has staved off needing to use them. Remember to put the Stormsure in the freezer if you do...

Love it.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/ ... 222cbc80a9

I do enjoy these threads that weave about and educate. Three years ago I snapped up what was described to me as a beginners kayak and it is over 16' with a flat bottomed hull and a wideish beam, it is also probably meant for a paddler larger than me but will probably perform at it's best if loaded f...

Looks good. I may bump into you at some point as my son in law's family have a place near Roscolyn. We made some excellent Sloe Gin from berries collected in the vicinity.

There is a famous poem about a cow girl who lost her life on the sands of Dee. If I am correct the Vikings used Meols as a port and ruled from the Wrekin.

I have paddled my Inflatable in a triathlon swim wet suit and it didn't keep trying to flatten me out. Sometimes I wear a neoprene shorty. I anchor the boat with some cheapo nylon rope and a small drop anchor and swim around a bit or enjoy the sun in the boat well away from the rammed beach.

Interesting, Mr DH he does at least give Greenlanders some credit in designing kayaks and surviving in harsh conditions. Was it an interview or a monologue?

Further Channel info https://icomuk.co.uk/files/icom/PDF/rad ... ses_18.pdf

Possibly some of those paddle boarders may have read paddling Britain by Lizzie Carr. Which does suggest joining BCU to cover inland licences on Canals etc. I came across a guy working against wind and tide kneeling on a paddle board heading down Cresswell river I was in a Capella going in the oppos...

Hi Jim I understand BC and SOT but can you expand SCA and NGBs. Thankfully I bought my old style Capella a couple of years ago but theoretically I could have sold it at a profit. Possibly clubs could have made use of the boom and cleared some old stock. I am embarking on a self build and possibly su...

I hadn't got on with pogies but reading this thread made me give them another try and by pre fitting them onto my 1.5" loom gp I found was workable and the wrists stayed open. Alongside this I looked up those ancient foil lined Arctic pogees and thought 'why not'? so I split and customed some foil l...

I've spent lots of time body boarding sans BA but avoid going beyond my depth having once having to work harder than i'd like to return to shore. I've also seen stacks of paddle boarders in iffy conditions blighthly travelling along the tidal stream with no BA which might be ok if they are not separ...

Bertie If you are going to spend £3,000 on a boat (that's more than I try to spend on a car) I just might be sensible to get a helmet, You don't need to wear one all the time but heading into caves you don't want a stray swell to slap your head up to the roof or a jutting rock. Sea Kayaking does app...

A foam float that could sit on a gp loom and slid for use sounds an interesting idea but not sure If there would be room alongside some rolled up pogees if they weren't in use unless a rolled up pogee can act as sufficient bouyancy? Please bear in mind that as yet I have only rolled once and that wa...

Thank you both.
I will make the planned version and if it fits all well and good. My Capella 166 fits diagonally with the up and over door just mm away.
Yes I will be aware of my neighbours it is a reasonable sized garden.

Thanks Nick Firstly is this a steeper bow and hence shorter version ie more garage friendly? Secondly, I tend to think I am as tough as old boots when it comes to allergies but I am not taking chances, So Ihave bought a have decent mask, gloves, disposable hooded overall etc. Plus through circumstan...

I was looking up about using marine radio on inland waterways and found this: https://www.waterways.org.uk/wp-content ... idance.pdf

Some items may well have gone up in 15 months what with Brexit etc.
I did shop around but in the end went for Fyne for virtually everything, which is coming in the next few days. I still need the skeg kit, mask and overalls. I am a bit thrifty but also lazy.
I will make a measured start.

I was going to suggest BCU but I see it has been done and they will insure a couple of boats which you don't need to specify. How does that work for a self build but such as Plymouth Demo's three piece?