Restoration of P&H Umnak Icefloe

[Ceegee]

Hi Plankton,

While I'm loath to advocate altering a classic boat, if you are using it as a regular paddle, you might think about replacing those hatches with Kajaksport ABS rims and rubber covers (by all means store the old Hendersons). Another idea would be to ditch the chimp pump* which is next to useless (by all means keep it too) and fit a glued-in foam bulkhead and small day hatch in the hole. You will save a couple of kg's and make self rescues that much easier (still a pain with an ocean cockpit).

https://www.kajak.nl/accessoires/dekluiken/

The parts and materials should come to around €65 depending on the sizes - 2×15cm + a 10cm?.

*You could always fit a Rule electric, or just get a hand pump.

[pretty_plankton]

Hi again Steve!

Yes, this boat will be my primary paddle. Already racked up 150km+ since its arrival in here in Amsterdam early September. The water is cooling down quickly now and I don't want to risk it without a dry suit.

Come spring I will have saved up for a second round of refitting. Improve decklines again, learn how to fix the scratches in the hull, properly replace the seat. I want to keep this kayak in its original state where possible. Indeed like a floating musuem piece as you said. My aim for next year is to get comfortable enough for weekend trips and relearn to roll. If I still like paddling in a year as much, I'll start saving up for my own modern (sea)kayak. When visiting the physical kajak.nl store it feels like a big candyshop. I wouldn't even know how to articulate what I want and like. Will try and spend time in a variety of other boats.

The pump works fine! I hardly even need it, though. During rescue practice we just empty the boat with a good ol' lift and shake. The only use cases would be open water when alone or in such rough conditions you want to pump it out with the skirt back on. Not the conditions I would go for a paddle as that's way above my skill level. Just checked out the Rule pumps, thanks for the tip. That is something I might invest in. The reason being the pump handle which makes the rear deck way less useful. It's in the way getting in, getting out and during rescues.

cheers, a very happy Plankton. Some pictures from recent trips below.

[Chris Bolton]

The pump works fine!

Yes, those pumps always did work, but the reason they're not used any more is not that they don't work but that they're not usable in the situation where you might want them. The intent was that another paddler could raft onto your kayak and pump it out for you, as you say, with the deck on. But if there's another paddler there, the best thing is to lift and empty, as you did. It's much quicker and minimises the time when two boats are banging together in waves. If there's no other paddler, you can't use a pump on your back deck by yourself and still use your paddle to stay upright, certainly not if the conditions were enough to lead to a boat full of water.

I have tried pumping out a boat like that, back in the 1980s. In that case, it failed because the paddler's sponge was sucked into the pump and blocked it - with the deck on, we didn't know what the problem was. Modern spraydecks are not compatible with them - in the '80's we had nylon fabric decks and there were enough gaps round the rim for air to get in. Now, with a neoprene deck, you need to make a gap to let air in or the pump sucks against it (that can also be a problem with electric pumps).

Best wishes to you and your boat, and we're always happy to help on this forum if you have more questions.

[pretty_plankton]

Hello for a final time, until I make a new Ice Floe post some time in spring!

The description of the issues with the pump match my issues while experimenting. Indeed I do have a vintage Palm spray skirt rather than a neopreen deck. I hadn't even considered that the neopreen ones are so tight I could make it stuck even tighter. Not a pleasant thought with the tiny cockpit.

Derek Hutchinson even mentions the small cockpits in the interview Steve posted. According to him the problem is not the tiny cockpit, it's the lack of instructors, obviously! And tall people. He also mentions he is not very tall himself in his books and seems to realize beanpoles like me might like a roomier cockpit.

Until spring! I'll leave this very friendly forum for now with two more pics: a traditional windmill at the western edge of Amsterdam as seen from a floating wedge of cheese. And a senior family gathering of Derek Hutchinson's "pigs to paddle". ;-)

[Chris Bolton]

He also mentions he is not very tall himself in his books

Indeed, he was not very tall, and he became wider with age. It was suggested that his designs became wider as he did. The Baidarka was only 21" (I've quoted that in inches, as that was how things were measured in the UK at the time).

[ChrisJK]

Hi Plankton
All the best. I see the RH boat has newer hatch covers.
Re Molens is the pictured one included in the fluisterende molens podcasts?

Is it on Twiske?

[pretty_plankton]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for that podcast recommendation! Windmills from the part of NL where I grew up. Don't think this windmill is included, it's this one: https://www.molendatabase.nl/molens/ten ... e-nr-10136

Back when the Baidarka and Ice Floe were in production the plastic or rubber covers were already available. This weekend my father dug up an old Harrie Tieken catalog from the mid 1980s where it states that metal hatches were an option for expedition variants.

Translation below:

Apart from our own production of the Nibbix Zembla, we import four different sea kayaks from the UK. All of them designed by Derek C. Hutchinson. Shown here are the Umnak and the Ice Floe, kayaks which can be ordered in both standard and expedition layout.

Additionally we usually have stock of the Baidarka Explorer and the newest sea kayak from Hutchinson, the Dawn Treader. The Dawn Treader (Dutch translation in quotes) is a very popular boat in the UK.

All these seakayaks are constructed from diolen, a material that is also a custom order for all kayaks build at our warf. Diolen is a plastic fiber that, when combined with a glass laminate, is incredibly strong.

Our showroom not only has a collection of sea kayaks, but also other kayak types by P&H for sale. All parts of sea kayaks are for sale, like pumps, compasses, hatches in both plastic and aluinium, map holders, bungy cord, etc.

If you have the time, drop by Tiekano! Business hours are listed in this brochure.