i like the idea of a GP…but
for now i will try to make the britches…can anyone give me approx. size?
Gnarlydog’s ideas…
I remembered his blog post on this:
http://gnarlydognews.blogspot.com/2009/03/shop-sea-kayak-paddle-park.html
Good readin’.
got all those pictures saved…
he does a great job w/ his blog. i will use some of these ideas to make mine. I love creating some of my own gear!
It’s not a good idea at all…
…since if your primary paddle is torn from your grasp, you cannot access your spare to roll up with if it’s in one of your hatches. I’ve had this happen twice when I got hammered in rock gardens, where the last thing I wanted to have to do was wet exit. In both cases, I grabbed my foredeck-mounted spare, rolled up, retrieved my primary paddle, stowed the spare and extricated myself from a dangerous situation.
Cedar CAN scratch
If you get anything embedded in it (sand, etc.) or if you reinforce the tips with epoxy, it WILL scratch your deck. If you’re concerned about scratches, your best bet is to protect the deck where the paddle makes contact. There are pics of the method I use in my “Kayak Outfitting” album on Webshots at:
http://community.webshots.com/user/brian_nystrom-reg
Hey
B-N…He refuses to learn to roll…doesn’t need to grab his spare…he’s getting out…
Best wishes
Roy
He also may not…
… be in rock garden situations where it would matter.
Me… I’ll probably avoid rock gardens for a long while, but would like to learn to roll anyway.
Paddle Britches dimensions
They are lil britches… 12" long, 9" wide at front (the “waist”). The “legs” are held open w. a stiffener so you don’t have to thread a needle getting your paddles in, then it narrows down to keep them snug.
There are IIRC 5 maybe six gussets on each side that slide thru the deck lines.
Making your own you can of course customize for your own deck. If I made a pair I’d use commercial velcro fasteners for the 12 gussets and make sure it faces the downside, next to the deck, with pull tabs to the outside. Then I could put it on and off without removing the deck lines, or switch between boats.
If you do pull the perimeter lines to install, you might look into buying lines w. reflective deck weave (reflective at night when light is shined on them) Those are standard on Current Designs seakayaks & other makes. A CD dealer or the helpful folks in the Accessories Department at CD could prolly hook you up.
If you make your own be sure to share some pix!
I’ll measure mine tonight
I have a pair I haven’t installed yet, will bring them up and measure them tonight.
By the way, re your perimeter line, if it was in good shape to start and the boat has been stored largely inside or under cover you shouldn’t have to redo it at a year. That said, redoing the perimeter line is relatively easy compared to the bungies because there is less opportunity to obsess about how to improve the routing of it. And you can put in pretty colored line.
BCU front deck but.
If you loose your paddle and need to roll up the front deck makes it a little easier.
It looks like hell.
I keep my spare paddle on the back deck and have no trouble getting to it.
I use an NRS system and it has never caused a problem for me.
Note: Always watch for the words, Never, always and only.
There are a myriad of views, circomstances, skill levels etc.
dimensions
I got them from a retailer’s website, in answer to a posted question. It confirms what I saw installed on a couple of boats at symposium (Memorial Day weekend) and last weekend at South Bass Island.
They are quite small! elfin britches. And neatly made, tho nothing a handy person couldn’t duplicate.
Design feature to note
In the paddle britches, the ends into which you insert the paddle shaft are stiffened so that even wet, enough should be sitting up so that you can just slide the shaft in there. It appears to me that they just have thickened the mass of material and rolled it some, but if you are going to make your own think about this. Most home sewing machines lack the strength to get through really thickened layers of material.
so awesome…pnet rocks
Removable fastenings for paddle britches
Paddle britches are on my short wishlist, but I don’t like the idea of attaching them permanently.
One alternative to unstringing the perimeter lines is to use cable ties. John Carmody of Seacliff Kayakers gets the credit for this method.
Alternate methods might be to open the loops and add velcro, or replace the loops with plastic hooks like those on map cases.
Has anyone tried any of these methods?
Just to note
I looked at that idea for a few days, but realized something once I had the things in hand and was staring at my boat. For the paddle britches to work, they have to be butted into an RDF or well-placed knot that’ll stop them from sliding away when you press the end of a paddle shaft into them. Since John C tends to travel with a trailer load of P&H boats and needs to be able to switch the britches between boats on a regular basis, he really has to be able to switch them around. I decided that it was less trouble for me to just reloop the perimeter line.
stiffeners
good to note, yes, I saw how the openings are held open w. stiffeners… that said, in the fabric world there are stiffeners which, if nothing else can be glued w. the usual DAP Weldwood Cement red label, then handsewn into the barrels of the britches w. a strong needle and a whipstitch.
I use carpet thread for my kayaking projects (non cotton thread of course LOL) and it holds very securely.
My sewing machine is from the early 70s - all metal and does any heavy fabric I throw at it (so far) incl. some leathers. But I usually wind up handstitching due to the tight spacing and clearances.
foredeck
– Last Updated: Jun-17-10 10:17 AM EST –
...with the caveats mentioned by peterCA. Kudzu also makes a great suggestion; try this. Maybe just me but I wouldn't get hung up on "strong side" or "weak side".
OTOH sometimes I like to practice rolls by intentionally setting up on the wrong side, and switching my setup underwater.
The rock garden was just an example
– Last Updated: Jun-17-10 7:11 PM EST –
Any time you're in water rough enough that you could lose your primary paddle, having a spare on-deck is important. For that matter, I've seen people who were just "lilly dipping" or easy cruising set their paddles down and have them slip off the boat and drift away. Without a spare, they were up a creek - or whatever body of water - without a paddle. ;-)
The bottom line is that safety gear (spare paddle, tow rig, VHF radio, flares, etc.) is useless if you can't access it when you need it.
Consistent position is what matters
It’s important that your spare paddle is always in the same place, so there’s never a question of where to reach when you’re upside-down and can’t see. Personally, I like to keep mine on my strong-hand (right) side. If I was left handed, I’d probably carry it on the left.
Losing Paddle
Doesn’t anyone use a paddle leash to prevent losing your paddle?