I have an IR Shockwave spray skirt for my Liquid Logic Remix XP-10. When camping out at night, do I need to cover the cockpit? Is tying the opening of my spray skirt closed like a fruit basket (so to speak; or some other way of closing it up) fine or do I need to use I cockpit cover? I really don’t want to have to carry around yet another piece of equipment.
Still, regardless of how I cover the cockpit, wouldn’t there be the threat of animals chewing through the spray skirt either to get to what’s in the boat or the salt on the spray skirt?
Also, is it safe to store food in the sealed hatch of my XP-10 at night instead of stringing it up a tree?
Darwin
daroos@indiana.edu
Salt on the spray skirt?
How does that happen in Indiana?
Sorry, but your posts are making pretty limited sense. Don’t see why you would not just turn the boat upside down overnight, use proper protection to keep food from critters and paddle using common sense in hot weather.
depends
– Last Updated: Jun-15-11 11:37 PM EST –
Depends on what you have that animals want, and what animals you have.
If the animals are large (like bears), I wouldn't leave anything they may want in hatches. If they do go for it, you won't have a working boat.
Normally I don't cover the cockpit. or I use my spray skirt and close off the tunnel as well as I can. I don;'t carry a separate cockpit cover.
On salt, if you are in salt water (so are camped near salt water), chances are the animals won't be after any dried salt on your gear, as they have plenty already.
Somebody is writing a Paper…
…or maybe a book.
either way, just say so…(we’ll help, just don’t screw with us with the “Im a new paddler” routine…)
my $0.02
– Last Updated: Jun-16-11 11:24 AM EST –
I don't use a cockpit cover. Nothing in there smells very good and certainly not edible by any standards of vertebrate life.
I would not store food in a hatch while on land for a long length of time (overnight), no matter how watertight you think they are (mine are vented). Unless there are no trees handy it's easy enough to hang your food.
I’ve been told
the racoons here will tear your hatch covers up if they smell food in there.
Don’t store food in the cockpit.
Even when you cover it, raccoons will just chew through the cover.
In bear country, don’t store it in any of the compartments. You won’t have too much kayak left after they get through tearing it apart.
Jack L
Swamp it
Leave the food in the hatch, but you have to completely swamp your kayak – or hoist the entire boat up in the tree.
Seriously, if it’s a concern, take the food out and just flip the boat over. If it has pointy ends, lean it up against a big tree. I leave my neoprene near it to run off any curious critters.