Kayak Tips

Criteria for inspecting dry suit gaskets before they rip In general, if you were going to use your dry suit or dry top on a month long trip like paddling the Grand Canyon then with three year old gaskets I’d say it might be good idea to replace them pre-emptively...

The bow of this sea kayak got dented in while rock-gardening. It should be fixable, though maybe not quite like new. 

How To Fix A Skeg Jam: In a case like the photo above you can use a stainless steel butter knife to pry out the stone and usually then the problem is solved. Keep a thin tool like this butter knife in your kayak repair kit for field use. Any...

For bigger jobs involving chipped and/or cracked Gelcoat: To do it right you’ll need to grind off the Gelcoat out to the cracks. That will seem scary because your going to make the repair area bigger, but it has to be done. If you see cracks in the underlying composite...

I’ve had years of back trouble, and kayaking has been tough for me to resume.
Currently have several lovely doubles but honestly have not been able to use them at all because I get so uncomfortable in the low back, and then feet get numb, etc.

That is the toughest fit issue. So many variables. It is best to only try one thing at a time. Start with the simplest and least expensive fixes and then go from there if they don’t work. This list is approximately in that order. See the link for "Details"

Notes On Repairs To Composites (Fiberglass etc.) Kayaks

KA does not sell repair fiberglass repair materials. Tap Plastics or Fiberlay are good sources locally and West Marine has some too.

The following are tips for buying the materials you need to do the job and for choices you need to make when repairing your kayak.

"My seat back doesn't provide enough support - I'm a 250 pound guy and the back isn't strong enough to push against my back. Do you have any recommendations on a seat back replacement or accessory that might help?"   Sorry but usually the seat back that comes with a...

"The neck gasket on my new drysuit strangles me and I get dizzy." Dizzy is not good. You have three options to relieve a tight neck gasket: 1 The gasket will loosen up a bit after you wear the dry suit or top 5-10 times. 2 Stretch the gasket around...

Many kayak clubs in the NW share a common Sea Kayak Trip Classification system started by the Washington Kayak Club

VHF Radios models come and go about as quickly as cell phones. So my standard advise about which radio to buy is to go to your local marine supply store (West Marine and Lummi Fish Supply are common in the NW) and ask for a knowledgeable sales person to help...

 Most sea kayak skeg control systems are put together similarly, but the details can make instructions for how to repair a bent or jammed skeg cable specific to a brand and sometimes it depends on the model year. So we will offer some individual instructions here by brand and range...

Waterproofing As of 2016, none of the VHF radios on the market are waterproof enough to meet my standards of "kayak waterproof". The weak links for all of them are generally the battery cover and the silly rubber stopper plugs for headset/earpieces and remote microphones (Silly in that these are...

Question from a customer: I'm considering replacing the seat in my kayak. I find the way it angles up a strange way to sit, plus I don't think I need a big plastic, stiff seat wrapping around from one hip to another. I'm thinking about taking the seat out, and...

The following table lists all the waterproof flashlights, headlamps, and strobe lights that I use for sea kayaking. To the left of each item I've listed where I stow it ... lights won't do you any good unless they are stowed such that you have access to them and can...

Click the above left links if you are ready to order gaskets or have K.A. replace your gasket(s) for you. We often receive questions such as this one: Re: Replacement gaskets for a dry suit.The neck gasket tore on my dry suit, so it needs to be replaced. Also, I...

The following lists all the dry bags, dry boxes, and mesh sacks that I use for sea kayak camping trips along with the gear I typically store in each and where I typically put them in a sea kayak. Having the right dry bags and dry boxes makes loading your...

Do you sell a patch to fix a 1/8 inch tear in my dry suit? If so, what else do I need to do the repair? For bigger tears we sell a GoreTex patch kit (assuming yours is a GoreTex suit), but for an 1/8 inch hole you don't need...

Wind and current directions are based on opposite conventions. This can lead to confusion when looking up the direction of an ebb or flood in current tables. Even a "land lubber knows that "wind direction" tells you where the wind is coming from. Yet people often stumble on the concept...

Many of you have been in lessons with me when I've pointed out towering and other mirages commonly seen on or near the water, and often the subject of Green Flash has come up while we have been camping on overnight and longer training trips. Here is a link to...

Lets begin with thoughts about your spare paddle. Many people consider low cost to be the most important factor when choosing a spare paddle. Unfortunately the less a paddle costs, the more it usually weighs. Yet you might be tempted to go cheap in this case since it is unlikely...

The most common cause of serious damage to sea kayaks is transporting them -- not using them. On the highway you want to protect your kayaks from damage and prevent any liability issues from their flying off your vehicle and causing damage/injury to others behind your car. Good racks are...

After more than twenty years of failures, I’ve finally found a reliable way to carry spare batteries while sea kayaking - in spare waterproof LED flashlights. Batteries in a zip-lock bag are certain to get wet. Putting the zip-lock bag inside a dry bag buys a little time, but the...