Archive for February, 2012
Posted by Greg on
February 23, 2012
Q: Can I mount an ONNO foot bar in my NDK Greenlander pro?
Is there enough room for the knees to bring my feet into a centered position?– J P Meyenberg
A: JP, I have an ONNO carbon foot bar (foot plate) mounted in my NDK Greenlander Pro and love it. For those who aren’t familiar with it, the ONNO foot bar is a very lightweight, wide carbon plate that mounts to your existing Yakima pedals (stock installation is with screws). The hardware is provided to modify your current Yakima aluminum rails so that they are parallel so that the solid foot plate can be adjusted fore/aft without binding. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Greg on
February 19, 2012
Q: How hard is it to paddle around with a camera in the cold? I’d love to do a shoot somewhere with the ice and water. Some of your pictures are amazing. — Donna.
A: Donna, Thanks for the complement. All of the kayaking images that I have taken in the last few years have been with the new breed of “waterproof/shockproof” point and shoot digital cameras. These cameras don’t offer quite the image sharpness and features of more “professional” cameras, but their strength is that you can grab them in an instant and capture images that would go missed with a much bulkier camera or a camera that must be retrieved from a dry box. Most of the images for my Sea Kayaker magazine articles were taken with a waterproof digital, so very good results are possible.
I have used the Olympus Stylus series (e.g. Stylus 1030 SW) extensively, but lately I have been using a new Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3. Both are great cameras. The Olympus has a sliding closure that covers the lens after you turn off the camera. I have a love-hate relationship with this feature. Usually it works great, and keeps the lens clean and dry, however if you do manage to get water behind it, it continues to smear water on the lens every-time you turn on the camera, even if you dry the lens.
The Panasonic doesn’t feel quite as rugged as the Olympus, but time will tell. My reason for choosing the Lumix this time around was image quality and high-definition video capability. The Lumix (like
some other models) also includes a built-in GPS, compass, altimeter and barometer that might be useful for some applications, I can live without this, but it might prove “nice to have”. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Greg on
February 12, 2012
Q: You have stated that the Greenland Paddle (GP) can act as a wing when the GP is used in a high wing type stroke. Have you done a test in your fast kayak, GP vs wing to determine advantages of one or the other with respect to efficiency and/or speed in non racing situations, eg., outings from 5 to 15 miles?
I have acquired both a wing (Onno) and a GP (Novorca) in the last year and have been learning both. At 4.2 kts, my traveling speed, the GP feels more efficient, but I can go at least 0.2 kts faster with the wing. Jerry
A: Jerry, Although I realize that you said non-racing situations, let me use that as an example, first, as it helps to clarify the issue.
To generalize, a racer is often trying to maximize speed over distance usually with an extremely light, unladen kayak. A sea kayaker is often trying the maximize the number of “miles per Snickers bars”, often with a heavy or gear-laden kayak, day after day. These are related, but are very different things and need to be viewed separately.
In a racing situation — very light kayak, 10 miles or less, using a very high stroke, I’m about 1.5 – 2 minutes per mile faster with my wing than with a GP. That’s not much for touring but is an eternity for racing. Unfortunately this is not a perfect test since my current “go-fast” kayaks have a fairly high foredeck that makes it difficult to fully bury the blades of my GP at the catch. I have won local races with a GP over wings, but if I want my best time I use a wing. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Greg on
February 3, 2012
Q: What would you suggest to someone who wants to unlearn unwinding before the catch and start to get good muscle memory for catch before unwinding.
Because the kayak is already moving I find myself unwinding – irresistibly! ;-( before catch. Apart from visualizing spearing a salmon, do you have other advice, tips, tricks, dry/ wet exercises etc to catch before unwinding?
A: When I do video analysis of students a common error is unwinding before the catch, or in other words, starting to apply power before the paddle is completely buried. This is a common power leak. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Greg on
February 1, 2012
My latest DIY project was to create a full footboard to replace the skimpy original on my K1 (right).
This was a relatively quick and inexpensive project. First task was to make a cardboard pattern to determine the size and fit. For the construction I used 1/2″ (12.7mm) thick birch plywood, but it’s stronger than it needs to be, 3/8″ (9.5mm) thickness would be fine, and would save a little weight. Read the rest of this entry »
