G/Flex epoxy for kayak repair – review

I had to re-seat the plastic hatch rims on a 30-year-old Romany kayak a few months back. The original adhesive had completely dried up and the previous owner had simply installed a few rivets to hold it in place (Photo 1) – suffice to say they leaked a lot.  So, I used a West Systems epoxy product that was new to me, G/Flex 655 Thickened Epoxy Adhesive.  West Systems describes G/Flex as “a bit more flexible than standard epoxies and polyester but much stiffer than adhesive sealants,” and, “ideal for bonding dissimilar materials.”  Sounded perfect for my needs.  I’ve used standard epoxy and polyester resins for past kayak projects, for laying up fiberglass cloth and hull repairs.  But I’ve never had the need to permanently bond plastic to fiberglass.  In short, G/Flex worked great.

Years ago I used 3M 5200 to glue some plastic rings inside the cockpit of a kayak – but that 3M stuff is a different class of sealant composed of polyurethane. It worked fine, but 3M 5200 is mainly used for bedding hardware on motor/sail boats in areas subject to engine vibration and such.  It’s a one-part sealant that doesn’t have quite the strength of epoxy.

For the hatch repair, I roughed up the plastic hatch rims a bit with sand paper to help the epoxy adhere. Whatever adhesive used when the boat was made was a rubberized type that could not be easily sanded away from the boat without cutting into the boat itself (Photo 2). So, I just left the boat's hatch recesses as-is without sanding.  

G/Flex 655 comes already thickened, no need for adding thickeners like most epoxies, and is easy to work with. Just mix the two parts together (comes in two separate tubes), smear a liberal amount on the hatch rims, then press the rims in place. I strapped the hatch rims down during the 24-hour curing time (Photo 3) as a safety precaution because the boat was stored in a communal boathouse where it might get pushed around. But that wouldn't be necessary normally – the G/Flex is so viscous/tacky that the rims weren’t going to move around during the cure.

The result – the rims are Rock-Solid, no leaks and the bond seems super strong.  I’d use G/Flex again if I have to do any adhesive repairs of dissimilar materials (metal/plastic to fiberglass).

Photo 1: Pre-Repair, rivets - someone's misguided attempt to secure rims

Photo 2: Rims removed (rivets drilled out) showing original dried rubber adhesive

Photo 3: G/Flex curing....

Battle of the 16-foot British-style kayaks – Stellar “Nomad” first look

Not a review, just impressions from plan/profile photos of the new (soon to be released) Stellar Nomad kayak. In short - the seat is located markedly closer to the bow compared to similar 16-foot British Style kayaks. 

Stellar is a company that makes light-weight kayaks in carbon for less money than other manufacturers. 16-foot sea kayaks occupy something of a sweet-spot, they can be fun in rough water and are ideal if you mostly day-paddle and don't care much about maximum hull speed.   It's great to see another offering in this category.  

Looking at the boats in the comparison photos below, the hull of the new Nomad (the green boat at bottom of Photos 1 and 2) looks just as rockered as the others, so should be nice for playing in rough water.  And it appears a bit more Swede-form which could make it more efficient in the forward paddling department.   But the main difference I see is its seat position – the cockpit is located noticeably more towards the bow compared to other boats in this category.   That’s intriguing.  It’ll be interesting to see how that affects the way it paddles - center of mass towards the bow usually increases weather-cocking making a functional skeg important.  Lastly, the Nomad has less overhang at the bow and stern, which reduces windage and appears to add some waterline length (both helpful for speed and efficiency) but might make for a wetter ride in rough seas...time will tell. 

Here's an early video review of the Stellar Nomad by Alder Creek a retailer based in Oregon, and you can pre-order the Nomad from Offshore Marine, a retailer located in Illinois. (I'd personally test paddle of course before ordering a new boat.)

Photo 1

Photo 2

West End Boat Basin - Kayak Launch, 40°35'22.0"N 73°33'15.0"W

Launching a sea kayak from the east side of Jones Inlet is an option that minimizes paddling in the sometimes-fast current of Reynold’s Channel where I'd typically launch from the Marina in Point Lookout. Launching from the east side of the inlet also allows you to hug the eastern jetty, protected from the swell that usually travels from SE to NW.  

The West End Boat Basin, located on the east side of the inlet by the USCG Station Jones Beach, offers parking and is free in the off-season.  You have to pull your boat with a cart for a ways along the paved bike path, maybe 100 yards, to the officially designated “State Park Kayak Access”.  But it’s an easy walk-and-roll.  The paddling is glorious, just have to stay a bit off the shoreline to avoid the fishermen who line the jetty so you don’t get tangled up in their lines. The launch area can get shallow (see Photo 4.) but the bottom is sandy-ish so easily walkable with your boat until you reach deeper water.

This site is among the many listed on Elizabeth O’Connor’s website “Sea Kayaking Skills and Adventures, Ltd”. She’s a big kayak racer out on Long Island who started the website, a great resource: 

http://www.sksaltd.com/launch.htm#jonespkwestend

Photo 1. West End Boat Basin - Jones Beach

Photo 2. Launch area is 100-yards past parking lot.

Photo 3. A kayak cart is necessary but paved bike path is easy.

Photo 4. Launch area can get shallow, jetty on East Side of Jones Inlet looking southwards

Photo 5. Off-shore breakers that can be fun to mess with if you're adventurous, since no fear of a beach-dumping injury

Lee-cocking in Big Winds

 

Figure 1. Weather-cocking vs. Lee-cocking

Yes, lee-cocking (turning downwind) in beam winds is a thing.  Some kayakers haven't experienced lee-cocking since most sea kayaks are designed to reliably do the opposite - weather-cock (turn towards or into the wind) to varying degrees.  Kayaks are made to weather-cock because this effect of turning into the wind can be countered by dropping a skeg located at the stern of the boat.  In this way, paddlers can keep their boats going straight in a range of conditions.  No wind – minimal use of the skeg. Increasing wind – increasing amount of skeg deployed.

I’ve owned kayaks that weather-cock a lot and those that only do so when winds pick up. Generally speaking, kayaks with more “rocker” (the amount of curvature in the bottom of the hull along its length from bow to stern) weather-cock more.  My Valley Pintail and Avocet sea kayaks were in the “weather cocks a lot” category, and sure enough had a lot of rocker.  My NDK Explorer and Romany were in the “weather cocks a little” category, and in truth I rarely used the skegs in these two boats since a little edging was typically all that was needed to stay on course in winds. [By the way, if your kayak has a foot-operated rudder, the tendency of its hull to weather-cock or lee-cock is immaterial - a rudder can make any boat go in any direction. But beware, boats designed to be used with a rudder may be hard to keep straight without it (interesting link about removing a rudder on a ruddered boat).]

Kayaks that don’t weather cock strongly can sometimes do the opposite when wind and waves get big – they Lee-Cock.  This effect cannot be corrected with a skeg, deploying a skeg will just increase the lee-cocking.  If you’ve experienced lee-cocking you know it can be annoying or alarming depending on your situation!   What contributes to Lee-cocking?

Center-of-Mass and cockpit location:

Kayaks weather-cock because the act of paddling forward creates higher water pressure on the bow as compared to the stern.  The bow is locked-in by this higher pressure and the stern is loose (or looser) due to the lower pressure.  Wind can then push the loose stern more than the locked-in bow causing the kayak to effectively turn into the wind while underway - weather-cock.  

The location of the center-of-mass can have a sizable effect on weather-cocking and lee-cocking as it will further “lock-in” whichever end (bow or stern) has more weight.  Expedition paddlers know all about this because balancing the weight of their gear, fore-and-aft, will affect how their boat responds to wind.  But if you’re (like me) mostly a day-paddler, your body is the main “load” in the boat and then the location of the cockpit comes into play.

I’ve experienced alarming lee-cocking a few times in two boats in particular - my NDK Romany and the Tiderace Xtreme.  Both boats are pretty directionally neutral in mild/moderate winds.  But when conditions get bigger, they both can lee-cock in a cross wind. Why?  A big factor is because both boats have their cockpits placed somewhat towards the stern. This helps them track straight in following seas and makes them fun to surf.  But with the center-of-mass located somewhat towards the stern, the pressure on the bow is reduced during forward paddling, it is looser – and lee-cocking can result.

Figure 2 illustrates this effect by imagining kayaks with their cockpits located way at the bow or way at the stern. The Romany and Xtreme kayaks are (a tiny bit) like the boat with the cockpit at the stern.

Figure 2. Cockpit (center of mass) effect on Weather-cocking and Lee-cocking

 

If you’re confronted with lee-cocking when on-the-water, the first remedy is simply to scooch forward in your seat and lean forward some to move the center-of-mass towards the bow.  Even an inch or two helps. This will lock the bow in a bit more and loosen up the stern some, reducing lee-cocking. This always worked for me in the Romany.

Another factor to consider - the lee-cocking effect will occur less frequently for strong paddlers who propel their boats faster, since the pressure on the bow generated by a 3-knot paddling speed is less than at a 5-knot speed.  More speed = more water pressure on bow = bow is more locked in place = less lee cocking.   By the same token, a paddling speed that keeps the boat going straight in 10-knot winds may not be enough to prevent lee-cocking in 20-knot winds. 

Windage:

Windage, or the surface area of boat (and gear) exposed to the wind, contributes as well. If the surface area of your kayak is much bigger in the front as compared to the back, this unequal windage may make the boat prone to lee-cocking.  More commonly, gear stored on the deck can exacerbate lee-cocking and weather-cocking. In the case of lee-cocking, move any paddles and other items stored on deck that increase windage from the bow to the stern. This will reduce the “push” of the wind on the bow and increase it on the stern.  If weather-cocking, do the opposite.  Moving deck gear around is a lot easier if you’re paddling with others.

Figure 3. Move gear to reduce Lee-cocking

Lastly, waves hitting a kayak from the windward side seem (to me) to add to the lee-cocking effect of winds. Not sure why this is but, in my experience, it seems to be true. Perhaps waves have more of a pushing down-wind effect on the bow for the same reason that forward paddling adds water pressure at the bow – the bow is locked-in by this pressure so perhaps the wave forces are transmitted more at the bow than the stern (?). That’s just a guess.

Hope these observations make sense. 

 

Fire Island Inlet and Oak Beach Park – the perfect kayak launch spot?

Fire Island Inlet was an occasional (one or two times per year) paddling spot for me, a place to easily reach some “friendly” deeper water breaking waves to surf in my sea kayak. This required a fast sprint across the boat channel, so it was not without some trepidation even in my Halcyon Days. In order to maximize the time I could spend in the waves, I’d put in at this small ad hoc parking area off Oak Beach Road which may have a name, but is unmarked – see Photo 1.  It had room for a few cars and was frequented by fishermen, picnickers and once I saw a scuba diver there.  But recently the State “improved” the shoreline here with stone riprap which would now make it a challenge to launch a sea kayak.  So, an alternative launch spot is not far away to the east – Oak Beach Park (Photo 2).  It has tons of parking but requires an additional 2 miles of paddling round trip to the inlet.  Nevertheless, it is a nice place to launch a kayak from and there’s always something fun to see, a bit of current to play in as you paddle by Sore Thumb Beach (to west) and some ocean swell once you reach Overlook Beach (a bit further west), neither of which requires crossing the busy motor boat freeway going in and out of the inlet.

Photo 1: Former Launch Site...

Oak Beach Park has two sandy areas you can launch a kayak from – shown in Photo 2. Sometimes the parking lot hosts classic-car events in summer, but usually it's mostly empty off-season or mid-week.  Be mindful of sand bars at low tide in the bay (Photo 3).

Photo 2: Oak Beach Park - parking lot

Photo 3: sandbars

Photo 4: Big cloud

Photo 5: kayak surfable waves off Democrat Point

Kayaking at Sunken Meadow State Park on Long Island, NY – mind the whitewater…really?

Sunken Meadow is a fantastic place to paddle with access to the beautiful Nissequogue River and Long Island Sound. 

Figure 1: Beautiful day on Sunken Meadow Creek

If you go, the New York State Parks Department has a great Kayak & Canoe Guide to New York State Parks that includes Sunken Meadow and presents the kayak launching and parking areas saying, “launch sites are at east end of Parking Field 3 to access Long Island Sound or the Nissequogue River: north side of service road to beach; directly east of parking lot to salt marsh.”  Sounds simple enough, and it is if you follow these directions and observe the signage displayed at the park itself!  Never having been there before, I did an all-too-brief scoping out of these kayak launch areas and decided instead that I could put in the creek right behind the parking lot and therefore a bit closer to my car than the signage indicated.  Big mistake. 

This creek, Sunken Meadow Creek, is an embayment of Long Island Sound, and a relatively small one at that.  As such, risks posed by currents and obstacles weren’t uppermost in my mind.  However, if I’d bothered to read the fine print of the Parks Department kayaking guide, I’d have seen that it also says “kayaking/canoeing in creek west of salt marsh prohibited…”    In my defense, it’s not entirely clear what is meant by "west of salt marsh", because it’s salt marsh all around – west, east, north and south.    But another bit of info that I missed is that the map in the guide (see Figure 2) labels a “Dam” where a footbridge crosses the creek…uh oh. 

Figure 2: NYS Parks map of Sunken Meadow State Park, in part

Heedless of these warnings, I launched my kayak at dead-low tide and began paddling down the creek at a leisurely pace.  Soon I realized that the creek had some current, at least then at low tide.   Looking well ahead of me at a wide footbridge that crosses the creek I noticed a bit of whitewater, “that’s unexpected”, I thought to myself.  By the time I was close to the footbridge I could see a grouping of rocks forming something of a wall/dam under the footbridge with water spilling over and through it.  Crap!  The only opening in this dam appeared to be on the left but my kayak was now moving at a decent clip to the right!  I did some emergency maneuvering but didn’t quite make it to the opening in the dam so had to fend off the rocks with my hands, levering my kayak manually into the shoot that spat me out into calm water!  Phew, mishap narrowly avoided. A reminder that it pays to read the signs and scope out the launch.

So, if you go, launch downstream of the footbridge! The little rock dam in the creek is likely only a problem at low tide since the rocks stand only a foot or so proud of the water at that time.  I had a beautiful and relaxing paddle around the mouth of the Nissequogue River after that bit of excitement. 

Figure 3: Aerial showing parking, Sunken Meadow Creek, and stone Dam

Paddling the Carmans River, Brookhaven, NY – Know Before You Go

For a taste of wild river paddling not far from the NYC metro area, the Carman’s River on Long Island is hard to beat.  Paddling the river gives you a sense of what Long Island was like centuries ago before houses lined its waterways. This is thanks largely to the Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge which flanks the river on both sides, preserving the tidal wetlands and oak/pine forest along the river's lower reaches.  The Carmans provides a beautiful paddle and if you’re a sea kayaker you should put it on your list. 

Photo 1 - lower Carmans River

Photo 2 - Indian Landing on Carmans River, Wertheim Nat'l Wildlife Sanctuary

Know Before You Go:

There are two launch points for the lower portion of the river.  (The upper reaches above Route 27 can also be paddled I’m told, but the river gets shallow and there are several dams that require portaging. I’ve only paddled the lower Carmans.)  The first and main launch point is at the site of Carmans River Canoe and Kayak, a kayak rental shop located at 2979 Montauk Highway in Brookhaven.  The Town of Brookhaven owns the property and buildings where the business runs. This site has a very nice launch area (Photo 3), public bathrooms, and parking.  In summer, non-residents can pay a modest fee to park and launch their own canoes/kayaks/paddle boards.    (NOTE: In February 2024 the owner of the shop, Brad DeSantis, announced he’s closing his business after 30 years, unfortunately.  Hopefully the Town will find a new person to continue a paddling business there. The launch site and parking remain accessible year-round).

Photo 3 - Carmans River Canoe & Kayak launch

The second launch point to the lower river is at a Town pocket-park at the end of Beaver Dam Road.  Access to the water (or lack thereof) is every paddler's pet-peeve, so it’s fantastic that the Town established and improved this area for the public.  Parking is free along the side of the road but probably gets busy during the summer (I’ve only paddled there in April).  If I could make one suggestion to the Town it would be to fix the plastic floating dock to make it easier and safer to get canoes/kayaks in and out of the water. The dock has a little plastic ramp that is pretty useless for landing/launching because it’s too short, steep and slippery.  What’s worse, it blocks the only portion of this tiny dock that would allow a paddler to get close enough to lift themselves up onto it – see Photo 4.  This mini-ramp should be removed.  A few fishing kayakers I encountered at this dock felt the same way, the mini-ramp makes using the dock extremely difficult, near impossible.   The nearby boat marina is private so no chance of using their ramp unfortunately.

Photo 4 - Beaver Dam Rd launch, this mini-ramp attached to floating dock should be removed...

Between the mouth of the river in Bellport Bay and the upriver take-out at Carmans River Canoe and Kayak (2979 Montauk Highway), there are three bridges that you’ll paddle under. One of these is a very low bridge for an interior drive of the Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge. At spring high tide (new and full moons) when I was there the space to paddle under this bridge is extremely limited – you’ll have to press your head flat against the front deck of your kayak and pray you'll get under without slamming your head. (See Photo 5). A canoeist I saw said he had to lie flat on his back in the bottom of his canoe and even then barely made it. Raising this bridge a few feet to allow unfettered access for paddlers at all tide heights is probably not a priority for the National Wildlife Refuge.  Perhaps the Refuge could provide some steps to haul boats over the road?  Consider what the tides are doing on the day you plan to paddle the Carmans River if you want to paddle under this bridge. If you launch and land from the lower put-in at Beaver Dam Road you can avoid it altogether. 

Photo 5 - low bridge Wertheim interior roadway

Wind – as with all rivers, unless you have two cars to make a one-way trip, you’ll have to paddle back to your car. For less experienced paddlers, check the weather report to make sure you can paddle back through the wind which can have more of an affect on you than tidal current at this river.