Lee-cocking in Big Winds

 

Figure 1. Weather-cocking vs. Lee-cocking

Yes, lee-cocking (turning downwind) in strong beam winds is a thing.  Not every kayaker may have experienced lee-cocking since most sea kayaks are designed to reliably 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 boat has a rudder, the tendency of its hull to weather-cock or lee-cock is immaterial - a rudder can make the boat go in any direction. Ruddered boats are typically not designed to be used without a rudder and may be hard to keep straight without it.]

Kayaks that don’t weather cock strongly can sometimes do the opposite when wind and waves get big – Lee-Cock, that is turn downwind.  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. 

The location of the center-of-mass can have a sizable effect on weather-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 weather-cocking.  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. Two that come to mind include one time in an NDK Romany and another time in a Tiderace Xtreme.  Both boats are pretty directionally neutral in mild/moderate winds and even weather-cock to a degree.  But when conditions get bigger, they both can lee-cock in a cross wind. Why?  Both boats have their cockpits placed somewhat towards the stern, by design. This helps them track straight in following seas and makes them fun to surf – less boat volume behind paddler reduces broaching forces some.  But with the center-of-mass located somewhat towards the stern, the pressure on the bow is reduced, it is looser – not locked-in as much, and lee-cocking will 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

This lee-cocking effect may occur less frequently for strong paddlers who can push their boats faster, since the pressure on the bow generated by a 3-knot paddling speed is less than at a 5-knot speed.  So, 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.

If you’re confronted with sudden 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, less so in the Xtreme.  

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, the 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. 

Sea-Lect Designs Adjustable Footbrace review – goodbye Yakima foot braces

 Take Home Points:

- They’re adjustable long-term (an improvement over Yakima foot braces)

- They’re rigid like Yakima/aluminum foot braces (which is good), not loose or flexible 

- They’re a bit heavier and take up a bit more room in cockpit compared to Yakima

- The pegs have a bracket that your foot can catch on which may take getting used to

Photo 1

First, about the Yakima foot braces being replaced:  Yakima adjustable foot braces were once used on nearly every sea kayak - and came on all the sea kayaks I've owned. (They are now called "Mohawk" foot braces made by Mohawk Canoes and sold by TopKayaker).  They’re super lightweight (aluminum and plastic) and very strong.  If you rarely need to adjust their position, then they’re still among the best ways to go, short of a bulkhead-style footrest which you can make yourself if you’re handy (I’m not).  Set the Yakima pegs to your preferred position and forget them.   

But at some point, you'll want to change the position of the pegs – e.g. when you loan your boat to another paddler or if you yourself need more room for comfort or when paddling conditions change.  After several years the Yakima footpegs tend to become frozen in place. The metal spring-and-lever mechanism that locks the footpegs gets gummed up with corrosion.  Then you must unscrew the rear bolt that attaches the aluminum rails to the kayak, slide the non-functioning footpegs out of the boat, and work on them in the sink with a toothbrush and soapy water (usually does the job) then add some grease/oil.  That’ll fix the problem for a while, but they’ll often freeze up again in a year or two.  

SO, a nice alternative is the Sea-Lect Designs Adjustable Footbrace.  [Just as an aside, how awesome is it that this company exists simply to make replacement gear for all types of kayaks – hatches, footbraces, rudders, deck hardware…kudos to Sea-Lect Designs!].  After getting frustrated with a pair of repeatedly frozen Yakima foot braces, I installed the Sea-Lect Designs Adjustable Footbraces and they work great. The hardware matches the 14-1/2" hole distance of Yakima foot braces so no drilling is required.  They come with sizable rubber-backed washers that seal the drilled holes in your kayak from the outside (Yakima has neoprene washers fitted on the inside), which will cover and seal up your kayak’s existing foot brace holes even if they’ve become a bit worn/enlarged over time. The Sea-Lect footbraces are very solid feeling – just like Yakima footbraces, they do not flex or shift at all. The solidity of the Sea-Lect footbraces is the first of their three benefits. Their second benefit is that the mechanism for adjusting the position of the pegs is entirely rigid plastic, so they won’t become frozen with corrosion over time (yahoo!). Their third benefit is that the footbrace pegs are unlocked by a lever that you can easily reach while sitting in the cockpit. So, if you’re wearing minimalist footwear and are good using your feet, you can adjust their position with your toes while sitting in the kayak.  If you’re wearing thicker-soled booties you may still have to get out on dry land or have a paddling buddy reach in and adjust the pegs for you.  But at least they’ll be adjustable corrosion-free.

The only downsides I can see with the Sea-Lect footbraces are minor. First, they seem marginally heavier than the Yakima foot braces when held in your hands (maybe ½ lb total?). The weight of the Yakima (now Mohawk) foot braces is not published online so I’m only guessing. The second minor downside is that they are a bit beefier (the rails and the pegs) so there’s slightly less room inside the cockpit for your feet – not a problem unless your kayak is especially tight-fitting. The final thing you may notice if you wear thicker-soled shoes are the brackets that attach the footpegs to the rails. (See Photo 2 below).   Unlike Yakima pegs, which sit flush within their aluminum rails, the brackets that attach the plastic Sealect footpegs onto their plastic rails are raised, sitting on top of the rails. As a result, your shoe hits this raised bracket first as you extend your feet towards the footpegs.  Your shoe may catch on the edge of this bracket and you may mistakenly think you’re “on” the footpeg until you apply more pressure and your foot slips “clunk” forward to the peg itself.  This is a minor annoyance, and one you’ll probably avoid altogether if you wear flexible booties rather than stiff-soled shoes.

Photo 2

By the way, another option sold by Harmony and SmartTrack are the "wand-type" foot braces, which allow you to easily pull/push the "wand" attached to the pegs to change their position.   I remember these wand-type footpegs were super convenient for "fleet" boats, but they could be knocked loose when doing rescues.  And they didn’t give a super solid feel as you pressed on them while paddling.  Now I read SmartTrack has introduced a new and improved “performance” version of this wand-type footbrace, that may be less prone to accidental dislodging. (I haven’t tried them). They are worth a look for sure. 

Pettit EZ Tex Marine Epoxy Repair Compound – review for kayak hull repair

Take Home Points:

- This stuff is way too thick, but it does work.

For repairs of damage to the hulls of my sea kayaks that has exposed the underlying fiberglass, I’ve typically used the same product that the outer shell is made of – gel coat.  (Evercoat Finish Gelcoat or similar).   But using gel coat requires that you buy at least a pint-size can of the stuff ($60+/-), more than is necessary for a small repair.  Also, using gel coat is a bit messy, and smells strongly – you’ve got to be working outside, which is not always possible, or if indoors open windows and consider using an OV respirator to knock down the smell/toxicity of the vapors.

Epoxy, on the other hand, doesn’t smell, comes in small quantities, and is cheaper than gel coat for small repairs.  I’ve used West System epoxy for repairs inside the cockpit of fiberglass kayaks, but I’ve never used white epoxy putty, i.e. “Marine-Tex®”,  for repairs to the outside surfaces.  This type of epoxy comes in small 2 oz. cans for under $20, and is colored white to match the hull of most boats.  The reason I haven't used Marine-Tex before is that, unlike gel coat which has UV inhibitors, epoxies have none (presumably the chemistry of epoxy does not allow UV protection).  So, exterior sun-exposed epoxy repairs should (ideally) be covered with paint or varnish to prevent them from discoloring. This means a second step that I never wanted to deal with.  But, not having a can of gel coat around, for this repair I bought some epoxy putty.  

REVIEW

Instead of Marine-Tex ® Epoxy Putty, I decided on a similar product made by Pettit Paints called – EZ Tex Marine Epoxy Repair Compound.  The advantage of this product is purported to be that it mixes in an easy one-to-one ratio (Marine-Tex uses a hard-to-measure 5:1 ratio) and both the resin and hardener are in the form of a paste, no runny/messy hardener as is the case with Marine-Tex.  

Photo 1

My kayak had a small (pea-size) area of hull abrasion at the stern exposing the fiberglass fibers, so all I really needed was a small dab of epoxy. But since I'd purchased the EZ Tex, I thought I’d apply the epoxy in a slightly larger area, making a short 12-inch keel strip to build up this area on my kayak that experiences high wear.   THIS was a mistake because the EZ-Tex epoxy is WAY too thick to spread cleanly as a keel strip.   It’s described on Pettit’s website as having a “buttery consistency”.   Buttery it is NOT, unless they meant frozen butter!  It’s more like stiff clay – very difficult to spread and not self-leveling the way gel coat is, not able to flow into voids and dry to a smooth finish.  Forget using a brush to apply it, even the spreader I used just kept pulling the dry, clay-like putty into grainy voids (see PHOTO 2, inset).  Worse still, I found that the epoxy putty kept pulling away from the repair surface as I spread it!   After struggling for a while to ensure that the epoxy at least covered the damaged part of my hull, eventually I just left the epoxy to dry all jumbled in rough clumps.  Disappointing. 

Photo 2 - can't spread smoothly, too thick/dense

Photo 3 - thick stuff

The next day I returned to the boat and was relieved that the repair was fully hard/cured.  The one positive attribute of epoxy putty for this type of hull repair is that it’s easy to sand, seems noticeably easier to sand than cured gel coat IMHO.    I used 80/100 grit dry sandpaper, then wet sanded with 300 and 600 grit.  Took about ½ hour to get smooth-enough results.  The color of the cured EZ-Tex is ever-so-slightly off-white, so you can see the repair if you look closely.  Whereas repairs using gel coat are pure white, if properly sanded can be made to blend invisibly with the hull.   Biggest issue with EZ-Tex is revealed after sanding - the thick consistency of the putty creates voids, air pockets that dot the surface of the sanded repair.  (See PHOTO 5, below)  To fix these voids I'd have to reapply a skim coat of ....what?  Thinned EZ-Tex?   I emailed the manufacturer to ask if it can be thinned with denatured alcohol or some solvent, but have yet to hear back.

The last thing I considered was whether to cover the epoxy with some type of paint to provide UV protection.  I’d hazard a guess that it’s not necessary, since the worst that can happen is the nearly-white epoxy putty will turn more off-white in the years to come.  BUT just for good measure, I got some white enamel spray paint at Home Depot, masked the area, and spray painted over the repair, lightly sanded with 600 grit when dry. (Paint didn't fill the voids in the epoxy surface, by the way).  

Will see how the repair lasts.   If I’m disappointed with how it holds up, I’ll switch back to gel coat for future repairs. 

In conclusion, EZ-Tex was indeed EZ to apply, but I would have liked it to be thinner, more like yogurt or smooth peanut butter. 

Photo 4 - final repair

Photo 5 - voids, air pockets dot the surface of repair

Yakima Mako Saddles reborn with T-Bolts

Another in my line of El-cheapo fixes for old kayak gear.  I wanted to make use of my old, but still perfectly functional, Mako Saddles with my newer aero-style cross bars.  Unfortunately, Yakima’s “Universal MightyMounts” necessary for the job are expensive – and apparently I’d need two packs of them (8 mounts) to secure them to aero bars at a cost of $118.  Ouch.  

Yakima and Thule both sell T-Bolts to mount various gear on aero bars, but they’re gear-specific – one type for luggage boxes, another for bike mounts, etc. In the case of discontinued gear like the Mako Saddles, Yakima does not provide a way to attach them via T-Bolts.  So, for $20 I ordered some knock-off brand T-bolts made in China that were the correct dimensions and made of stainless steel, called the “X AUTOHAUX 8pcs Universal Roof Rack T Shaped Bolt” (?).  I drilled holes in the bottom of my Mako Saddles and presto – the saddles are on my aero bars securely.  (See photos) 

Note:  I later discovered that there is a more robust option made by Yakima for the same price as the generic T-bolts I bought.  These are called the “T-Bolt with Nut for Yakima Rack and Roll Trailers” (Item # Y8880184), sold by E-Trailer or Re-Rack online.  Although made for the Yakima kayak trailer, their dimensions would work fine for attaching the Mako saddles to an aero bar, and they’re thicker than the T-bolts I bought (10mm vs 6 mm).  Always wise to buy from the original manufacturer.