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 its 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 short 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, mini-ramp attached to floating dock

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 have to 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.

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, not loose or flexible (which is good)

- 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 screw 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 is the brackets that attach the footpegs to the rails. (See Photo 2 below).   Unlike the Yakima footpegs, 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.  

Beach Parking Fees in Fairfield County, CT – Exclusionary Pricing for Non-Residents

Exorbitant parking fees to access coastal parklands have become the norm in Fairfield County it seems.  Was recently faced with this when I attempted to go for a short walk at one of my former kayaking launch spots - Norwalk's Calf Pasture Beach - they wanted $65 to park on a cold late September day.    This price-shock experience at Calf Pasture Beach motivated me to look into the non-resident parking fees now charged (2022) at a number of shoreline/beach parks in Fairfield County, the details are listed below.  

Some years back a Stamford resident who enjoyed running on the beach, Brenden Leydon, had a similar experience in Greenwich, CT.  Leydon was prohibited from entering Greenwich Point Park so he sued the Town of Greenwich. (See the book "Free the Beaches"  which recounts this case and the larger issue).  In response to the court ruling in that case, which found in favor of Leydon, Greenwich reopened its beaches to non-residents but began charging them much higher fees than residents – orders-of-magnitude higher fees, effectively creating exclusionary pricing for non-residents.

As the years go by, access to land bordering the nation's coastlines and waterbodies becomes increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few.  And so, parks and public boat launches are an increasingly vital resource to prevent the complete exclusion of boating, fishing, swimming, and coastal recreating.  Nevertheless, use of and access to the waters of the U.S. is a ‘right’ of all U.S. citizens enshrined in various laws and legal decisions. This right of access is called the “Public Trust Doctrine”, and began (according to Wikipedia) with ancient laws of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian which held that the sea, the shores of the sea, the air and running water was common to everyone.  In the United States, the Public Trust Doctrine limits the rights of ocean front property owners to exclude the public below the mean high tide line.  One could argue that a $65 parking fee is exclusionary and unlawful according to the Public Trust Doctrine… 

On the other hand, perhaps pressures on these beachfront parks are extreme such that a $65 parking fee is a legitimate mechanism to reduce crowding in summer?   One argument against that position is that parking fees are not as high at the shoreline parks I frequent in New York – parks that arguably face more pressure from crowds than those in Fairfield County.  Public beaches in Westchester County and NYC typically charge only $10 to park in-season (Glen Island, Orchard Beach, Playland).  Parking fees for Town beaches in Fairfield County are all $40-and-up for non-residents.  The exceptions to this “rule” are the Connecticut State Parks which charge non-residents a more reasonable parking fee ($15 weekdays, $22 weekends).   Note also that the beach “season” varies considerably, from a minimum of Memorial Day to Labor Day, up to a maximum of April 1st until October 31st.   So, the take-home message is to visit these parks in the off-season when they’re free to park if all you plan to do is take a walk or launch a kayak.

List of Parking Fees charged for Non-Residents at Long Island Sound Shoreline Parks in NY and Fairfield, CT (listed from west-to-east) as of May 2022:

1. Orchard Beach NYC: parking fee charged May 28^th (Saturday) until Sept. 12^th, parking fee is $8 weekdays, $10 weekends.
2. Glen Island New Rochelle: parking fee charged weekends only in May and Sept until Sept. 25^th; then daily May 28 through Labor Day. $10 for resident non-pass holder, plus car-top launch fee of $10 w/out County Pass.
3. Rye Town Beach Park: parking fee charged from May 1 to September 27. $5 for every 2 hours on weekdays (mon-thurs), $10 for every 2 hours weekends (fri-sun). 
4. Playland Amusement Park:  season dates not yet published, amusement park under construction as of spring 2022. Website says it will be $12/car to park weekdays, $15/car sat/sun. The kayak launch area is currently occupied by construction trailers. Access uncertain until new park leasing company, Standard Amusements, completes construction and opens park…
5. Byram/Greenwich Beaches: Park Passes or daily parking fee required from May 1 - October 31. $40/vehicle plus $9/person.
6. Stamford Cove Island Park: parking fee charged from May 1st through September 30^th; week days $42.50, weekends $69.00 per car.
7. Weed Beach, Darien: beach permit stickers required mid-April through late September,  non-resident daily parking fee is $53/vehicle plus $70 boat launch.
8. Pear Tree Beach, Darien: beach permit stickers required Memorial Day through Labor Day,  non-resident daily parking fee is $53/vehicle plus $70 boat launch
9. Bayley Beach, Rowayton/Norwalk: Fee charged from Memorial Day Saturday until September 15, (non-resident) vehicles without permits $25 (weekdays); $30 weekend (non-holiday).
10. Norwalk Calf Pasture Beach:  Parking fees are in effect from May 15 to October 15, non-resident parking fee is $40/car weekdays, $65/car weekends."Calf Pasture Beach, Veteran's Park, Taylor Farm, and Cranbury Park parking fees are in effect from May 15 to October 15 every year." (Nov. 2022)
11. Compo Beach, Westport: daily fee is charged to park from May 1 through Sept. 30, $45/car weekdays, $70/car weekends.
12. Sherwood Island State Park: parking fees required for visitors with out of state registered vehicles from April 1 until October 31; $15 weekdays, $22 weekends.
13. Burying Hill Beach, Westport: town of Westport parking emblem required Memorial Day to Labor Day. Non-CT-resident fee is $35/car weekdays, $50/car weekends. (NOTE: Town of Westport website says "no kayaking or canoeing".  Unclear if this applies year-round)
14. Southport Beach, Fairfield: from Memorial Day Saturday (May 28^th 2022) to Labor Day only residents with a beach sticker are permitted to park in the lot. There are no daily fees.
15. Sasco Beach Park, Fairfield: from Memorial Day Saturday (May 28^th)  to Labor Day only residents with a beach sticker are permitted to park in the lot. There are no daily fees.
16. South Pine Creek Beach, Fairfield:  from Memorial Day Saturday (May 28^th) to Labor Day only residents with a beach sticker are permitted to park in the lot. There are no daily fees.
17. Penfield Beach, Fairfield CT: from Memorial Day – Labor Day, non-resident daily parking fee of $40 weekdays, $50 weekends.
18. Jennings Beach, Fairfield CT: parking fee Memorial Day to Labor Day. Beach sticker or daily fee of $40 (Monday - Friday) and $50 (Weekends and Holidays).
19. Seaside Park Beach, Bridgeport: parking fee Memorial Day – Labor Day. Season sticker or daily fee of $50 weekdays or $60 weekends for cars w/ out-of-state registration.
20. Long Beach, Stratford (Pleasure Beach, Bridgeport): parking fee Saturday before Memorial Day until Labor Day. Daily parking fee for non-residents is $20 Monday through Thursday, $40 Friday through Sunday and holidays, for Long Beach and Short Beach.
21. Short Beach Park, Stratford: parking fee Saturday before Memorial Day until Labor Day. Fee fo non-residents is $20 per day Monday through Thursday;  $40 per day Friday through Sunday and holidays, for Long Beach and Short Beach.
22. Charles Wheeler Wildlife Mgt Area, Milford: off Court St., free but muddy outside of high tide.
23. Housatonic River State Boat Launch (under I-95): free but can be crowded.
24. Walnut Beach and Gulf Beach, Milford: parking fee from May 1 to September 30 non-residents $40 per day.
25. Silver Sands State Park, Milford: $15 weekdays, $22 weekends parking fees are required for visitors with out-of-state registered vehicles from April 1 until October 31.

Valley Sea Kayak wire skeg repair – How To Fix, with photos

Valley Kayaks wire skegs work well and are usually maintenance-free.  But my 15-year old VCP Avocet kayak developed a leak in the skeg system so I had to replace portions of it. In my case the problem was the small compression fitting (nut/bolt) that attaches the plastic tubing and skeg wire to the skeg box.

At some point the boat developed a mysterious yet substantial leak into the rear compartment – perhaps a quart of water after paddling. On dry land I flipped the boat upside down and poured water into the skeg box from the hull side, then poked my head into the hatch from below to see what was happening – water was pouring in where the plastic tubing meets the skeg box - the tubing had pulled free from the metal compression fitting (see Photo 1). The compression fitting contains a sort of donut-shaped “olive” that deforms when compressed, thereby squeezing around the outside of the plastic tubing to create a water-tight seal.  Unfortunately, one cannot just push the plastic tubing back into the compression fitting to fix it.   So, having identified the problem I had a decision to make – do I get some epoxy putty and seal up the plastic tubing around the metal compression fitting, a messy fix that would make repair in the future difficult – or – do I fix it the proper way with new parts?  I decided to fix it the proper way and sent an email off to Jason at Valley Canoe Products who sent me replacement parts – including a new brass compression fitting, new skeg wire, new controller knob, and a plastic tubing splicing kit in case I needed to make changes to the length of the tubing. 

Photo 1

The skeg setup described below is common on Valley boats and similar enough to other kayaks that I thought it helpful to post some words and photos explaining how I did this repair.  I wasn’t able to find much in the way of instructions online specific to my skeg setup, so I mainly just “winged it”.  CLICK photos to ENLARGE:

Terms for reference:

Skeg “Blade”:  The plastic fin that goes up/down

Skeg “Wire”: The wire that’s attached at both ends – at the skeg blade end and up at the control knob

Skeg “Control Knob”:  The plastic lever/knob up next to the cockpit that you push forward/backward with your hand to deploy the skeg (sometimes called Skeg Slider Knob). This knob has a small set-bolt ("grub screw") inside that holds the skeg wire in place.

Skeg “Compression Fitting”: This is a 3-part brass nut/bolt setup that for my kayak is made in England, it’s got a specification in BSP (British Standard Pipe), which is UK plumbing nomenclature I believe. Sorry I don’t know the spec/size but it’s likely metric.

Skeg wire’s “Plastic Tubing”:  The plastic tubing that contains/protects the skeg wire like a sheath – it’s glued or fiber-glassed inside the boat, runs through the bulkheads, and extends from the control knob back to the skeg box.

Skeg control knob’s “Metal Rod”: The roughly 10-inch long hollow metal (or carbon fiber) rod that fits inside the control knob to provide a rigid piece to slide back/forth.  This metal rod has a hole drilled in it typically half-way along its length to allow the control knob’s set bolt to pass through fixing the skeg wire in-place.

Skeg “Box”:  The fiberglass (or in some cases pre-formed plastic) box that holds the skeg blade. The skeg box has a small metal post at the front-end onto which the skeg blade hooks and rotates around. The skeg box also has an opening at the top inside the boat where the compression fitting is affixed and where the skeg wire enters to raise/lower the skeg blade.

1   1. Removing the old skeg wire and control knob

Using a 2.5 mm Allen wrench (available at any hardware store), unscrew the control knob set-bolt ("grub screw") to release the skeg wire inside.  In my case, the bolt was stripped - the Allen wrench just turned and turned. So, I was forced to drill out the little bolt, sacrificing the old control knob.  TIP:  Use a drill bit specifically made for cutting metal, such as a titanium drill bit. Otherwise the drill may slide off the little metal bolt, cut through the plastic control knob and straight through the fiberglass deck of your kayak like butter!  (Uh, ask me how I know…oops. See Photo 2). 

Photo 2

Once the wire is loose at the control knob end, use your hands to pull the skeg blade out/down to expose the set-bolt that affixes the wire to the blade.  If the blade doesn’t pull down easily don’t force it – this means the bolt in the control knob has not been fully loosened.  It’s deceivingly easy, with a bit of elbow-grease, to manually pull out the skeg blade even if the wire’s not fully released from the control knob. If the wire's not fully disconnected, putting leverage on the blade can put a kink (bend) in the skeg wire making it difficult to re-use. (Uh, ask me how I know…oops. See Photo 3). Once pulled down, if you must replace the wire, detach it from the skeg blade by unscrewing the set-bolt there with a flat-head screwdriver.  Despite being a 15-year-old boat, this stainless-steel bolt on my Avocet's skeg blade came out fine. Next, pull the skeg wire out completely if you're replacing it. The plastic tubing stays affixed inside the boat - in my kayak the tubing is heavily glassed-in in places.  You can also pull the skeg wire out the front end by the control knob where (in my boat) the plastic tubing ends with an easy-to-remove cap. (See Photo 4)

Photo 3

Photo 4

Since I’d damaged some of the parts when dismantling them, I ordered new parts from Valley. (See Photo 5).  Which they sent to me free-of-charge, amazing the company is still servicing older boats – their current skeg system doesn’t even use some of these older parts.  Thank you, Valley Canoe Products!  Plus, I ordered a replacement for the metal rod that I’d bent when drilling out the control knob – purchased a new carbon-fiber version from Tom the owner of TopKayaker in N.H., a uniquely super place that sells parts for many brands of kayaks.

Photo 5

      2. A note about the Control Knob

Not sure if Valley was the original manufacturer of this type of Control Knob, but it’s used on many brands of kayaks – see Photo 6.  Be aware that some of these knobs are set up for skeg systems found in composite (fiberglass) kayaks and some are setup for systems typically found in plastic kayaks.  In plastic kayaks, the bare skeg wire passes through the smaller hole (see in Photo 7).  For my kayak, and most composite kayaks, the skeg wire sits inside the metal rod so both must pass through the larger hole in the control knob. SO, for composite kayaks you must make sure that your replacement control knob has been drilled/threaded to allow the set bolt (seen in Photo 6) to pass all the way through to the larger hole. Otherwise, this little bolt will not be able to reach the skeg wire.  The replacement control knob I’d originally received had not been “tapped” all the way through to this second hole, so was meant for the plastic kayak setup (#@!%*!?).  Instead of buying a bolt-tapping kit to extend the threads further into the knob, I just sent off for the proper control knob. (Phew, a lot of words but important to say all that).

Photo 6: Control knob, set bolt ("grub screw"), 2.5 mm Allen wrench

Photo 7

      3.  Installing the new skeg wire, compression fitting, control knob, and metal rod

If you’re replacing the skeg wire, save the original wire and cut the new one to the same length (taping them together helps – see Photo 8). To do this I bought some thick-gauge steel wire cutters for $10 online, but West Marine or any boat store should have even stronger clippers for cutting sailboat rigging, they’d probably be happy to cut the wire for you.  (Good clippers are important - making a clean cut at the ends of the wire is necessary to smoothly thread it through the plastic tubing, metal rod, and skeg blade, as described in the steps below.) Thread the new wire into the plastic tubing from either end, I passed it through the skeg box end.  It went very smoothly until it hit something and stopped – a dent in the tubing perhaps or some debris inside?  No way to easily examine the tubing for blockages - since it's glassed-in.  Using the old wire, I reamed out the tubing some, after a long while it finally went through. (Thankfully)

Photo 8

The hard part: At this point the new skeg wire is fully inserted in the plastic tubing.  Now you must pass the stern end of the skeg wire through the new compression fitting.  As shown in Photo 9, the compression fitting has three pieces. A lower part that screws into the skeg box (which has metal threads permanently glassed into it); a middle part which is simply the compression “olive” that is critically important to have; and an upper part which screws down into the lower part, thereby compressing the olive.   I found that the space to fiddle with these parts is small and the tolerances for getting everything to fit are quite limited.  But it’s doable. Once you’ve got the skeg wire through the compression fitting and sticking out down through the skeg box (see Photo 10), it’s time to push the stern-end of the plastic tubing through both the upper part of the compression fitting and through the middle olive part so that the tubing is sticking out some past the olive (a few millimeters). This is to ensure that the tubing doesn't just pop out again when you're tightening the fitting.  Next, use an 11 mm wrench or monkey wrench to seat the lower part of the compression fitting into the skeg box. Finally, screw the upper part of the compression fitting onto the lower part until there’s resistance.  I tightened it gradually until I felt some resistance, then went a bit further – hoping that it was enough to compress the olive around the tubing but not too tight that it was squeezing the skeg wire inside, which would make the skeg wire hard to move up and down in use.  (When the job is finished, you can test the system on the water, if it leaks tighten the upper part of the compression fitting more).

Photo 9

Photo 10

The hard part is finished.  

Next, I used my new skeg blade set-bolt to re-attach my old skeg blade to the new wire. At this stage in the repair, the wire is loose in the system so it’s easy to just pull some excess down past the skeg box, push the wire into the skeg blade’s wire attachment hole, and then screw the new set-bolt in to fix the wire in place.  The set bolt’s head is a bit wider than the width of the skeg blade which sometimes causes it to catch at the opening of the skeg box or rub on the sides when putting the skeg up/down.  You may want to file down the sides of this bolt to minimize this.  The skeg blade can now be reattached to the boat by hooking it onto the post inside the front of the skeg box. (See Photo 11).

Photo 11

Next, push the skeg blade in from the stern to expose the skeg wire at the control knob recess (see Photo 12).  Then insert the new metal rod into the control knob recess from the front – as I said, the plastic tubing is exposed there under the deck, so just pull off the plastic cap and insert the new rod.   Then, push the new control knob onto the new metal rod and line it up over the hole in the metal rod.  You can see (Photo 13) that I pre-assembled the control knob and metal rod to mark-up the location of the set bolt over the hole in the rod, makes the final step easier.  Next, thread the skeg wire through the metal rod.  Use a bungee or second pair of hands to keep the skeg blade fully retracted inside the skeg box.  Then, align the control knob with the front (“up”) part of the control knob recess, screw down the bolt to affix the skeg wire at that spot.  Replace the plastic cap on the front end of the plastic tubing (see Photo 2).  You’re finished!  Wasn’t that easy…..?

Photo 12

Photo 13

By the way, if all you need to do is replace a kinked skeg wire, this site has clear instructions for that:  Kayak Academy Skeg Wire Replacement Instructions

Plastic Shrink-Wrapping Boats for Winter Storage – Adverse Effects on Environment

Plastic shrink-wrap on a plastic kayak…really? (see photo). When people start covering cheap-plastic with more plastic, it’s surely a sign that shrink-wrapping is getting out of hand!  

UNBELIEVABLE!?  Plastic shrink-wrap winter storage layer over a cheap, plastic recreational kayak (“banana-boat” type kayak).   What a waste….  (City of Rye NY Municipal Boat Basin, March 26, 2020)

Covering boats with heat-shrink LDPE (low-density polyethylene) film for winter storage has caught on quickly in recent years – now it seems every boat in the marina is shrink-wrapped. The mountain of plastic waste this generates every season is scandalous. But is shrink-wrapping boats for winter storage even necessary?  I did a little research on the topic and consolidated what I found below.

1    1. The Problem:

The overarching problem of plastic waste is a huge issue having larger societal and ecological consequences.  This blog post here is focused solely on the issue of boat shrink-wrap plastic.  At present, most of this shrink-wrap material is sent to landfills or is incinerated. It is made from LDPE, combined with additives to provide UV resistance and other properties. As discussed below, very little of this material is recycled. The average boat requires 15 lbs of shrink-wrap each season, multiplied by the 13 million registered boats in the United States it’s easy to see how disposal of shrink wrap could cause a landfill crisis. (1)  Incineration of LDPE and other plastics causes its own problems – principally the release of heavy metals, organic pollutants, and other toxins into the air and in incinerator ash residue, which itself must be landfilled. (2) And lastly, plastic constitutes the predominant form of marine debris. (3)  As kayakers, we all see more and more plastic (including boat-wrap) littering the shores.

 2. Is Shrink-Wrapping Boats Even Necessary?:

Retailers and manufacturers of boat shrink-wrap say the protective film is necessary to keep rain/snow out of your boat and to minimize UV sun damage when the boat is in storage for the winter. If you dig deeper though, you’ll find that this isn’t the whole story.

Firstly, the cost of wrapping your boat annually is not cheap. I’ve seen local prices range from $15-25 per foot – starting at $450 flat rate for boats 25’ or under. That’s every year.  By comparison, a well-maintained canvas cover can last 20 years and many are made from cotton duck fabric so are ultimately biodegradable. Though more expensive to purchase initially (roughly 2x/3x cost of disposable LDPE wrap), the extra up-front cost of a canvas boat cover can be quickly recouped in just a few years. (4, 5)

After reading many online sources, it appears shrink-wrapping your boat may actually be worse than doing nothing when it comes to mold. The sun’s radiation will heat up any water trapped on/in the boat beneath the plastic wrap cover.  Temperatures under the cover will swing up by day causing evaporation (increased humidity) and drop down at night causing condensation. The result – MOLD. Now you’ve got another problem so must use fungicides or other mold-preventives (sprays, heaters, desiccants, etc.). (6)    Alternatives, like keeping a boat under a more open/breathable cover (like canvas) or under the roof of a garage can provide more air-flow and prevent humidity and mold problems.

Another alternative to shrink-wrap is to have no cover at all. (How's that for a concept). UV damage can be minimized by spraying a UV protectant (303 etc.) on rubber parts a few times in the off-season and by applying a protective coating of wax on the hull before storage. If that’s too much work, then do nothing – wait until the boat's finish fades then polish/restore any oxidized gelcoat once every 20 years – remember, gelcoat has UV inhibitors in it so resists oxidation!   Isn’t restoring a boat hull with some polish and a power buffer once every 20 years a better solution than adding 300 lbs of plastic waste to landfills (15 lbs/year x 20 years)?

3      3. Recycling:

While better than landfilling, recycling LDPE shrink wrap is a mixed bag.

The EPA estimates that only 6.2% of LDPE (recycling number 4) is recycled in the United States. (7) That’s for LDPE overall – most of which is the rigid kind, used in food containers, etc. The plastic film type of LDPE is the material used in plastic grocery bags and is also the class of plastic used for shrink-wrap boat covers. Recycling of these thin, flexible LDPE films presents added difficulties over the more rigid type. These films must be separated from the general plastic recycling waste stream because they require special machines that will not become clogged during the milling process. Also, LDPE films are often contaminated (dirty) and must be cleaned before they can be recycled, adding  time and energy to the process, and accounting for the very low percentage of LDPE recycling worldwide. (8) 

Even if recycled, LDPE plastic is not “closed-loop” recycling. That is, it cannot be recycled into the same product, over and over. It is “recycled”, or more accurately “converted”, into a different final-use product, like composite lumber or carpet material. (9) This is partly due to the additives in plastic – UV inhibitors, flame retardants, coloring agents, etc. – that act as contaminants and prevent it from being reused in the same form.  Also, plastic can only be recycled a few times before its quality decreases to the point where it can no longer be used. Typically additional virgin material is added during the recycling process in order to “upgrade” the quality of the plastic. (10, 11)  

By comparison, aluminum and glass are “closed-loop” recyclable materials – they can be made over-and-over into new bottles and cans without losing quality or purity. Unlike plastic recycling, there’s no need to add virgin material in the glass/aluminum recycling process. (12)  As an aside, I’ve personally tried to eliminate all single-use plastic – bottles, bags, cutlery, etc. – and only use aluminum cans when buying beverages and fabric grocery bags when shopping, surprisingly easy things to do.

At present the cost of boat shrink-wrap disposal is largely borne by taxpayers in the form of garbage hauling, landfilling, etc. While some businesses offer prepaid shipping bags that can be used to send boat shrink wrap in the mail for recycling (“Dr. Shrink” sells a prepaid shipping bag for $50), a marina-based collection/hauling operation is clearly preferred to reduce costs and to avoid the need for additional materials to wrap/mail the waste! (4, 13)  Westchester County’s Boat Wrap Recycling program collects boat-wrap if your marina participates. (14)  Now, whether “recycled” boat wrap plastic is ultimately processed into recycled products depends on the status of the world’s recycling market at the time it is collected.  If the market is uneconomical (as it is now for many plastics), this material will be landfilled or burned... (15)  Some have advocated for an upfront “product stewardship” deposit to address the full cost of plastic boat wrap over its life cycle, thereby shifting recycling costs from municipalities to the consumers who directly benefit from the product. No such regulations currently exist in New York that I’m aware of.

So that’s it – something to think about and something for boaters to work towards eliminating if possible.  It should be noted that many kayaks are also made from LDPE and should also be recycled when their useful life has ended. And perhaps old fiberglass boats can be milled into fibers and reused.  In my view, the difference between the plastic/fiberglass material used to make boats themselves and the plastic shrink-wrap used to cover them is that shrink-wrap covers are essentially single-use items for which there are alternatives. 

For more - check out this recent PBS documentary, Frontline: Plastic Wars, which delves into the conundrum of recycling plastic:  https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/plastic-wars/

References:

1: https://www.boattrader.com/resources/shrink-wrap-recycling-easier-think/
2: http://theconversation.com/why-municipal-waste-to-energy-incineration-is-not-the-answer-to-nzs-plastic-waste-crisis-126824

3: https://www.no-burn.org/burning-plastic-incineration-causes-air-pollution-dioxin-emissions-cost-overruns/

4: https://www.seacoastonline.com/article/20140514/OPINION/405140366

5: http://www.fishercanvas.com/aboutus.asp#armyduck

6: https://tomdwelsh.com/2015/10/08/shrink-wrap-boat-storage-dangers-and-long-term-effects/

7: https://millerrecycling.com/ldpe-out-of-landfills

8: https://www.plasticexpert.co.uk/plastic-recycling/ldpe-recycling-plastic/

9: https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/8817.html

10: https://www.newenglandshrinkwrap.com/SW%20Recycling%20Guide%201.pdf

11: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030438941730763X

12: https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2018/04/04/7-things-you-didnt-know-about-plastic-and-recycling/

13: https://operationsplash.org/2010/04/03/growing-problem-of-shrink-wrap/

14: https://www.pressherald.com/2017/08/20/to-protect-them-from-the-elements-many-maine-boats-are-shrink-wrapped-in-plastic-for-the-winter/

15: https://environment.westchestergov.com/residents/212-news-events/2582-boat-wrap-recycling-expands-to-hudson