The PSK Hub – Performance Sea Paddling Stuff
Wings The often discussed question in the sea kayaking world is whether a wing paddle improves performance. In a competition environment, there is no doubt that a wing paddle gives a performance advantage for the forward stroke over a flat paddle, and hence it is established in sprint, marathon, ocean ski racing and wild water …
If you like to keep your deck free of clutter, here’s a simple Taran tip for a lightweight paddle park to prevent wandering blades in those breezy admin moments. Wrap a few turns of insulation tape to a diameter ~14 mm. Then loop the elastic over your blade shaft and by stretching one side, slide …
Recently I posted a photo on the Strictly Sea Kayaking facebook page and this prompted a question from Steve Macfarlane on the subject of the rudder. I thought the reply may interest those rudder-equipped paddlers out there. Rudder Release. If you compare the photos we can see that the paddler has moved the boat rearward, …
The Taran was designed from the outset as a performance sea kayak for paddling on moving water. To gain the best of that performance in the moving water environment I believe you need a snug fit with good physical contact inside the boat. You want the boat to respond instantly and with accuracy to your …
Here we take a look at the fitting of Bow and Stern guards to the Rockpool Taran. Before we get in to the ‘how-to’, maybe we should take a quick look at the ‘why’ too. The Taran is a long-waterline kayak (5.0m+) with a relatively low rocker. It is designed as a performance sea kayak …
A look at a simple but effective spraydeck hole repair. Now allow the adhesive/sealant to cure and then apply to the reverse side too. Job done – a dry deck! Sealant: I used Sikaflex here, but I also use silicon sealant. A free-flowing one works well, but standard bathroom-grade does the job. You …
Standard Construction for most sea kayaks is Polyester Resin with Chopped Strand Mat (CSM – or ‘fibreglass’) – a ‘glass’ kayak. Polyester/CSM combination is easy to work with from a manufacturers point of view and relatively cheap. It provides a tough, stiff and solid kayak, though to do this it requires enough material to make …
Here is the collection of ‘Things To Do’ posts from the PSK facebook page, posted during the UK Covid-19 lockdown 2020. Things To Do: #1 – Your UK Circumnavigation If you are one of the potential UK Circumnavigators for 2021 then you may feel that the current circumstances have thrown a small spanner in the …
This post is basically the text of an email reply to questions about paddling with crank-shafts. Take it or leave it as you see fit. Crank shafts were introduced into canoe slalom in the UK in the late 1980’s. Richard Fox (5 times K1 Slalom World Champion) was the main driving force behind them. They …
by John Willacy
A question that is often asked on the edge of the Performance Sea Kayaking world is – should I paddle wings? Closely followed by – so which wings should I buy?