: Hey Alex,
: Thanks. It took until I found the Sea Kayaker Magazine review to
: find how the KJ rudders deployed (bungi cord tug).
: Interesting-I'd like to see video of it.
: I really liked the large foot pads on kajaksport's Finnish site.
: (102mm wide x 155mm high 4" x 6")

:
: http://www.kajaksport.com/?components_eng/components.php&tuote=&ryhma=Jalkatuet%20ja%20ohjaimet

: I can't say I've ever had a wind/rudder/ or wind/paddle blade
: problem. To be sure I've had wind/no-rudder problems. In a side
: wind my rudder will be always be deployed.
: A month or so ago I had to paddle into a 20-25 knot wind. I'll
: never forget what the old salt from Current Designs once said to
: me. "Get a long fast boat and paddle it hard"
: At first I thought it wasn't going to work, but as I was entering
: Los Angeles Harbor, there was lots of stuff to gauge my progress
: against. Steady progress all the way into the Cabrillo beach
: boat landing. Fast pace 70 strokes per minute, power from abs.
: Key to what I'm trying to accomplish in my Mystery build is a kayak
: that fits, where bracing is instantaneous --but not in the way
: of my pumping legs. Foot braces that are solid,connected,
: straps-like the racing boats--we've got leg muscles why not use
: them? I can walk twenty miles without any foot problems, but
: paddling always cuts off the circulation in my feet. There's no
: reason for it. How about instead of all these cute little
: peg-thingies, we just put a piece of floor under our feet? That
: the gear available to us hasn't solved these problems is an
: indication our needs aren't being met.
: New York Times article
: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/14/phys-ed-the-men-who-stare-at-screens/?src=me&ref=health
: Sitting down for long periods seems to trump exercise against heart
: disease. I think it might be the chairs cutting off circulation.
: Airliner thrombosis. If that's happening in our kayaks...

Hi Will,
Don't think we have to worry about "airliner thrombosis" in our kayaks. That problem is due to the legs being at rest for long periods of time with little or no muscle activity, paddling a kayak uses the muscles quite a lot, more than I would have thought. I think that any discomfort is due to the leg muscles being used for very small movement when they are primarily large movement muscles. Plus the difference between the "normal" gravity assist the blood flow gets when we're upright and sitting has an effect, similar "problems" happen when recumbent cycling.

Mike Savage
South West Cork