: Cough, splutter ...

: We're just getting into the hard water season here ...

: I did experiment with an axe on a stick a few years ago and also
: thought about a studded paddle. However, once the ice is too
: thick to push through that's pretty much that.

: Riding the boat up on the ice and using weight to break through may
: work for an ice breaker but a kayak doesn't seem to be able to
: hack it. Once the bow was parked up on the ice, I began to
: realise how easy it was to compromise the boat's stability; for
: a while there it was starting to look like a maturing experience
: ...

What's the matter? You can't balance on a knife edge? Worse with a deep V shaped kayak :)

Once the ice forms I'm off the water, too easy to get into serious trouble, though I know paddlers that routinely paddle in ice.

Btw, very thin ice cuts gelcoat just like a knife, bad thing.

Bill H.