: Hello Everyone,

: My question is pretty simple, I think, but I'd like to give you a
: little background...

: I am brand new to sea kayak construction/modification and would
: like to ask for your advice. I recently bought a used Cirrus LT,
: a stitch and glue plywood kayak made from a kit by
: OneOceanKayaks:
:
: http://www.oneoceankayaks.com/stitchglue/stitchkayaks.htm#cirLTanch

: I brought it to the manufacturer/designer/owner of OneOceanKayaks
: (Vaclav Stejskal) for a consultation. He was extremely helpful
: and advised me on how to make a few adjustments/minor repairs. I
: have some woodworking experience (made a couple guitars and
: restored a few) so I maybe know enough to keep myself out of
: trouble, sometimes.

: I've been sea kayaking for a number of years and have taken
: classes/courses and know I need to be able to rescue my own self
: after a wet exit. The person who built this kayak did not
: install any bungees (nor decklines) right behind the cockpit
: necessary for a self rescue (I use the paddle float technique).
: I'm going to install them myself but I don't know what material
: would be best to use for the cord: what diameter bungee cord? Or
: some other type of cord? Are there different bungee cord
: tensions? Do you know where I could purchase the cord in the New
: England area or East coast?

: Thank you very much!
: Vivian

Hi Vivian,
A very important concern which I have addressed very sucessfully,I believe....
I built a Rob Mack's Firestar with a dropped deck detail just rear of the cockpit that allows my GP shaft or blade to slide in and semi lock with NO movement.It can be a twist and pull action that creates a very effective outrigger.As people have said,it's important to be able to whip it out[the paddle] afterwards.I built my first and only GP to do this thing and then built the boat cockpit to suit the shapes of the blade etc,so it is handed to my prefered get in side[from a wet exit]The lip hides the underneath tapper[female GP blade cavity] so it looks like a symetrical deck but isn't when you look closely[under the lip].The deck drop feature, is FLAT for no rock and the, very strongly fixed, combing traps the blade temporarily.I use this detail every time I get in or out with absolute confidence.Also ,the back of the cockpit is fairly straight[and comfortable] ,so the paddle also does not swing in the horrizontal plane.There is much strength around this detail built in so I don't stress this area with the usual misshappenings when in use.Also,The GP [Cedar]is so bouyant and the blade is pushing through the water when fixed like this.This makes for a very slow rolling boat.
The idea of building safety into your boats would be a great thread for this forum.I have done a few other things to help with safety at sea,I haven't got round to sharing the pictures 'cos I am interweb challenged with url's etc. cheers from Paul NZ.