Special Edition add-on
This one is for Mike in FLA,,, Since the bugger can’t hear me when I tell him, NO about giving donations,,, I figured I had better come up with a little sumpin’ for the Mad Bugger.
Special edition podcast, no politics, absolutely NO politics in this’un.
Happy only starts the description
Yeah, this is the “glorify Lyssa” post that I can well believe a few of y’all saw comin’.
How to describe the difference between two boats, of different materials but nearly identical design (nearly because the decks are completely different with only small tweaks below the water line,,,). While I can’t describe things perfectly (my butt doesn’t know english and the translation gets a might garbled) I can describe the differences in performance at the water level,,, Putting one (BJ) on edge, where you lift one knee and ‘lean’ (not really) in the direction you want to go (the boat leans out, you lean in,,,) does absolutely nothing without driving the paddle harder on the outside of the turn. In the other boat, the same motion and she is taking that turn with grace and NO OTHER INPUT required. Any other input only amplifies the motion or hinders it, depending on what it is. Too much on the inside and she goes straight, more on the out and she is nearly spinning on her center axis.
Love the hell out of Blue Jean, and she has her forever home with me, but she is not Lyssa, nor is Lyssa her,,, two completely different characters with distinct differences that make for two very loved boats. Lyssa is more like Lizzy in how fast she is, but more like BJ in how she handles things: Lyssa is more like a Standard Nordkapp when it comes to how she handles edge and leans.(Lizzy is an HM, with a fixed skeg/keel: straight tracking like a freight train). She fits the bill between Lizzy and BJ that I was looking for. IF I were to use animals to describe them, I would say that Lizzy is that 8 month old colt, all abuzz with get up and go, skittish when bored, and ready to run, run, runrunrunRUN,,, Blue Jean is that 5 year old, Amish raised mule that pulls the family around country roads and doesn’t spook at even the most obnoxious exhaust pipes. Lyssa,,,The two year old mare that has good sense, but is still looking to play, and may play a game of ‘nip the behind’ when you least expect it, but is content to run around the pasture for fun.
When I was doing the one crossing that had me a little goosed looking at it from the distance, I pulled the skeg back up because it was doing me a disservice being down. Even at half-mast, it was grabbing the rebound waves and twisting me around towards the cliff face that I was trying to stay away from: with the skeg up, the waves were pushing the stern out, while the wind was cocking it ‘in’, and I was doing exactly what I wanted to do, which was travel a straight line along the cliff face and get to calmer waters. Skeg down the waves had more ‘push’,,, I am learning the heck out of this boat and MYSELF again. And that IS what I wanted in a fiberglass boat: growth. That she punches waves in the face and laughs about it (they slap me back by climbing in my lap and making for a wet ride) is only a plus, (I do have concerns about her ‘pitch-poling’ in surf, and have read that this model is known for it: pitch poling is when the bow drives under so hard it impacts the bottom and ‘pitches you’ as if you were on the end of a pole. Good thing we don’t really have surf around here,,, Boat wake is the most I see,,, And Lyssa won’t be taken on white water, where that might be an issue.)
Now, full admission, I have been in much taller water in other boats that did well. (Serena on Cumberland lake when The Ohio Navy was let out of lockdown in 2020,,). What we saw today was minor to that day, but the memory of how Serena handled the waves was “Right There”, I even had the feeling I was still moving in waves when I hit the no wake zone (didn’t get motion sickness, just had that ‘things is moving, but they ain’t,,,” feelz going on.). But, she had one thing Serena didn’t have: SPEED. I checked in a couple of places and I could have her up to that 5 point sumpin mark in about 10 strokes of the blades. I was digging hard to do it, but she did it anyways, and once there, I could let up a touch (still needed to power on,) and hold it close for a spell. That is not fast,,,, Thats BLOODY FAST, and I am not sure Lizzy could match it (more boat to get up to speed.). Lizzy could hold it longer, but she had more mass to hold the inertia, and longer waterline.
and the other advantage of Lyssa vs Lizzy: easier access to cargo holds. Larger hatches (that are now or will soon be weatherproofed)
One downside to today though; My carbon fiber Greenland Paddle is taking on water these days. Still quite functional, holds its own as a paddle, but after an hour, has gained weight: lifting 2# every stroke is a lot easier than lifting 5# every stroke. and when you are lifting a paddle 1000+ times a mile, that adds up to “woOF!!!”. I have another brand (not Chinee like my current one) but its sorta pricey and won’t be ‘gotten’ anytime soon, and the means is being set aside a little here, a little there. And since I do not think I will have that new blade in hand for the SKAW, I am going to start making a set of wooden blades that I can splice into the CF loom of said current paddle and not have a paddle that incrementally gets heavier as I get more tired. No rush, easy after work over a couple of weeks project, but one that today became “do this soonest” over other kayaky projects I have. (and that front hatch leak was very minor, it can wait a bit.). If you don’t recall, the SKAW is a 13 mile race, open flat water (two 6.5 mile laps). Don’t want to run in that with the handicap of a paddle that gains weight the more you use it.
Hell, I’m single and an empty-nester: what else do I have to do on those nights when all the other stuff is either done or on hold for weather???
(debating on Lyssa/Lizzy for the race seeing how they are both fast boats and Lizzy is plenty stable, so long as you don’t stop moving,,,)
So, for the TL;DR crowd that scrolled down here to see if I had anything else to say: Lyssa is MY BOAT now, and our friendship grew in leaps and bounds on that lake today. Very happy and all the trials and tribulations of getting her, to include the ‘fight with Da’,,, was worth it.
Good and bad,,,
the bad: no work today,,, Asked if I should take the rest of the week off (I have a reason I desire this, later in post) and was laughed at, but that still means NO WORK TODAY,,, dammit,,,
I kind of expected it,,, Usual this time of year; schools letting out, fams headed out for vakay, businesses are changing up footing for summer,,. We usually drop off around this time and my custom work drops off comptetely,,, still, kinda sucks on the timing of things, seeing how I just recovered from a set-back that cost me (and you, and a very sincere thank you in order for those that helped fund Buff and mine’s recovery of Transpo,,,)
Thats life, move on,,,
So I came home and did stuff here, like trimming my weeds, placating kats because they despise the line trimmer,,,
And digging deeper into Lyssa. Fixed that leaky skegbox, and pretty much had to take her apart to do it. Nothing needed removed from the decks, but I did have to take apart the cable lines, and to get to the control box, I had to take out the seat pan. I even played and put the seat pan from the Necky Chattum in it, just to see. Didn’t like, felt like it raised my CG by 1/2″ or so. That makes a difference in ‘liveliness’ of the ride and Lyssa already feels spritely. anyywhooos,, the Skeg box was a simple fix, just needed to reseal the cable tube at each end, but to do that I had to take it all apart and clean the parts up so the sealer would stick. Funky design, and more complicated than I like, but it works and I figured out some tricks for the re-install.
And my added coaming worked out great. I haven’t tested it on water yet, but I did put the skirt on and did some serious wiggling around to try and pop that edge loose. Seems like its going to work. And its strong. Much stronger than I expected. I was able to pick up the whole boat by the coaming. I figured ‘if this breaks it, it was gonna break anyways’,,,, Held just fine. After I put everything back together I mixed up a thin batch of resin and pigment and ‘painted’ the repair area to smooth out my sanding mark and make it match the rest of the coaming better. You can still see it but its not as obvious.
And I put hip pads in her to ‘tighten’ the feel of the cockpit. I have such a narrow hind side, that even a 16″ wide cockpit feels loose to me. LOL Even though I am 6′, I have to use medium or low volume boats or I feel like I am wallowing in a bathtub.
And she is ready for the weekend. B and Fam are at the lake already, and why I was ‘hoping” that Bossman and Son would be willing to let me ride out a week,,,, Oh well. Not this time and I do need the income, so I ain’t complaining about that, just the fact that I am off on a weekday and essentially ‘on hold’,,, Itsux,,,
So, when I do get the chance to head out (likely friday eve) I am only taking Lyssa with me. Not enough time to play with multiple boats and I want even more time in her yet, preferably out of the No Wake zones,,, and now that the skirt holds, time playing with rolls. I already have a feel for her speed, (fast, but not as fast as Lizzy) And yup, I could take her to the lake or river today, but I would rather give that sealer 24 hours to cure up without strain,,, All that pulling stuff apart to get at the culprit,, naw,,, let her sit
Lots of ‘coming apart’ out there
Scan around, look at the things we grew up with, and see whats holding its own,,,,
Like publishing houses, that actually have decent authors,,, Oh, there are still some out there and I won’t list them by name; you have either heard of them or you haven’t,,, But for the most part the publishing houses are burning down with WOKE crapitus, and people (like me, and others) are finding audiences in Self Publishing. Granted there are tons of the less than talented crapwriters in self pubishing, but the mix is leaning toward talent. Believe me, when I say I have read some truly craptastic writing in self pub,,,, A few best left unnamed patriot writers who were able to convey ideas, but had zer talent for story development, or characters, or DIALOGUE,,, and a plot that was verbatim between ALL of their examples; almost a boiiler plate plot with zero variation between examples. It was taht sort of writing that inspired wings: come up with a different spin on ‘patriot’ and geeks,,, and of course RC airplanes,,,,o
The Videeo of REN I embedded,,, Another example of the old institutions faling. Is his music my style? Not really; the one video grabbed me because it reminded me of days where I have gone tooth and nail against my internal naysayer… And there was the actual music side that grabbed my attention first. I have since watched three others of his videos, and his guitar skills are in each. His story-telling skills are there as well, but not really my style for relaxing and entertaining myself. That he has talent is beyond question IMO, and I pray that he carries it forward, and while I wish him success, I pray he does not heed the sirens call of a label that will warp his talent for their profits without regard to what he is trying to teach people. (and his songs all have a message,,,),
Look around, you may have to lift some debris up to find it, but its out there. The “Centralized” model of the world that was crammed down our throats since the peak of the Industrial Revolution is falling apart at the seams. I see advertisements for schooling outside of the mainstream; I am considering doing the tutoring thing here locally, be the subversive influence that some of my teachers were to me, sort of like.
I have pointed out that you can find someone to teach you pretty much anything,,, You can learn how to work on your own vehicles by checking on Utoob and other sites,,, There are online diag guys that will help you walk through a problem, even send you copies of wiring diagrams and such (for a small fee,,, )
Its free-market capitalism, and the usual ‘Buyer Beware’ applies, but its GROWING. I know I can get on an app (don’t recall its name currently, but I have used it once before) where I can upload a CAD file and subcontract parts for it from various home workshops. From Printed parts, to actually machined by hand stuff, and in quantity, and have it shipped to me for assembly. There were even some that you could have all the parts sent to for that. All you had to do was figure out where and how to market it (Zon, Etsy, Eevulbay,, etc) uy
I think this ‘trend’ has a large part of why the “EELeets” are shitting their pants, beside the fact that they have raped the system to a hollow shell, and eventually, IF THEY DON’T BURN IT DOWN,,, the evidence will percolate to the surface and there will be a different piper calling the tune,,,
I keep saying ‘get skills’ as one of your preps, and being able to teach a skill IS a skill. Being able to teach someone to read or write (handwriting, legibly,,,, )
We just need to start shucking the whole system that has been to the side, and take back control of our local worlds. The more that wake up to the hazards of following the SIrens call of BigGov, the better the ‘shadow realm’ becomes, until the shadow realm IS the reality, and the BigGov is a screeching ghost of itself, that we can sweep up into the dustbin of history.
Key things we need to keep alive,,, Some form of currency, prerably with ‘real money’ attached to it,, And viable internet. The Net has been the key component to the last 20 years,,, and is the key to how quickly ideas can be evolved amongst people. (like this whole ChatGPT thing,,, that so many were freaking out about, yet in less than two months has shown its just a really talented bear, dancing for our entertainment, but NOT intelligent,,,,)
More tomorrow,,, beware the Stobor,,,,
Why so serious?
Because no else is gonna take me seriously, ya?
Then again, I can’t take myself TOO seriously either or things could get pretty ugly: that whole INTJ thing, with the last “Thinking” and “Judgmental” being the operative words. I think the Introvert and iNtuitive side keep the other two in check to some degree, at least on the societal end of things. At a personal level I feel they feed the OCD side that the last two induce in me. Been more than a few times I have fallen DEEP into some task and days have gone by and meals not ate,,, Happens frequently enough that keeping my weight down isn’t as much of a fight as it could be: though maintaining a healthy diet can be problematic (because I will stave off munchies with total crap just to give the hands and mouth something to do and keep out of the way.)
And I have to watch myself closely. example. Recent forays into the world via the window of Utoob,,, You know where I mean, and in this case is the exposure to the efforts of Mark Ervin, his Reverse the Bad tour of the Greater Loop (good name by the way Mark)
The desire to get out there and start doing that very same thing became STRONG, QUICKLY. It rolls right up my alley as something I want to do before my days are done. AH, but that’s the catch and the part that IRKS the Judgmental side of me. And where I start saying “Ok, step back, let it sit a week and see where the feelz sit then”. I must do this often on many things. I have a very addictive personality and things can sweep me up in a whirlwind before I realize that I should be hugging terrafirma,,, And why I am so cautious getting into relationships. I have had more than one whirlwind romance that fizzled like a wet firecracker. (and I have a boat named after one of them,,,LOL)
SO, Do I truly want to do the Great Loop? (not the Greater Loop that Mark is doing, but up the Hudson to Erie skipping the Nova Scotia route)
Yes.
But not RIGHT NOW. and thats the whirlwind I must fight.
There are plans that need to be made for something of that magnitude. Arrangements of things, FINANCING because food isn’t free as just a start, plus there are equipment needs that must be met (and while I have quite a kit, I do not have all I would need, LIke a VHF radio to comm with other craft and Locks. and it must be handheld, waterproof, FLOAT, and easily recharged by means I have yet to acquire as well. One thing leads to another,,,,)
Then there is the “personal reasons” things. Is this something I want to do just to say I had done it (usually a bad decision,,, just sayin’) OR do I want it to mean something bigger than just me? Mark’s journey has a purpose beyond just doing the deed, and it shows how dedicated he is at that purpose by his interviews and interactions.
Another side of it, Am I ready PHYSICALLY? OH to the hell NO!!! Could I paddle a 50 km day? Yes. right now, yes. Could I do it 6-7 days a week for 52 weeks? ummmmmm,,,,,,,,,, Probably not,,,, BUT, that’s a ‘Yet’ statement as well. I have done 37 miles in one day, but we sort of cheated. It was during a dam release, and while we kept ‘outrunning the bubble’ of the release, it did give us a boost. Even then, my arms were wet noodles by the time we hit the takeout. (37 miles is 59 klicks.). I can paddle a three-and-a-half mile-per-hour pace for hours on end, and that is also boat-dependent. That three point five is in BJ, I am certain it will higher in Lizzy, who has a higher hull speed and MUCH smoother finish on said hull.
As for the mental side of it,,,,, I’m an introvert: we live in our heads more than we live in reality, so spending days, with little to no interaction with others is not that much a hardship. I have found my limits on it while living in Texas, and how I came to share orbits with Voodoo, but that limit is measured in MONTHS, not days or hours like some people I know. (and some people that orbit me (like Haley’s comet orbits our sun) can’t go 1 minute without getting a little unhinged. They can’t handle the noise of their own minds. You’ll know them by asking them to sit silently for five minutes. In sixty seconds they are squirming like a 2-year-old after a sugar binge.)
Now, some of what I would need is already in place, like this blog, a way of connecting to the internet anywhere I am, a majority of the gear I would need, BUT, to attract those interested would require more effort on my part, and likely going the whole Utoob route like Mark did. Driving donations, not just to whatever charities I decided to push for, but to myself as well (and I WOULD donate what donations I didn’t need to one of, or split between whatever charities I chose when it was all said and done.). yeah, more work to figure out, and that can wait until I decide when/how/what, IF I ever do.
And there might even be an option of writing about it, book form, after the fact. People DO still read, (even though there is the question as to HOW MANY actually do these days, seeing the ubiquitous nature of video sites and the traffic they generate vs a written word site.
SO, fortunately for me, Mark is taking the Christmas holidays off from paddling. He is visiting his father in Canada for them, and will get back to paddling after the New Year. I have a chance to set things aside and see how I feel about them further down the road without feeding more fuel to the beast,
And in two weeks, this may dilute down to the simple “bucket list entry”
NOW, that’s not to say I don’t want to do an extended paddle with camping involved, A majority of my purchases the last year have been for camping equipment, and boats, so the desire to do that is much longer lived than the recent ‘oh, oh, OH,!!!” of doing a year-long paddle around the eastern half of the U.S. My getting into kayaks spurred that dream from the get-go, and I have always looked for boats that can carry gear (with the exception of the WW boats, and also one reason why I struggle adjusting to them: they don’t fit the profile in my head,,,). I was disappointed in Lizzy on that note, even going so far as finding and downloading the trip notes of the expedition she was designed FOR (the NORDKAPP expedition, 1975). The paddlers of that trip noted how hard it was to stow gear, so I don’t feel so bad in my assessment. BUT, long-distance kayaking has always been in the mix for me: this isn’t a new obsession, just a variation of a theme.
(funny note, Mark and I almost share a birthday, with him being 10 years and 364 days older than me. I found that hilarious when it came up on his Vlog.)
So why all the fuss
about an ergometer???
Many reasons, but the most important is conditioning. Conditioning my muscle memory to use proper form when paddling. Since I am not worried about actually moving a boat in the water, I can focus on form a bit more. The wobble board conditions me for how my movements will effect the balance of the boat. I have found I brace if I get a little to far over one side or the other, and its becoming automatic, almost reflexive (maybe thats why they call it a ‘reflexive brace’, hmmm, may have something there,,, DUH!!! lol)
Conditioning for distance, and since this thing goes no where, time is how I am conditioning there. Set a time period to ‘paddle’ and how I adjust the tensioner makes a difference too. Usual incremental build up on time, adjust tensioner same way: build up and push limits.
I WILL be ready for this coming season, even if I can’t get out on actual water very often. While that may not have won the last race I was in, I do feel I would have seen a much tighter second place than I did. Then again, maybe it was hull designs in competition then, not just paddlers: seeing how he steadily pulled ahead of me the entire race,,, Dunno, but I do know I was not conditioned for race and felt every pull on that paddle the next few days.
Now, the pulling the rabbit out of a hat and fixing Buffalo and NOT ding my work schedule. Yah, I could have started pulling her apart today, but something told me, hold off, use the coming weekend to do it all. A three day weekend, I should be able to get, if not finished, on the last legs of such, and if that happens,,,, Whelp, the J.O.B. gets a call and I take whatever time out I need to get finished, and will work out the details of what needs paid and how much after the fact. The fact that I usually double(or more) the minimum payment, gives me some flexibility in budgeting, though I bite the bit when I get pinched enough that I am forced to do the min. Doesn’t happen very often, at least it DIDN’T happen very often, but with the way things have been going with inflation, and decreasing hours due to slow-down,,,, A slow-down I might add, in part due to other people feeling the pinch and tightening purse strings,,,,
Makes you wonder if the WonderEconomists at the Fed even have a clue how things work. OR, if they do know and this is malicious intent on their part (which would fall in line with the ‘great reset’ the schwabbies and davos crowds keep crowing about.)
ok, back to the ergometer for a minute, still in line with the ‘feeling the pinch’ thing. Doing this, I figured some stuff out that wasn’t very clear in the videos or the plans I purchased from some dood in Ontario. ($7.04 USD). SOooossss,,,, I have been taking mad pictures, measurements, detailing certain sections, like that tensioner ( it uses all of the parts from the original machine with only one replacement part, the wood guide.). I am heavily detailing making the ellipse wobbles. I had the original cobbled up wobble board with a simple arc and it was highly unstable: the ellipse is still spritely, but reacts much closer to how a boat does as it approaches its ‘secondary stability’. Yeah, I plan on posting up the plans for sale on another page here, and possibly (really should, but need vid editing software and,,,) making video of it in action, and detailed vids of some of the details (also part of the sale package, but need to research how to do that without using Utoob,,,)
I don’t expect to make a lot off of it, but a little something is better than nothing, AND, as Bruce said, there may be a way to turn this into something a little more lucrative in the local paddling community. (and my next one will be even better, as I figure out whats working, what didn’t, and how to streamline the process. Those ellipses are tricky!!!)
Ya know, B and I joke often enough “If I could find some way of getting paid for doing this, ” while we are out paddling around. Too old to chase the whitewater scene like Dane Jackson, but the Sea-kayaking thing,,, Hell, look at the graybeards in some of the Autumn Gales videos,,, Sea-kayaking seems to attract the higher age ranges. And I look in the mirror and see WHITE bearded me,,,, running about 50% white on the top too,,, Ain’t gettin’ no younger.
And if I could get paid for it,,,,,
Dio's Workshop 