4 Be visible: Reflective tape and deck line covers
For night paddling in areas of boating traffic, or just to be more visible in the event of res- cue, adding reflective strips to your boat is an easy upgrade that you can do in minutes.
Photo 1
3M reflective tape is like one long license plate registration sticker—super- sticky and easy to put on. Getting it off is another story, so put it where you really want it. Look for a spot that’s not likely to be covered or get scratched. If you’re feeling pessimistic, put tape on the underside of the hull.
Photo 2
Needle nose pliers are helpful for removing tight deck line knots, if you don’t want to cut and replace the lines.
Photo 3
Once you get your deck lines off, install North Water Reflective Deck Line Covers ($35 Cdn for a four- pack). These can go on deck bungees too. You don’t have to cut them—they scrunch to fit.
Photo 4
Behold, it works! The North Water covers are more reflective than the 3M tape, possibly because the scrunched fabric reflects lights from all angles. They are also easily removed if you want to switch boats or morph into stealth mode.
5 Use your nooks and crannies: North Water cockpit storage bags Making use of a sea kayak’s ample cockpit space for storage keeps
the deck free of paraphernalia that can wash off in the surf or get snagged during rescues. The Under-Deck Bag ($49 Cdn) from North Water Paddle Sports Equipment hangs from the roof of the cockpit in the place of a traditional knee tube—it’s a kayak glove compartment.
And North Water’s Interior Mount Cockpit Bags ($59 Cdn) provide convenient storage along the sides of the cockpit. They double as thigh padding for a better fit and also help displace water from the cockpit. (
www.northwater.com)
Photo 1 Photo 1
Sit in your cockpit and line up your Interior Mount Cockpit Bags in a place where you’ll be able to access them and they’ll be out of the way, or provide some desired padding beside your thighs. Don’t forget to stuff them when you’re positioning them.
Photo 2
The cockpit bags attach in one of two ways—clipping to glued- in vinyl patches or hanging from
Photo 2
your rudder cable on a Velcro sleeve. My cable doesn’t extend far enough. I marked the loca- tion of the vinyl patches beyond the edges of the cockpit bags, so they’ll hang taught to the side of the hull.
Photo 3
Prepare the surface of the boat by roughing it with 80-grit sand- paper and cleaning with a min- eral spirit such as Toluene. Use a vinyl adhesive such as Vinyl-Tec
2000 or Vinyl Bond to secure the patches.
Photo 4
With the Interior Mount Cockpit Bags and the Under Deck Bag installed, there’s so much storage space, you’ll never have to leave the cockpit! North Water’s Expedition Deck Bag ($89 Cdn) provides even more. The bags can all be quickly unclipped for packing, cleaning, or carrying around the campsite.
Photo 3
Photo 4
ADVENTUREkayakmag.com 39
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