danno 1

i have owned many drysuits, all for diving, i might add, and have got through latex seals nearly every season due to either damage or perishing. i now use only neoprene neck and cuff seals and no longer have any problems.

you wont regret going for the neoprene seals. I find them much more comfortable than the latex and much longer lasting.

GB, just found out it has been superseded by the 717, Moonyaker, i didnt have that one, so i shall be giving them a look.

Thanks for the PM, Mark. Its the sort of UK retailer i had in mind but couldnt find.

i am not familiar with that particular plug, but would it not be possible to carefully remove the wires from the plug and then pass the wire through a much smaller hole and then reconnect the wires.

being superseded sounds about right GB, im always one step behind when it comes to electronics. You dont happen to know the new model number do you.

Today my Matrix 10 FF finally packed up. I am looking at replacing it with the Matrix 12 or 17. I have looked through previous FF threads hoping to find some reccomended uk retailers but many of the web addresses are no longer valid.I would appreciate it if anyone here could post the web addy or phone numbers of their favourite humminbird suppliers.

steady on H

The coastguard wont have a problem with you ringing them with your intentions. All phone calls are logged. Just make sure you inform them when you are back safe. You may still get a visit though if a member of the public is convinced that you are in trouble. It happened to me a few years ago. A coastguard rescue team does communicate between themselves and other emergency services on CH 0 but can also speak to you on CH 16, although chances are they wouldnt expect a kayaker to be carrying one, so would be worth mentioning that you have VHF when you ring in.

Well done H and mark. I wasnt at all envious when you started sending me the phone piccies !!!!

well done Pete for finishing the Sahara marathon. All that training paid off, but im sorry to hear about the fishing out there,I still cant believe you carried a fishing rod in your kit !!!!

Marc ive been using a Maplins 12 volt 3.3AH sealed lead acid battery to power a fishfinder and light and that lasts for as long as ive ever needed.The nav light bulb has been replaced with an l.e.d. You wont need a solar panel if you buy a decent battery. With the trolley, dont forget that you will probably want to take it with you on the kayak, either packed away in the hatch or secured to the tank well. Good luck on saturday.

The kit that we carry is much the same as everyone else. I have a 1.5kg anchor on 25 metres of line and 10 metre extension carried just in case. I dont use any chain with the anchor but others here do. I like to have a fishfinder because im nosey and like to know depths and whats down there, although it doesnt find fish!! I use a handheld gps so that i can log the position of anything interesting that shows up on the fishfinder and i have safe exit points for this area logged in case of fog. A rudder has proved itself on many occasions and has saved me a lot of effort in certain conditions. We all have a light pole and or flourescent flag due to the jetski traffic that we get around here. We use the lights when night fishing. I also have a fixed illuminated compass and a VHF radio. Dont forget a decent trolley for the yak, it will get loads of use. The electronics i have mentioned are not by any means essential, but they are nice to have and can be added later. My favourite Bass mark is only about 500 metres offshore, but 1000 metres is not unusual and further towards southend you can be 2 to 3 km offshore. Its not just the distance outwards though. You may have to paddle some distance along before you head out. Those jetties do produce good fish but i have had mixed results in that area. We have tried the large Chainrock jetty at Holehaven , but fishing amongst the piers has its own set of problems that can make it difficult or downright dangerous. Dan

Marc You have to park in the carpark and wheel your yak up to the floodgate, but the path makes it easy.

Marc If you come out of the caravan park and turn right,follow the road for about 1/4 mile and you will see a small carpark on your right with a slope up to the seawall. The flood gate is always open at this time of year, go through it and the beach and bay is in front of you. On a hot summers day this carpark gets very busy and the Traffic Wardens are rutheless in the surrounding area so watch out. I think this place is ideal for practice. Try anchoring and sitting side saddle here without any risk. Dan

Apart from the good fishing (thanks H),And as essexcapers pics show,we couldnt have picked a better day for it. It was hard to believe that it was February.

The M-31 manual has that diagram but the Euro manual just reccomends cleaning in fresh water. I too have always washed the radios after each use without problems. The problem only seems to occur sometime during the days use. The radios have both started working again after a few days in the airing cupboard. My experience highlights the fact that you shouldnt take that waterproof rating for granted.

When wet both radios emitted a continuous tone when switched on, and in the case of the EURO it went open channel, constantly transmitting.

There is no mention of protection in the handbook. I wont be sending it back because ive had it too long and now that i am aware of it the problem no longer occurs, and the chances are there may be similar problems with other makes that have the same waterproofing rating. Maybe others have experienced problems ? I just wanted to make people aware that the 1 metre for 30 minutes bit might not help if you find yourself in the water with your unprotected trusty vhf.

Its true. That is why i have posted it. Please dont presume that your radio will still work if you fall in and dont have it protected in a cover. Both radios have been wetted and not soaked. They have been used on the kayak mounted to the front of the footwell and on the rib it is carried on a shoulder strap. But neither have been fully submerged at any time in their life.

Something worth bearing in mind when you have bought your vhf is to get a good waterproof cover for it, such as the aquapac range. I use two handhelds, one is an Icom IC-M31 and the other a coastguard issue IC-M1EURO. They will both stop working when subjected to a soaking from a wave over the bow or spray from use on a R.I.B. This is despite the fact that they are rated to Grade 7 ( 1 metre for 30 mins).

Chaz62 If the holes are about 18" apart on either side of the footwell then it sounds like they are the ones used for mounting the rudder foot pedal rails.

If you take to this yakking lark then i can in no way be held responsible for the damage to your wallet and marriage.

It would be easier to arrange a weekend in order to get a few of the others along for your trial yak.Also getting dark early now. Maybe pm me a few dates for saturdays and sundays that you can make and i will see if we can arrange something between us.