Punishment!

[VTFogg]

Hello all,

With a bit of help from my sons and everyone on this forum, I built my pirogue last winter/spring. It's a 16 footer and built out of cheap Home Depot luan plywood, one layer of fiberglass cloth on the inside, one on the outside, and a second layer on the bottom extending from the stem and stern to the first rib. I put three coats of epoxy/graphite on the bottom. Perfect? No - I got a bit impatient towards the end and didn't bother with much sanding of the epoxy. Good looking? Not bad. Tough? Yes, and the trip I took yesterday proves it!

The Castleton-Hubbardton River flows east to west just south of Route 4. It’s a small river that gains volume as it goes along. My friend Rick and his wife Kathy had 11foot, white water capable kayaks (this should have been a clue). Yesterday (November 11, 2007) we launched at 10:45 a.m. just west of the center of the town of Castleton, Vermont at the entrance to the Hillside cemetery. The river in this first stretch is quite narrow, fast flowing, and twisty. I took the lead as the pirogue sits high in the water and seems to really fly. I took an immediate liking to the double ended paddle I had borrowed for the trip. Not too far down river, a tree was down and blocking much of the passage in a narrow, fast flowing section. I managed to get through but Kathy wasn’t so lucky. She hit the tree hard, the water immediately pinned her kayak against it, and poured over the top. She bailed out and waded to the side. A quick change of clothes and she was back in her kayak. “That water is COLD!â€Â

 

[tx river rat]

All I can say Is GREAT TRIP
Ron

 

[Kayak Jack]

Great report. I'd say you did remarkably well in those conditions. I got wet the week before you did. Dry clothes top to bottom helped a lot. I put dry socks into my wet mukluks to soak up the excess water and then I dried the socks. Got the mukluks pretty dry that way.

Here is something from Sea Kayak Magazine to help us paddlers:

Sea Conditions Rating System (Sea Kayak Magazine, Dec 99)
Factor.....................Computation Method......................Max Points Score
1-Water temp..........1 point for each degree below 72F......40....._____
2-Wind speed..........1 point per MPH................................50+..._____
3-Wave height.........2 points per vertical wave foot...........40+..._____
4-Swim distance......1 point per 100 meters......................20....._____
5-Breaking waves....30 points if waves are breaking..........30....._____
6-Rock garden.........20 points if rocks are present.............20....._____
7-Sea cave..............20 points if entering sea caves...........20....._____
8-Night....................20 points if it is night.........................20....._____
9-Fog......................Up to 20 points if fog is dense............20....._____
10Miscellaneous.......10 points or more for other dangers....10+.._____

Divide total points be 20 to obtain CLASS LEVEL ________

Scoring Directions: Assess each state using instruments or conservative estimates, and rate each of the ten factors. Add up the scores and divide sum by 20.
Score........Class...Skill Level
0 - 1.9.........1....Easy to moderate difficulty, danger, and skills required
2.0 - 2.9......2....Intermediate difficulty, danger, and skills required
3.0 - 3.9......3....Advanced difficulty, danger, and skills required (a reliable roll and self-rescues a MUST)
4.0 - 4.9......4....Extreme conditions, advanced techniques required, loss of life possible in a mishap
5.0 - 5.9......5.....Very extreme, life threatening conditions suitable only for a team of experts
6.0 +..........6.....Nearly impossible conditions, loss of life probable in a mishap