Cross Training

With Winter well and truly upon us, it's time to enjoy some maintenance paddling over this period and for others a bit of crossing training to freshen up for the coming Season out on the water.

Winter is a time to play it cool.....I mean stay warm and paddle the shorelines in my view especially, if you are paddling by yourself.

Craft maintenance............do it now!
The number of times I've heard of people who have broken rudder cables in an events....it's like why do you do this to yourselves....it's not the equipment that's at fault it's the paddlers....maintain, maintain, maintain.
If you practice Health and Safety in your workplace (most choose to ignore or leave this to a workplace rep) anyhow there are three key principles eliminate, isolate, minimise.

Here's the crux of it....Go in hard and leave nothing to chance, check everything over and eliminate and apply the theory what can go wrong, will go wrong. Anything that involves salt water....and a mix of stainless steel cable versus copper crimps....and even aluminium versus stainless steel......and aluminium

versus plastic.....and again saltwater.... you going to get oxidation and parts either seizing up and binding.....and then breaking.
Golden rule replace cables every two years.....why replace something just after it breaks in an event!....do we always have to learn the hard way?

Hot tip get rid of any stainless steel cables and replace with 1.5 mm spectra cord.....you can get Spectra Cord from Barton Marine in Wellington or other Ships Chandlers or boating shops.

Hey check this guy out 9am at Days Bay.

Click on any photo to enlarge