Spring good time to get shipshape

Just when we thought we’d turned the corner to finer weather, we got smacked between the eyes with a weekend of rain, then Monday and Wednesday it snowed. Yuck! The best I can say about it is that nearly all of our snow cover has disappeared.

I’ve learned not to get excited about spring in March, or even April, but frankly, I’m ready for a change. And I think the 200 or more robins I saw in my neighborhood during Monday’s and Wednesday’s squalls did too! They were doing their best to ignore the winter-like weather while going about their worming and bathing as if it were a summer day – what a pleasant surprise. While the weather belies it, I’ve been told spring is coming.

When the temperatures get back to seasonable and the sun comes back, it would be smart to haul out your canoe or kayak and all the related paraphernalia to clean, repair, adjust or replace parts in need of attention.

I know my Royalex Mad River’s ash gunwales will need some sanding, staining and waterproofing with Watco varnish. And I’m sure a few of those screw holes in the far ends of the gunwales will need some filler before I refasten them for the umpteenth time. Every fall I remove the last four or five screws on each side and each end. I was told years ago to do so when the boat was to be stored in the cold. It has something to do, I was told, with different expansion and contraction rates between wood and plastic and the potential for ripping the plastic. It seemed to make sense at the time, so it became a ritual.

A good cleaning will also be in order to remove the weather stains visible on the off-white hull. I’ve used a cleaner called Old Sheepherder’s in the past. It’s available at Holden Family RV and likely at other stores, and it really kills those darker weather stains and streaks. Dave Morrill who works at Holden Family RV read me the label (my last bottle having long since died). It’s good at removing aluminum oxidation, it’s good on glass, vinyl, whitewalls, chrome and even boat bilges. Sounds a bit like snake oil, I’m sure, but I know it works, and I’ll be heading over to Holden to pick up a bottle.

After a good cleansing, I’ll wipe down the hull with 303 Protectant that will restore some of the luster and shield the hull from the evils of ultraviolet sunlight. If you haven’t tried 303, pick up a bottle next time you see one and check out all the gear you can use it on. Like duct tape, it has hundreds of uses.

My canoe’s seats should be in good shape. If not, I’ll have a project on hand replacing the caning. Fortunately, my seats are pressed cane so replacement can be done more simply than having to weave in new material. Nevertheless, it’ll take an evening’s work to do it should it need to be done.

I know I won’t have to sand and varnish my paddles, I did that last year, and I didn’t get a chance to use them.

Since I’ve had my kayak in the pool at least once this winter, I’m pretty sure everything on it is shipshape. But it won’t do any harm to inspect all the deck lines and bungees to be sure there’s no fraying, and that all the recessed deck fittings are still firmly attached. I’ll check the skeg and its lines out as well. Ditto for the carrying toggles. I’ll give the Fiberglas hull and deck a cleaning and waxing, and the hatch covers will get wiped down with 303.

Since the weekend’s weather was not conducive to outdoor explorations, I took some time Saturday afternoon to dump out all my drybags, bins and duffels to take inventory of my camping and paddling gear. It struck me that there’s an awful lot of “stuff” that is affiliated with paddling, especially if you guide. Even if you don’t there’s still a good pile.

Whether it’s a weeklong expedition or a day trip, there are numerous items you must have. There’s a dry bag for a change of clothes – socks, underwear, synthetic long underwear (top and bottom), a fleece layer and an exterior layer. If you capsize, you’ll be glad you brought this bag. (Throw in a few more items and you’ve got enough for a week.)

Then there’s the safety kit with a small saw, stove, cooking utensils, snacks, candy, compass, plastic trash bags for emergency shelter or raingear, fire building stuff, a flashlight, space blanket, repair kit etc. And don’t forget the drybag with the first aid kit, or the Thermo-Lite emergency bivy.

And next there’s the PFD with all it’s attendant items – strobe, flashlight, signal mirror, flares, tow belt, whistle, knife, mini-first aid kit, etc.

Don’t forget the paddling booties or shoes, the wet suit and/or Hydrowear, the paddle jacket, pants, hat, hood, gloves, pogies, paddle leash, compass, fog horn, contact tow lines, spare paddle, etc. The list goes on and on.

If you plan to do some camping, it would be smart to haul out your sleeping bag and mat to check them out -maybe even launder the bag. It would be a good time to find that patch kit for the mattress. The same holds true for your tent, stove and cook kit. For a refresher, go back a couple of weeks and read Brad Viles’ piece on getting your hiking gear ready for the season.

Don’t forget to inspect your vehicle’s roof rack and related tie downs. Are the boat cradles securely affixed, are the straps weathered or worn? It’s a lot safer and cheaper to replace worn parts now than to have to pick up the pieces of your boat from the roadway when it flies off because you skimped on a tie-down strap.

Years ago I was riding in a buddy’s pickup. He was transporting his Jon Boat upside down, stern to the tailgate and bow up over a wooden cross frame at the front of the bed. A frayed hemp rope was strung over the hood and tied to the bumper. What he had going there was a big air scoop. Driving out Route 9 into a gusty headwind was too much for that flimsy rig. Somewhere around Amherst the line parted and the Jon Boat went airborne. When it landed right-side-up on its stern in the highway, it pushed in the corner of the boat rendering it a leaky bucket. Thankfully nobody was behind us. That fishing trip was a bust from the start.

On the other hand, a securely-tied boat and good racks can protect your boat. Last summer, my then-new Boreal Designs Ellsemere rode out a rear-end collision unscathed. The Jeep Cherokee under it didn’t fare that well – it was totaled. Then there was the unscheduled meeting with a deer one night in Orland. Madame deer jumped in front of my buddy’s Honda Civic. We took the deer out at the knees, and she rolled up the hood and went feet-first into our kayaks on the roof. In the process she ripped the roof racks from the car and when we came to a screeching halt the boats and rack went shooting down the road. It took a while in the darkness to get that mess untangled. Thankfully our polyethylene boats suffered only minor scratches. And the car, by the way, escaped with only a tiny dent and a broken marker light.

Last, but not least, it would be smart to give those items of outerwear you use all year a spring cleaning. Check the wash tags for proper cleaning methods. If you’ve got a few pieces with breathable membranes, get one of those technical washes that will help renew the breathability while cleaning the surfaces. I spent a couple of hours Sunday at the Laundromat and when I emerged I felt like I had new gear. By the way, that stuff called Techwash that’s recommended for membrane garments needs only half a dosage when used in a front-load washer. Trust me, I used the amount recommended for a regular washer and started a bubble volcano. I thought it was pretty in its own way, but the attendant seemed to think otherwise.

This just in: The third annual Maine Coast Natural History Seminar will be held May 17-18 at Old Quarry Ocean Adventures in Stonington. It’s primarily an educational gathering for guides and educators and is aimed at inspiring folks to care for and connect with the Gulf of Maine. This year’s keynote address is by Colin Woodard who’ll speak on “The seas we surround: Solving the environmental crisis facing the world’s oceans. Woodard is the author of “Ocean’s End: Travels Through Endangered Seas,” a narrative non-fiction account of the world’s oceans. His second book, a cultural and environmental history of coastal Maine, is scheduled for publication by Viking Press early in 2004.

The seminar will feature concurrent workshops on lobster biology, salmon aquaculture, water quality issues, coastal and island botany, historical perspectives on coastal island use, Leave No Trace principles, geology and more. There will also be a panel discussion on sustainable ecotourism in coastal Maine. It is sponsored by Headwaters Institute, Sea Grant Maine, the Maine Association of Sea Kayak Guides and Instructors, Maine Island Trail, Maine Coastal Program and Maine Island Kayak Co. For more information contact Michelle Garcia at 807-3191 or mlgarcia1055@hotmail.com.

Jeff Strout can be reached at 990-8202 or by e-mail at jstrout@bangordailynews.net.