Salacia

Well, I purchased the used P&H Capella 163, a fiberglass kayak with some diolen (poor man's kevlar) reinforcement. Her name shall be Salacia, the Roman deity worshipped as the goddess of salt water. She was, after some initial reluctance, the wife of Neptune. Amphitrite and Poseidon were the corresponding figures in Greek mythology. The pronunciation of 'Salacia', as found on the Internet, varies. I'll go with Church Latin, but typically refer to her as 'Sal' (salt in Latin).

Despite her years with Neptune, Sal is not all that disheveled. She needs some rigging, particularly replacing the bungees - but I tend to modify and redo that extensively anyway. The static deck lines seem fine. I'll also replace the lines for the bow and stern handles, add a (Mariner-style) paddle park, and also a keel strip. I haven't yet taken her out on the lake, but I'm guessing that the comfort/support of the seat and backband are OK.

A new keel strip will be the most ambitious modification. I plan to use just G/flex 655, a thickened epoxy adhesive. I'll cover that with peel ply until it cures. In the past I've used Keel Eazy which works OK, but must be carefully watched because the edges can become loose and provide a place for sand/grit to gather. Our other kayaks use the Keel Eazy approach. I hope this new approach works. It should be easy to repair.

At any rate, Sal is for the use of our kayak-oriented visitors. However, I'll give her a try also. She should be slower than Sedna (my SKUK/NDK Explorer), which is not that fast itself. I'll probably hold off on rolling practice until the implants from my imminent cataract surgery become less vulnerable. That surgery is scheduled for May 1, before the lake is warm enough for rolling.