Servicing and Repair Options

Boats

So the water has returned and its time to dust off the old boat and paddles and hit some of Irelands wettest rockiest ditches.

As you load up the car you listen as that bolt is still rolling around the inside of the hull from where it came you have no idea, and where its going to go is also a mystery as if it falls out would probably be less annoying for all of us.

A few weeks later and you start to wonder….. how important was that bolt?? As you pull through on your best boof and the seat slides back 3 inches leaving you in no mans land touching nothing and falling graciously from your boat.

So that bolt was a little important…….

 

Here at I-Canoe we understand just how important every single bolt is and also where they actually should go!

We are offering a free* boat check up service

By bringing your boat into us we can tighten replace and refit any bolts, bulkheads or ratchets to give your boat that safe feeling again.

We can offer

• Bolt Tightening and replacements
• Ratchet upgrades and replacements
• Hip pad fitting
• Foam outfitting
• Bung Replacement
• Welds and repairs
• Pretty much anything else

Unlike halfords if you pay for the parts we will fit for FREE! for cracks and welds we can look and quote on any damage.

We carry many spares in stock for specialist part we can order in for you.

*Free check up – you pay for parts we fit for free!

 

Other Services

Paddles

We can fit and repair broken shafts from many brands please give us a call for a quote.

We carry stock blades from Double Dutch, Jantex and Galasport which can be assembled in store for your own custom paddle.

 

Latex Seals

We stock and sell DIY Latex seal kits for ankles, wrists and neck of dry cags and suits. these easy DIY packs contain seals, glue, sandpaper and some 303 protectant to keep your seal in excellent condition. ONLINE HERE

We also offer an instore seal repair service the usual turnaround is approx 2-3 days just depending how busy we are we can get them done overnight if needed.

The price for us to replace

Neck – €50

Wrist (Single) – €30

Ankle (Single) – €30

Socks (Single) - €30

Coffee

Just checking if your still reading we have a fantastic instore coffee machine manned by erm well…US

So come on down, visit us instore for a chat, a gander, a nose, to view, to feel or to sit in. we are happy to help.

See you on the water.

Team I-Canoe

 

Werner Paddles Shuna - Review

The Shuna is Werners best selling high angle sea paddle and it is no wonder. The blade size is not to big but still has some bite. Built quality is as usual excellent from Werner and the paddles feel very robust but are still very light. In the water the catch is firm and the pull through the stroke is smooth with no flutter.

The shaft is split with Werners unique smart view system, which is very neat and effective but does limit you to one length and set feather angles. On some other spit systems you can have any feather and 10 cm of length adjustment which makes your paddles more versatile.

I have tested these paddles in some tough conditions both surfing and rock hopping and they have performed excellently. My only regret is that I did not order them at 210 cm which I feel would be better for my height and use in surf and rock hopping.

Pros:

• Price
• Quality
• Light weight 
• Smooth

Cons

• No length adjustment in the Werner split shaft system.

Overall these are top quality paddles that offer excellent value for money and bombproof quality.  It would be nice to be able to adjust the length but its not a major drawback. 

David Horkan 
www.dhkayaking.com/blog

Dagger Stratos 14.5s Sea Kayak Review

I just spent the last few days paddling the Dagger Strato's 14.5S.  Its dubbed as a high performance ocean tourer that is ideal for beginners and expert alike which is a pretty broad spectrum to cover but I think they have pulled it off. I was in the market for a new sea kayak recently and I had decided I wanted a 14-15ft boat that surfs well has good speed and would be comfortable for doing daily tours, rock hopping and some day touring. After a bit of searching online I had a few contenders to consider.(The P&H Delphin, Venture Jura, North Shore Aspect and a few more.) Then I gave Colm in I-Canoe a call to see what he had available and he mentioned he was paddling the Dagger Stratos and really liked it.
To be honest I was a little surprised as I never think of Dagger and touring/sea kayaks. Anyway the feedback was good and it sounded like it was worth a try. The next day the boat arrived and a soon as it came out off the truck you could tell there was something good wrapped up. As soon as I got it opened I was impressed, the rocker profile and sleek lines looked great. I have failed to find a picture that does the boat justice and give a good sense of the rocker profile so I didn't include one. It really has to be seen in the flesh.

Full review and video HERE

Outfitting a Kayak

So after I spent some time with Muireann outfitting her boat I recieved a number of messages asking for input and help outfitting their boats

So heres a video guide to help outfit your boat

Boat Outfitting Video Guide

I used a Wavesport Project X and then shows The Jackson Rockstar at the end but most of the sections will cross over to most boats.

 

The most important thing is to be comfortable you will learn more and have better control if you you have good point of contact with the Seat, Backrest, hip pads, thigh braces and footrest. If you are missing any one of these you will move independantly of the boat and cause the wibbly wobblies!

Hope it helps

Adrian

 

Paddle4life.eu

Gear Review: Liquid Logic Speedloader Throwbag

The new throwbag from Liquid Logic, aka the Speedloader,
was billed as the best thing since the wheel with regards to the speed and ease of repacking the bag after use. After Colm at I-Canoe got a shipment in, I got a chance to put this product through it’s paces on a number of Swiftwater Rescue Courses I ran in March and April of 2010 in Co. Wicklow and Co. Clare.

As I run a number of SRT courses and thus use a lot of throwbags in demonstrating and instructing throwbag techniques I try to expose students to a variety of throwbags so they can make informed judgements about various pros and cons of the different bags; thus when a new bag comes on the market I try to ensure I have it for the next course. In the past this was the case with WRSI Hail Mary Bag and, now is the case the the LL Speedloader Bag.

Well, returning to the story: how does the bag fare in trials? In my personal opinion, like all throwbags and most gear I have used, it has its plus points and its minus points.



The most important factor in any bag is how well it throws and how accurately and true it sails to its intended target and how well the rope tails out of the bag. On this I found the bag threw reasonably well, both underarm, sidearm and over arm and true, in comparison to most of the other bags used, yielding an average score of 7.5 / 10.
Turning to the major selling point of this bag the speed of repacking (hence the name: Speedloader) how good is this bag in comparison to most other bags? My answer is good but not as good as expected, yielding a score of 8/10.

It was quick, and certainly far quicker and easier than most bags, but not much quicker than for example the HF Weasel. Maybe with more practice the speed maybe increased, but I found that you had to place it on the ground to reap the maximum benefits of a fast repack, whereas I could repack the HF Weasel almost as quickly still standing up.

The thickness of the round rope for me is the biggest drawback as it is not very user friendly, yielding a score of 6/10; it is a bit like handling cheese wire when the load comes on in comparison to some of the thicker and flatter ropes.





However the thinner rope allows a greater length to be packed in a compact bag which means a greater range of people can more easily throw the bag to its full length; which is after all the most important factor. On the plus side the rope, for its diameter, seems stronger than some of the alternative bags with flat ropes, as well as some of the ‘larger’ diameter ropes giving larger, more unwieldy bags. On the negative side this rope is quite pricy, especially if cost is an issue, in comparison to some throwbags and this may be a deciding factor for some paddlers!

Overall I would score this bag 7/10; it is a decent alternative to some of the bags out there and is worth considering, especially for people with smaller hands as it’s lightweight, compact design means that it is easy to throw and easy to pack.

In the future I would like to see developments such as a thicker rope, although not at the expense of a too large a bag (there is a fine balance!) and a waist mounted belt system.