Special thanks to Neslon Highley for his permission to publish his article on Royalex canoe repair.

Introduction:
I've been doing boat repair for many years. The following PDF article accurately reflects the best methods I've found and that I still use for most ABS canoe repairs. I've used the methods for large plates over worn cracked spots on the exterior, small cracks and holes, and even restoring the inside of hulls where D-ring pads have been torn out to be able to put new D-rings in. The instructions are easy to follow. The only caveat is that the work is tedious and labor intensive, but the results are usually very good.

Allen Hedden

These instructions may seem a little complicated at first, but it really is a pretty simple repair that produces great results.

Royalex_Repair.pdf

"Jim" had a great post on the Boatertalk forum that brings up some key rescue points:

1) Avoiding rescues (in part, by knowing where your boat should be and being able to put in there) is much better than performing rescues.

2) Self rescue is your first line of defense — keep trying, never give up. Paddling with a group is your second line of defense. Even so, your group may not be able to reach you in a timely fashion (i.e., while you're still breathing).

3) Learning the physical skills to perform in a rescue happens MUCH earlier than learning when and how to apply them in a specific situation. To my knowledge, no one has figured out a magic way to teach how to act when bad stuff happens. Trainers from the military, fire, EMS, police.... organizations have all sought out ways to make this training easier, and the only effective method they have found is practice. Even then, there is no perfect way to predict how someone will react.

4) Some people instinctively do the right thing in a rescue. Many people can be taught to do the right thing. Some never get it.

5) Good judgment comes from experience.

6) Experience comes from bad judgment. When somethinggoes bad, it's worth the time to go back and figure out what happened, how to avoid it in the future, and how you might have reacted differently. Reading through Charlie Walbridge's accident reports is a thoroughly depressing, but very worthwhile, activity. Looking over other people's bad experiences helps you learn from them, without suffering their consequences. Debriefing your own rescues with an independent person is a great exercise — an outside eye may see things you missed, and help you do better in the future. Tunnel vision is a real problem in rescue situations, and an outside uninvolved eye can help you see things you might have missed.

7) Scenarios are an excellent way to practice and develop your "rescue sense". The ACA recently developed a scenario based rescue class. The outline should be on their website (acanet.org) soon, and classes should start being offered within the next year. Compare how often you execute an eddy turn to how often you carry out a rescue — it's no wonder that eddy turns happen without thought, and rescues seem to be a cluster ####!

8) Position helps in a rescue. Once you're downstream of a victim, it's hard to get back up to them. If you're upstream of them, you can see the event evolving and can often start moving to help before the badness actually happens.

9) Take care of yourself and don't make the situation worse. Before you leap in, take a few seconds and develop a plan — preferably one that minimizes the likelihood of harm to you, your team and the victim. A successful rescue is one where (a) you go home in the same (or better) condition that you left it, and (b) you can sleep with a clear conscience when you review your actions. Bad outcomes don't always mean you did something wrong. Your first priority has to be taking care of yourself. Recognize what you can and can't do, based on your skills and location. If you're downstream and can't reach the victim, you can be downstream safety. If your boating skills aren't adequate to safely rescue a person, maybe you can go after the boat or paddle. If you're on a river at the very limits of your skill, maybe your best bet is staying out of the way and not becoming another victim.

Take home messages:

I. Take care of yourself.
II. Recognize and avoid hazards.
III. Think before you act.
IV. Practice your skills so you can use them when you need them.

By Robin Pope

From The Eddy Line, August 2005

- Adapted from a posting to the CCC email list.

It starts with an S and it ends with a T. It comes out of you and it comes out of me. Yes! I know what you're thinking, but don't call it that. Let's be scientific and all call it scat.

A warning.... This article deals with scat, a normal bi-product of our bodies that some parents may not want their underage children to read about. In order to assure in-depth understanding and communication, the article utilizes various synonyms for feces and urine. Any such parents reading this are advised to consider shielding your kids. Any adolescents or children younger than 18 years of age who have any question as to suitability should consult with their parent(s) before reading any farther.

By the time this article hits the street, summer will be upon us. If there's any water, an appreciable proportion of GCAers will be planning short (or epic) boat-supported camping trips. By this, I mean between overnight and a month of sleeping on the ground and living out of whatever you were able to stuff into your boat. Knowledgeable campers always take one last dump before shoving off, but the urge will come again at some time during the trip, and I don't recall ever reading an Eddy Line article on human waste disposal.

So, with my infectious disease medical background and four decades experience leading short and epic wilderness trips, I decided to tackle the subject. It's a dirty and thankless task, but someone has to step up to the potty and wrestle with it.

By human waste, I mean scat (feces, poo, BM) and urine (pee, #1, micturation). Pee is easy and more common, so we'll deal with it first.

Cutting to the quick, you can pee virtually anywhere (within reason). Why? Urine is produced by the kidneys, which are paired retroperitoneal organs that filter metabolic waste products from the blood and help to maintain the body's acid/base balance. Factoid, the reason people pee excessively when at high altitude is to correct the respiratory alkalosis that occurs when CO2 is blown-off by hyperventilation. That fact not withstanding, urine in the kidneys is sterile (it contains no bacteria or other germs). Yes, there are exceptions, but anyone who has a severe kidney infection ain't gonna be campin'.

In general, the lower urinary tract (ureters, bladder, and urethra) is also pretty much pathogen free (remember my Devaux Island article, pathogens are microscopic germs that make you sick). In the Grand Canyon, the National Park Service instructs boaters to pee directly into the main flow of the river. The volume of urine that would result if every single boater simultaneously peed into the Colorado is miniscule compared to the 20,000 cubic feet of water passing a given pissing point every second.

Be warned, however, even though it makes imminent sense, this is not a universal NPS recommendation, and some otherwise reasonable folks find the idea abhorrent. The primary reason for peeing directly into the Colorado derives from the fragile nature of the desert ecosystem. Urine contains metabolic waste products, which when many people empty their bladders in the same general area (e.g., around camp sites) can kill moss, lichen, and other fragile plants.

In addition to becoming a biologic kill zone, common pee sites quickly acquire a characteristic stench. However, one critter's stench is another's ambrosia. Urine factoid #2, many animals are attracted to urine and will go out of their way to munch on leaves and small plants that have been doused with the substance. So the area becomes a de-facto buffer, which in its own right damages the ecosystem. So, if you can't bring yourself to pee in the river, use common sense, do it away from camp, and try not to saturate the plants.

Scat is not so simple. Again cutting to the quick, youcan't take a dump virtually anywhere because scat is filthy, smelly, awful stuff that has tremendous staying power (it doesn't just go away). By filthy, I mean scat is infested with some really nasty germs and even the not so nasty ones will make you sicker than a dog. Fecal-orally transmitted diseases are arguably the leading cause of death and disability in the world. "Eat scat and die" is not an idle expression.

Even the most benign turd teems with Escherichia coli, a bacteria that at minimum causes diarrhea. By teeming, I mean a gram of feces (about the size of a pencil eraser) may contain a million or so E. coli and the average adult produces about 2 pounds of excreta every day. By comparison, this article contains around 10,000 characters.

Now, picture 100 times as many bacteria wriggling around in an eraser-sized piece of feces, then magnify this by the two pounds (about half a gallon) or so of feces produced daily by each person on a trip. And, E. coli isn't the only bad thing in stool. You'll also find Salmonella (causes typhoid fever), Giardia (causes a nasty slimy/fatty diarrhea and other problems), amoeba, and all kinds of viruses in the feces of your friends (not to mention strangers).

Presumably, if you're still reading, I have gotten your attention. There are four basic methods of scat disposal, and taking a dump in the river ain't one of them. Crapping in the river is not an option because each bowel movement contains too many infectious agents. Hepatitis A, cholera, typhoid fever and turista all result from fecally contaminated drinking water.

The first, preferable, and least complicated method of feces management is to utilize the outhouses provided in many camping areas (even in many wilderness locations). These privies may stink to high heaven and be infested with mosquitoes, flies, and spiders. But you should always use a formal outhouse when available because all the poo is well contained in one place.

The second, equally preferable, but considerably more complicated method is to pack it out. That's right. You produced it, so take it with you. Traditionally, this is accomplished by means of a groover (hence the title of this article). In some areas, such as the Grand Canyon, groovers are mandatory.

What's a groover? The classic groover is a military surplus 20mm canon shell container or rocket box. You use it just like your home bathroom throne. Purists use it as is and arise with grooved buttocks. Softies bring a toilet seat and place it on the rocket box. Yuppies buy an expensive wilderness personal waste disposal system (WPWDS) over the net or at Galyeans.

There are several secrets to successful groover management.

1) One person (Groover Meister) should be assigned permanent groover duty.

2) The groover should be set up in the most magnificent locale possible, away from camp and well traveled trails, easily accessible at night, and down wind from camp.

3) Consider a groover key; something obvious left at the beginning of the trail to the groover (when it's not in use), carried to groover by each user, and replaced when the job is done.

4) Consider providing the Groover Meister with chemicals to help decompose the scat and cut down odor. She/he sprinkles these lightly on top of the new material each morning before locking down the rocket box.

5) Only use the groover for defecation and toilet paper. Never pee in it. Urine in the groover adds significant unnecessary volume and weight and retards decomposition.

6) How many groovers to take depends on the number of people and duration of the trip. We used 3 rocket boxes for 16 people on an 18-day Grand Canyon trip.

7) Finally, what to do with the groover when the trip is over? More than likely, this will not be a problem. The popular big rivers, like the Grand Canyon, Hells Canyon, Yampa and Salt (which require groovers), have groover stations (automatic closed systems that flush and clean up the accumulated mess). If these are not available, RV waste disposal stations do almost as good a job. But what if at the end of the trip you have a box or two of 10-day old caa caa and nowhere obvious to put it? Being a responsible physician and Eddy Line contributor, I will merely counsel that you're on your own (just don't get caught).

The last two methods are similar and straightforward. Both involve digging a hole, defecating into it, and filling it back up when done. If you are in a small group and moving around in a relatively untraveled area, dig a cat hole. What's a cat hole? A cat hole is a 4 to 8 inches deep, 4 to 6 inch diameter hole, which is most efficaciously dug with a trowel. It is a single person, single use latrine. When you're done, fill it back up with at least 2 inches of dirt.

If you are in a larger group, in a more highly traveled area, or plan on spending some time in camp, dig a big poop pit (AKA latrine). Latrines should be at least a foot deep and everyone in the group should use the same latrine. Throw a small amount of dirt in it after each use, and when the waste accumulation is within 4 inches of so of the surface, fill it back up.

Latrine placement should follow the same aesthetics as for groovers. However, since your scat is going to stay behind, you need to follow some rules that don't apply to groovers. To wit, cat holes and latrines must be at least 200 feet from any water sources or drainages (remember the germs).

It should be obvious when to do a latrine rather than a cat hole. Use a latrine to avoid creating a cat hole minefield that someone will step into. Well, no problemo, scat quickly decomposes when buried, so no matter what I do, next week's group won't even know I was there.

Not true. Scat doesn't just go away on its own. The Sierra Club did a study in the 1970s in which they marked the location of latrines on a large group point-to-point trip (i.e., latrines were used for less than a day). Then, a group of intrepid volunteers returned one to three years later and excavated these treasure sites.

Guess what they found? Essentially what was originally dumped there. The excreta pretty much looked and smelled like it had years ago. Worse, pathogenic bacterial concentrations were just as bad as in fresh scat.

Two other issues remain to be discussed. First, those who have worked for the government know that the job ain't finished 'til the paper work is done. Indeed toilet paper is part of the 21st Century American evacuation ritual. Unfortunately, there's no where to flush it in the woods.

Groovers are just like our home throne and putting the used TP in the groover is flushing. Cat holes and latrines are not thrones and you should not bury used toilet paper in them because it decomposes extremely slowly and because animals like to dig it up.

Nor should you light it on fire. This is important so I will repeat it, DO NOT BURN YOUR USED TOILET PAPER!!!!! Why? Because, no matter how straightforward this seems, countless wildfires are started every year because some idiot thought it would be simple and complication free to just torch that small piece of used TP. Well then this leaves you with two obvious options. Pack the used TP out (in Ziploc bags brought along just for that purpose) or use something else to wipe off with (like in the old days).

We're almost done, but one important issue remains to discuss in closing. It's relatively simple, and anyone who has ever used a lavatory in a McDonalds, Waffle House, or similar establishment knows it. "Employees must wash their hands before returning to work." This is public health 101. Remember that earlier paragraph that really got your attention? Scat is filthy awful stuff that has tremendous staying power and is infested with some really nasty germs, which will make you sicker than a dog.

That's the final take-home message. Washing your hands every time after you use the groover, a cat hole, or the latrine is not optional. You can go two weeks in the Grand Canyon without bathing and, other than smelling rank, it makes no difference to anyone. Lick your fingers with 10,000 or so E. coli under your nails and you're going to get sick and your fun filled vacation will be over. Stir the morning oatmeal with 10,000 or so Giardi dripping off your fingers and everyone on the trip could be puking their guts up and crapping their bowels out within two days.

Set up a wash station at the latrine or groover or have something available in a central location if using cat holes. Hand cleaning should occur at least 200 feet from water sources (duh). Wet your hands and lather up with phosphate- free biodegradable soap. Then, rinse well by pouring water over your hands, not by dipping them into a pot of water. We use an old coffee can with holes punched in the bottom. It is hung from a branch, water is poured in the top and comes out the bottom like a shower head.

by William C. Reeves (The Hawk)

From The Eddy Line, June 2004

Editor’s Note: This article was circulated by the Georgia Youth Soccer Association, but as long as there are rocks and trees in and along the rivers and streams, concussion is an issue every paddler ought to know something about as well.

Concussion is a controversial and tricky medical topic, but any coach or parent who works with soccer players needs to know what to do if you are faced with a situation in which you suspect a player has had a concussion.

Let me first define what a concussion is: it’s an alteration in brain function that occurs from a direct blow to the head. If a player takes direct contact to the head, the most common complaint after a concussion is confusion. Other very common problems include a short-term inability to recall events just prior and just after the moment of contact, headache, or light-headedness. In more severe incidents there may be loss of consciousness (the player is “knocked out”).

There seems to be a tendency to minimize the potential severity of a concussion — we’ve all heard an announcer make an off-handed comment along the lines of “wow, he got his bell rung and I bet he’s really going to have a headache tomorrow.” Well, there is a growing base of very solid scientific evidence that even so-called “mild” concussions can be serious injuries.

Some New Research on Concussions

Concussions are probably under-reported, in that many athletes will get a very mild concussion and not report it to the coach or trainer. One Canadian study of youth soccer players ages 12-17 reported an amazing 48% of their athletes with symptoms of concussion at least one time during only one season. A study of male and female soccer players in the Atlantic Coast Conference reported about one concussion per team per season. The “real” number of concussions is still subject to debate.

Whether headgear reduces the number of concussions is also controversial. The Canadian study showed that the number of concussions was much less in the players wearing headgear, but there are not many other studies showing a reduction with headgear. We don’t have consensus on headgear.

The most interesting new facts about concussion involve gender differences. It appears that female athletes do “worse” than males with concussions. An excellent study from the University of Pittsburgh showed that females reported more symptoms from concussions, they did worse on tests of reaction times, and there was a trend toward females doing worse on tests of memory and visual motor skills. These trends are supported by other scientific studies.

Findings reported at the 2nd International Symposium on Concussion in Sport are changing the way we treat concussions. Among their findings are that with even simple concussions, the player should not return to play the same day, the player should be evaluated by a physician, and that return to play follows a stepwise process over 7 to 10 days.

What Team Physicians Do

For trained team physicians, we look for responsiveness if the athlete is “down,” then we assess their airway (whether there is any obstruction to breathing), whether they are able to breathe, and their circulation or heartbeat (these fundamentals are known as the “ABCs”).

I then assess for any potential spine injury, and if it is suspected, we properly immobilize the athlete’s spine to protect them from injury during movement. If there is no suspicion of a spine injury and the athlete is responsive enough to walk, we will go to the sideline where a thorough assessment is performed.

For me, the most critical part is being able to tell whether this is the same athlete I’ve known in practice — are they at the baseline I’ve come to know. There are also several tests for orientation, memory, and concentration that we will typically perform.

What You Should Do on Your Field

I believe that the new evidence we have points to even “mild” concussions as potentially serious injuries that demand great care. With that in mind, and also given that most coaches or parents are not medically trained, I recommend the following:

*Look at the “ABCs” first — if you have any question, call 911 immediately.

*If you are concerned for a spine injury, do not move the athlete, call 911.

*If the athlete is responsive but appears to be confused, you should suspect a concussion, remove the player from the game or practice and DO NOT let him or her return to the game or practice that day.

*Someone should observe the player on the sideline for symptoms of confusion, headache, or light-headedness.

*If those symptoms do not return to normal in 15 minutes, the player should be transported to the nearest Emergency Room.

*For players whose symptoms return to normal in less than 15 minutes, I believe they should still be evaluated by a physician in the next day or two.

(Dev K. Mishra is an orthopedic surgeon in private practice in Burlingame, California; Team Physician at the University of California, Berkeley; Medical Director of the International Children’s Games and a member of the team physician pool with the U.S. Soccer Federation. Dr. Mishra’s website is: www.thesoccerdoc.com).

by Dev K. Mishra, M.D.
From The Eddy Line, February 2009

American Whitewater (AW) assumes a mission to conserve and restore America's white water resources and to enhance opportunities to enjoy them safely. As part of this mission, AW has formulated a Safety Code compiled from the best available information as reviewed by a broad cross section of white water experts. Still, as AW notes: the code "is only a collection of guidelines; attempts to minimize risks should be flexible, not constrained by a rigid set of rules. Varying conditions and group goals may combine with unpredictable circumstances to require alternate procedures...."

This may be a perfect time to revisit and familiarize ourselves with safety precautions, especially in interim periods when there is no wild water to be found for a time. Sea kayakers may do well to review these safety guidelines as well to formulate general safety guidelines for the conditions faced in the sport of 'kayak touring;' many of the white water safety guidelines presented can also be directly applied, without revision, to sea kayaking.

Personal Preparedness and Responsibility:

1. Be a competent swimmer, with the ability to handle yourself underwater.

2. Wear a life jacket. A snugly fitting vest-type life preserver offers back and shoulder protection as well as the flotation needed to swim safely in white water.

3. Wear a solid, correctly fitted helmet when upsets are likely. This is essential in kayaks or covered canoes, and recommended for open canoeists using thigh straps and rafters running steep drops.

4. Do not canoe or kayak out of control. Your skills should be sufficient to stop or reach shore before reaching danger. Do not enter a rapid unless you are reasonably sure that you can run it safely or swim it without injury.

5. White water rivers contain many hazards which are not always easily recognized. The following are the most frequent killers.

a. High water. The river's speed and power increase tremendously as the flow increases, raising the difficulty of most rapids. Rescue becomes progressively harder as the water rises, adding to the danger. Floating debris and strainers make even an easy rapid quite hazardous. It is often misleading to judge the river level at the put-in, since a small rise in a wide, shallow place will be multiplied many times where the river narrows. Use reliable gauge information whenever possible, and be aware that sun on snow pack, hard rain, and upstream dam releases may greatly increase the flow.

b. Cold. Cold drains your strength and robs you of the ability to make sound decisions on matters affecting your survival. Cold water immersion, because of the initial shock and the rapid heat loss which follows, is especially dangerous. Dress appropriately for bad weather or sudden immersion in the water. When the water temperature is less than 50 degrees Fahrenheit, a wet suit or dry suit is essential for protection if you swim. Next best is wool or pile clothing under a waterproof shell. In this case, you should also carry waterproof matches and a change of clothing in a waterproof bag. If, after prolonged exposure, a person experiences uncontrollable shaking, loss of coordination, or difficulty speaking, he or she is hypothermic and needs your assistance.

c. Strainers. Brush, fallen trees, bridge pilings, undercut rocks or anything else which allows river current to sweep through can pin boats and boaters against the obstacle. Water pressure on anything trapped this way can be overwhelming. Rescue is often extremely difficult. Pinning may occur in fast current, with little or no white water to warn of the danger.

d. Dams, weirs, ledges, reversals, holes, and hydraulics. When water drops over an obstacle, it curls back on itself, forming a strong upstream current which may be capable of holding a boat or swimmer. Some holes make for excellent sport. Others are proven killers. Paddlers who cannot recognize the difference should avoid all but the smallest holes. Hydraulics around man-made dams must be treated with utmost respect regardless of their height or the level of the river. Despite their seemingly benign appearance, they can create an almost escape-proof trap. The swimmers only exit from the "drowning machine" is to dive below the surface where the downstream current is flowing beneath the reversal.

e. Broaching. When a canoe or kayak is pushed sideways against a rock by strong current, it may collapse and wrap. This is especially dangerous to kayak and decked canoe paddlers; these boats will collapse and the combination of indestructible hulls and tight outfitting may create a deadly trap. Even without entrapment, releasing pinned boats can be extremely time-consuming and dangerous. To avoid pinning, throw your weight downstream towards the rock. This allows the current to slide harmlessly underneath the hull.

6. Canoeing and kayaking alone is discouraged. The minimum party is three craft.

7. Have a frank knowledge of your boating ability, and don't attempt rivers or rapids which lie beyond that ability.

a. Develop the paddling skills and teamwork required to match the river you plan to boat. Most good paddlers develop skills gradually, and attempts to advance too quickly will compromise your safety and enjoyment.

b. Be in good physical and mental condition, consistent with the difficulties which may be expected. Make adjustments for loss of skills due to age, health, and fitness. Any health limitations must be explained to your fellow paddlers prior to starting the trip.

8. Be practiced in self-rescue, including escape from an overturned craft. The Eskimo roll is strongly recommended for decked boaters who run rapids class iv or greater, or who paddle in cold environmental conditions.

9. Be trained in rescue skills, CPR, and first aid with special emphasis on recognizing and treating hypothermia. It may save your friend's life.

10. Carry equipment needed for unexpected emergencies, including foot wear which will protect your feet when walking out, a throw rope, knife, whistle, and waterproof matches. If you wear eyeglasses, tie them on and carry a spare pair on long trips. Bring cloth repair tape on short runs, and a full repair kit on isolated rivers. Do not wear bulky jackets, ponchos, heavy boots, or anything else which could reduce your ability to survive a swim. For a more detailed copy of AW's White Water Safety Code.

From "The Bulletin" — newsletter of the Washington Kayak Club