strange magic
Published April 21, 2006 | 
You’re walking meadows in my mind,Making waves across my time,
I get a strange magic – elo
I got my new Valley foam seat yesterday. That means I have to think seriously about chopping out the seat in my Acuta. Yikes! The thought just fills me with stark raging fear. I had a chance to chat a bit about it with Brian Day at Rutabaga and being a man talented at such things I can tell he finds my anxiety about it to be a bit strange. Obviously he doesn’t stop by here much or he’d know I’ve got a bit of anxiety about EVERYTHING! 
Replacing the seat on my Explorer was much simpler. When you’re upside down and just starting your roll, when all of a sudden the seat rips away, it’s much easier to contemplate putting in the foam seat. NO cutting involved!! But then my Explorer looks good with it’s scars, scrapes, gouges and hack marks. The Acuta on the other hand is a princess. I’m a bit more concerned about committing that first “slash”. It’s especially nerve-wracking when she has no imperfections to repair. This is mostly for my own personal satisfaction. Sort of like asking your wife to get plastic surgery. It seems somehow just wrong. (Why do I hear all these voices out there saying “I wouldn’t have a problem with that!!. . .)
The guys at Valley were kind enough to take time to explain how I should tape off my cut to prevent chipping then cut across the seat just an inch or so below the braces for the backband. Then just twist out the thing and I’m ready to go. Brian pointed out that I wouldn’t really need to go through that and could just use a dremel tool with a side cut blade. In both cases then I can just sand off the rough edges and begin the installation of my new foam seat. Sounds simple, but man, I don’t know. I’m thinking it’s time to take it in to my local Auto Body guy and let him do it. If for no other reason, his hands won’t be shaking.
So why all the fuss anyway? Well, the main reason for me is that the seat in a standard Anas Acuta is very high. The foam blocks under the seat are easily around 2 inches high putting the seat like 2.5 to 3 inches off the hull. By removing the stock seat and replacing it with the foam I effectively lower my center of gravity and improve how she behaves in conditions a bit and more importantly to me, it will improve how the Acuta rolls. As it stands now I can hand roll it, but I’m either sliding forward or really having to “snap” it up. The change in seating will allow for a much slower, and smoother roll.
But still it IS the White Acuta. . . and I have a short little mystical story to tell. I think the last time I told you something about her magic someone posted that I needed to “get a life”. Oh well, you can stop reading from here, but I swear this is a true story. . .
Last week I had posted that Mary and I went out to Lake Columbia and I was working on Norsaq (stick) rolls. Basically I was having all sorts of issues with gear, and after I took a break and re-thought the situation I went back out into the incredibly hot lake water and worked it out. Soon we were rolling away even with by heavily laden BCU approved PFD and 3 weeks emergency kit. When both I and the Acuta were ready for a cigarette, (??) we slid up on the beach. I just sat there in that “after a great rolling session” haze. Slowly something caught my eye along the hull of my boat. My Acuta had an Aura!! She was glowing!! Ok, so you can say that I’ve lost it. It’s alright, really. I thought so too. Along both sides of the hull from the tip of her bow to where I sat in the cockpit was a thick translucent blue glow. My first thought is that my eyes were just trashed from rolling. I’ve always got my eyes open under water and everything get’s a bit fuzzy. But the blue aura seemed too bright and too well defined. Well, I sat there dumbfounded (and dumb) for a few moments. I was embarrassed to ask Mary to have a look. She already knew I’d attached this mystical anthropomorphic story line to the Acuta. She would just laugh at me. And, when I finally broke down and asked her to look, she did. Laugh at me I mean! Well, after some effort to get her to settle down and actually LOOK, her face went blank. Then she giggled again, then she started moving around the boat and looking at it from all angles. “Wow!”, she said, “you’re right”. Just to be sure I was hearing this correctly I asked, ” you mean you see it!!?”. “Yeah, it’s got a blue Aura!!” she said looking at me as if I’d somehow caused this cosmic trickery. Over the next few minutes we stared at the glow. We talked about the sky, reflection of the water, and all sorts of UFO debunking techniques. Never mind that the sky was dull, grey and cloudy. The water dark and opaque. All the while we kept watching the glow. Then while we both watched it simply faded away. It was gone. After a few more minutes contemplation we pushed off the beach as the wind picked up from the south east and we began the paddle back to the landing. “I’ll have to write something about this.” I said. “You know what will happen” Mary replied with a smirk as her black Greenland paddle completed another stroke. Mary is always encouraging me to shut up. I’m not very good accepting encouragement . . .
But, you can see why that first cut fills me with a bit of trepidation. Will I destroy the magic?
Related Posts:
26 Responses to strange magic
I don’t know nothing about any auras, maybe there’s another reason your lake is warm, like maybe you should leave the GPS home and bring a Gieger counter to the party, but whatever—I do know something about chopping fiberglass, and I think you should stick that foam seat up inside the cockpit real good, wrap it up and send it all down to me. I’ll lovingly excise the old seat, install the new one, test it, and ship ‘er back to you. (on your nickle, of course, no charge for the chopping).
Whatcha think?
Thomas
Oh yeah, I’ll throw in a foam masik too.
if gas wasn’t like 3 million dollars a gallon I’d be tempted to drive it down myself!
yeah, we thought about a Gieger counter too!!
bsI agree with the gieger counter. Oh, and you may want to get a sperm count
and a psychological evaluation I should’nt wonder. . .
What the hell did you have for breakfast the morning you saw the blue aura on the Acuta? Did Mary spike your coffee again?
Guess you don’t carry a flask of single malt in your day hatch for those “better than sex” moments with you and your kayak on the beach–much better than a cigarette!
So, where’s this Thomas guy located–road trip!!! If it’s not too far, I’d contemplate going too, hell I’ll even drive and we can split the gas. Eat Mexican food there and back and create our own! I can carry 3 boats on top, 4 passengers in comfort, and their paddling gear…and plenty of single malt scotch!!!!!!!
Better still, bring the magic boat to Wales, I’ll do the seat and then you can strut your stuff in the still waters of Penrhyn Mawr…
Rowland
))
Yeah, that’d be about right. When I finally get my tail over there the moon will stop, the tides will still and penrhyn mawr will be as calm as bath water.
The great Epoch of 2007!
It does go flat quite a bit… (mind you, the converse is also true – as in ‘aargh – lets go somewhere else!!!’). Is 2007 a throwaway line or are you really coming over?
Rowland
If at all possible I want to. Heck I’d do it this year, but I’m trying to avoid being impulsive. (and broke)
I’ve been sort of on a training mission for the last few years and I want to get in my 5* training this year and do something with coaching certs as well. I’d hoped to do a ACA/BCU cross last year but for some reason it fell through. So my hope was to arrange a trip over there around doing the 5*…………….training all over again! LOL!. But on the other hand in another year I may be sick of chasing certifications and just want to come over to paddle. ’07 has been my goal for 2 years now and it would take something big to change it.
By big I mean a large delegation of the WCA standing on the tarmac with paddles held over their heads shouting “Don’t you dare step off that plane!!, We don’t need any of your crap over here!”
hmmm… It was 4/20 yesterday and you’re writing about blue auras today. Crazy hippies.
Come on over for the 07 symposium!!!
Rowland
(We’ll not tell the WCA – so you can sneak in and take them unawares!)
Once a hippie, always a hippie???
Hippie?? Hey, I was like 5 in 1970, I’m not sure I qualify. But I did make ecology buttons in school and listened to that nice happy coke commercial with all the candles!
Rowland, thanks! I’ll probobly hit you up for some travel tips between now and then. Cheap flights, Liqour stores, VHF emergency channels. . . sun tan lotion???
Hi Derrick!
(1)
I can imagine your mixed feelings about sawing and drilling the fiberglass of your magic AA. I also always felt nervous about the first chopping in my kayaks. But on the other hand: it’s a simple operation and fiberglass is a rather forgiving material. Important thing is to do it yourself! Don’t let anyone else come between you and your AA. When you do it yourself, do your best, but actually it doesn’t matter if its perfect or not, call it the personal touch: it will always increase the magic your AA. It will glow like never before
(2)
But before you cut out the fiberglass seat: first read my blog and the comment of Rene.
http://kajakwoerden.blogspot.com/2006/04/to-sit-or-not-to-sit-part-2.html
I am not that fond of the idea of lowering the seat of a kayak. Of course it does lower the center of gravity, and it adds to stability: but I doubt if it improves the ergonomics. With a higher seat you can better lean back and you have better contact with the deck of your kayak. Of course this is a very personal thing and it depends on your fysics.
(3) Do you know that AA is the exclusive combination of characters on the registration plates of the vehicles of the Dutch Royal Family?
Hey Hans,
Thanks for that. You’re correct about ergonomics, at least in my opinion. I certainly would have left the seat in my Explorer if I’d had a choice. I’ve been wondering if the new Valley seat would bolt into it. I should check that out too.
But my Acuta is basically a roller. Contact is an issue but I will be padding it out accordingly and using a masik most of the time. The only thing I’m not committed on yet is the back band. With the lower position I wonder if it won’t be better to just put a mini-cell back rest angled to the back. I’ve seen that done in a Betsie Bay and that seemed to make laying back quite comfortable. When I do play in surf my natural tendency is to us a high stroke for quick acceleration etc, but you know all that.
In addition the seat is actually slightly thinner at the front and cuts a bit into my thighs. Add to that I’m a bit top heavy anyway. 
So in my case it’s a good choice. But I agree people shouldn’t just assume cutting out the seat is the best choice, just A choice. 
I’m glad you took the time to bring up the subject though.
So how is the Dutch Royal Family anyway??
Don’t forget AA also stands for Alcoholics Anonymous Derrick
Yes, and also for Kenya AA as in double good coffee.
Derrick, you better stop by our little play spot for a warm up before you head to Wales. Wash the lake water off in the surf here, else they might not let you on the plane. You can hook up with Lamar, I’m sure he’s headed over there in September or sometime thereabouts anyway.
You’ve reviewed this on Brian Nystrom’s webshots?
http://community.webshots.com/photo/73091998/1074168085044194919uBcPyk
Just pour a couple shots of the single malt in the bow hatch before you start cutting, she won’t feel a thing.
T
I wonder what the half-life on our lake water is? I should probobly leave the acuta sitting in a field for 40,000 years before I take it anywhere!
September?? Sounds like I need to work for that guy! Sell the house, sell the business and off I go. . .
I think I’m going to GA in October, then plan for Wales the following April. Really a bit frustrated about gas prices. I’d like to just take a joy ride over to the coast sometime this summer, but I’m going to have to take on a few more projects to do it.
Derrick, don’t do it! Don’t mess with a good thing. Do you feel unstable — you’ll get used to it. Are you uncomfortable (you said the seat cut into your thighs) — then extend the seat with some minicell like you did on the Explorer.
I used minicell to raise the seat on my Greenlander Pro, and love it. It gives greater forward extension for the catch, and puts you farther out for high braces. I think I paddle a bit faster with it… And it cushions the tush. Have I planted the seed of doubt?
Hey,
No, actually I’m just fine in the boat as far as stability. The bit about cutting off my thighs is not under my thighs but on the sides. The seat narrows near the front. Great contact for rolling but not comfortable by any means. Foaming it out I’ll be able improve the fit quite a bit. Besides, you’re a speed guy, so the higher seat is great for your paddling style. For rolling I need to get low, more like a SOF type boat. Different requirements.
. . . now where’s that hack saw. . .
btw, I used your seat replacement guidelines when redoing an Explorer, many thanks for the helpful illustrated steps. Thinking now about ding the same for a used Legend (Walden vintage) and for the moment, like just wedging in a foam seat. If I need a vertical boost, I’ll lay in a gel Yakpad.
Yikes, I was worried for a moment. Great to hear it went well. I just got back from buying some new tools and I’m on the way outside to chop out the Acuta seat. . . .