We offer a choice of 4 systems: The wire slider is standard, while the following can be fitted as a custom feature:

The hydraulic skeg, the front and rear rope skegs and the combined skeg-rudder system are all made by Kari-Tek.

The skeg can be used to trim the kayak in wind, and it does not get in the way of tow lines or become a danger when undertaking rescues - which we often see with the traditional rudder. For single kayaks we normally favour skeg over rudders because they handle well enough in intermediate to advanced conditions not to require rudders.

Q: Im looking for a more comfortable seat for my standard Romany, to give me a little more room below deck and put me in a more positive (forward) paddling position. Would you recommend the foam seat or the high performance fiberglass seat?

We offer two designs of glass seats and a foam seat.

The High performance glass seat is our standard seat (post 1/3 2009) and comes in two sizes.
You can buy this seat as a retro fit kit, please see Retrofit High performance seat for instructions. The easiest thing for you would be to go through your local shop, although if you want to, you can still deal with us directly.

The best way to get the kayak that suits your needs, is to try the kayaks. Get in touch with your local Sea Kayaking UK dealer. Most of the shops also offer on-the-water demos and experienced advice.

We would recommend that you demo the kayak before you place an order and preferably in force 3+ winds.

The biggest cause of breakage with this type of seat is probably due to the foam below the seat needing replacing. This foam provides a lot of the structural support for the seat and over time it compresses allowing the seat to flex. To prevent this, glue new blocks of foam under and around the seat, the more the better. To repair the seat you glass behind and gel in front.

Polishing your kayak will fill in small scratches and make your kayak look newer. In reality it is actually removing a small layer of the gel coat making it thinner so do it in moderation. Using a power polisher and a sheep skin buffer, or a rag and a lot of elbow grease work through.

• Always leave boats in storage with hatch covers removed.
• Always store out of direct sunlight and ideally under cover.
• Always sponge your kayak dry, as kayaks will absorb water from the inside.
• Store the kayak upside down.
• Do not store the kayak on a wet or damp ground as it could cause osmosis.

• Remove hatch covers when transporting.
• Unless the kayak is being carried in a customized rack, we advice fastening the kayak upside down on a padded roof rack.
• The bow and stern should be tied to the front and rear of the vehicle.
• Try and park the car in a shaded area. The surface temperature of dark coloured kayaks can increase as much as 20 degrees more than white surfaces.

Sand down the old Sikaflex (There is no need to remove it all)

Remove any dust etc.

Place the OLD rim into the deck & Wipe some furniture or car polish around the area to the side of the rim. ( This makes it easier to remove any glue which is squeezed out of the sides later. Make sure NO polish gets on the surface where the new rim will sit !!!)

Apply a bead of Sikaflex around the area the rim will fit.

Press the new rim into position, and move it around a little to make sure it is bedded in properly. Do NOT apply too much pressure, as this will squeeze out all the glue.

Too clean off the excess glue, you have two options.
Wipe it off straight away using clothes (MESSY !!!)
Wait until it is dry (About 15 Hours) and trim the inside with a Stanley Blade & the outside with a BLUNT Chisel. Use some solvent to clean any stuck glue.

Glue – Sikaflex 252

Important: The new rim needs to be PRIMED before fixing with:

Sika Primer 206 G+P

Grind off all the old Gel from the inside of the cockpit.

Wipe clean all the surfaces with Solvent (Acetone etc.)

With the boat upright on stands, place the new rim in position and hold down with masking tape.

Make sure there is sufficient gap underneath the rim for the spraydeck (use pieces of foam underneath rim to get the right gap).

Turn boat upside down.

Fixing Rim: Fill the space between the cockpit rim and deck. We use a mixture of Gelcoat/Pre-Gel/Catalyst or you could use a Methacrylate Adhesive e.g. Plexus MA300 or Adekit A300.

Once filled, check under the rim for any excess material which may have leaked out of any gaps and remove whilst wet.

If using Gel coat, leave to harden overnight. If using glue allow a couple of hours to fully harden.

1. Using an ALLEN KEY, undo the Grub Screw (Anticlockwise) in the Skeg Slider at the side of the boat. Only undo it enough so that it no longer grips the old wire, not all the way out.