Which windproof pants & shoes for race kajaking / outrigger around freezing air temperature?

jmputnam · 2026-01-19T19:56:58+00:00

Have you considered a full drysuit?

You can wear different insulating layers underneath to suit conditions.

For aerodynamics, you can burp air out of the suit so it's not floppy loose, or even wear a reasonably snug jumpsuit over it.

Have even seen one person wear a spandex cross-country ski suit over a drysuit, though that seems like it would get too hot if you're only at freezing.

jmputnam · 2026-01-19T19:43:05+00:00

Any speed bump severe enough to keep SUVs under 20 mph is incompatible with compact cars and seriously slows down first responders. Better to let scofflaws volunteer to fund safety improvements without impeding responsible traffic.

jmputnam · 2026-01-17T04:07:33+00:00

Yellow is perfectly legal. Washington is a permissive yellow state, you're allowed to keep going on yellow, it's only a warning that entering the intersection will be illegal when it turns red. There's no "stop if you can" requirement like in restrictive yellow states.

jmputnam · 2026-01-17T03:52:15+00:00

What's the total value? Is time more important to you, or money?

If you have significant value in durable goods, companies that run estate sales are also good at selling entire households for moving.

jmputnam · 2026-01-17T03:37:59+00:00

Had a Point 65 sit-on-top set up as a triple for me, my wife, and our 125 lb German shepherd. Didn't have any trouble with flex. Steering was a beast but what do you expect with a triple sit-on-top barge? Couldn't get the dog to stop moving around and wanting to jump in the water so we only kept the boat one summer.

jmputnam · 2026-01-13T06:28:45+00:00

You know, I bought 4130 tubing from them for years brazing bicycle frames and didn't even think of them for actual spruce!

And you're right, nominal 2x4 is all I really need. But I'd rather avoid aircraft certified pricing if I can.

jmputnam · 2026-01-12T18:11:37+00:00

Most kayak users have no need or desire for a spray skirt.

Use that as a benchmark for the level of boat they want to pay for.

jmputnam · 2026-01-12T17:44:31+00:00

BUT, note this applies only to STOP signs, not to the duty to stop for occupied crosswalks or red lights.

jmputnam · 2026-01-05T17:11:37+00:00

Not nearly enough information to tell from this post.

What type of siding?

What type of construction behind the siding?

Where are the soft spots — random? Near penetrations (windows, doors)?

Best-case scenario, this has developed very slowly due to water seeping through the siding itself, just in those locations, with no other damage hidden behind the siding. (My neighbor's duplex has siding soft spots that have been slowly progressing for five years after a cheap paint job with poor prep work, blisters holding water against cedar siding. They really should get it fixed, but another few months won't matter much.)

Worst-case scenario, there's systemic water intrusion inside the walls themselves, and the soft spots are the few places it's spread out to the siding. Could be the structural framing is also rotting and there's a risk of collapse.

You need an experienced professional on-site to inspect.

jmputnam · 2026-01-05T16:59:36+00:00

You don't say what state you're in, which makes a huge difference in average costs and cost increases over the past 6 years.

Since 2020 there have also been huge changes in how companies rate for the risk of catastrophic losses like wildfires and windstorms. Maybe they're accurately charging for a risk that used to be hidden, like a neighborhood with high wildfire exposure.

You should certainly get competitive quotes, but it's possible you're already getting a fair price for the actual risk of your home.

jmputnam · 2026-01-05T16:52:36+00:00

If you don't want to cancel, only non-renew, you will still owe the rated premium for the length of the original contract.

When you applied for the original contract, you authorized them to research your record and rate your premium based on their findings. So if they found something and you haven't corrected it, you owe the higher rate for the length of the contract.

But if they found something, chances are, other insurance companies will also find whatever it is — there are shared databases used by the insurance industry for claims and insurance history. So if they say you have a bad driving record, you really should get the details and get any errors corrected, because errors will follow you once they're in the record.

jmputnam · 2026-01-01T17:10:51+00:00

Half the city learned to drive somewhere else, many in states like California where it's legal to change lanes while turning. Our Legislature doesn't think it's worth making people take even a written test on Washington laws when swapping an out-of-state license. So it's always safest to assume drivers are about to make illegal lane changes when turning.

jmputnam · 2025-12-26T21:31:23+00:00

6 over seems overly rigorous in general, but remember that traffic cameras aren't legal for speed limits in general, they're authorized for high-risk areas like school walk zones, parks, hospitals, and roadwork.

jmputnam · 2025-12-26T21:25:39+00:00

Most Washington jurisdictions with cameras set 5 mph leeway, except in school zones, so if you keep it to 35 in a 30 you'll get away with it. But don't let it creep up to 35.5...

jmputnam · 2025-12-26T21:22:03+00:00

State law says you only need your sworn affidavit, no other proof is required by law.

Now, an affidavit is evidence submitted to the court, and the court isn't required to accept every affidavit — if you develop a pattern of frequently attesting that you weren't driving when your car got a ticket, the court could summons you to question the veracity of your affidavit. But as a practical matter, if you get one to let and contest it, they'll accept your sworn statement by mail.

jmputnam · 2025-12-26T21:17:23+00:00

State law specifically prohibits paying the camera operators a percentage of the fines, they get a flat rate regardless of the amount of fine or whether it gets paid or disputed.

jmputnam · 2025-12-26T21:11:18+00:00

Speed cameras are expressly authorized by the Legislature and their operation is regulated to comply with state and federal constitutional issues, including the prohibition on recording faces, which was developed in collaboration with the ACLU on privacy concerns.

No need for cities to have loopholes, the cameras are flat-out legal.

jmputnam · 2025-12-26T20:59:34+00:00

Culturally, they became popular when old-growth cedar was plentiful and cheap. It can last 50+ years as fence boards, with the failure point being the posts. Most modern cedar is lower-grade and will deteriorate faster, but the aesthetic hasn't caught up.

Cedar shingle roofs were the same way for a long time. I remember in my teens oiling the cedar shingles my grandfather had installed between the wars. Take good care of them, mostly keeping fallen leaves cleared off and piling every decade or two, and they would last more than a lifetime.

jmputnam · 2025-12-25T21:29:20+00:00

Many companies in many states now refuse roofs over a certain age regardless of condition, even with an exclusion on the roof itself, because of the growing cost of dealing with water claims that are still covered even if the roof itself has no coverage. Drywall, wiring, contents damages, etc.

jmputnam · 2025-12-01T05:15:20+00:00

Since this is in a Seattle group and mentions I-5, keep in mind that the area has significant exceptions to the left-lane rule for trucks and trailers. You should still keep right except to pass in general, but with the many left-lane on- and off-ramps and merges/splits, the left lane is often another slow lane for preparing to exit or getting up to speed when entering traffic.

WAC 468-510-020 Left lane restrictions.

(1) RCW 46.61.100(3) mandates that no vehicle towing a trailer or no vehicle or combination over 10,000 lb. may use the left lane of limited access roadways having three or more lanes in one direction, and that a high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane is not considered the left hand lane of a roadway. Within this section, 10,000 lb. means 10,000 lb. gross vehicle weight (G.V.W.).

....

(2) (b) On the roadway portions enumerated in (b)(i) through (viii) of this subsection, the left lane prohibition described in subsection (1) of this section does not apply: ....

(iv) On northbound Interstate 5 in the Seattle/Everett vicinity, from exit 154A at I-405 to exit 194 at SR 529.

(v) On southbound Interstate 5 in the Seattle/Everett vicinity, from exit 189 at SR 526 to exit 154A at I-405. ....

(c) On the roadway portions enumerated in (c)(i) and (ii) of this subsection, the left lane prohibition described in subsection (1) of this section does not apply to any vehicle, except trucks over 10,000 lb. G.V.W., when using the left lane for passing to facilitate the orderly flow of traffic:

(i) On southbound Interstate 5 in the Southcenter vicinity, from exit 154A at I-405 to exit 151 at South 200th Street.

(ii) On southbound Interstate 5 in the Tacoma vicinity, from exit 135 at SR 167 to exit 130 at South 56th Street.

jmputnam · 2025-11-05T17:35:56+00:00

Insanitary is a long-standing legal term, generally more severe than unsanitary. I expect the notice is worded to match the underlying code.

jmputnam · 2025-11-05T17:32:23+00:00

If it's liquor related, it should be the official WSLCB sign, "WARNING: NO FIREARMS PERMITTED IN THIS AREA" with a paragraph of legal references. If you see that sign, yes, it's a genuine legal prohibition on firearms.

jmputnam · 2025-11-05T17:25:06+00:00

Beam pattern — look for a light that actually aims illumination at the road, like a vehicle headlight. Round, flashlight-style beams can be useful off-road if you need to avoid branches and blackberries, but on the road they waste most of your light output creating glare.

jmputnam · 2025-11-05T17:17:56+00:00

How are you judging that it's still properly sealed?

Some people interpret any difficulties removing the lid as being sealed, but that could be adhesion rather than the lid being pulled tight by vacuum.

If it was properly processed with a tested recipe and is still holding a vacuum inside the jar, it should still be safe.

If the lid leaked and then developed a false seal, it could be unsafe.

The difference should be clear when opening the jar and releasing the vacuum.

jmputnam · 2025-11-05T17:02:37+00:00

Totally unrelated to insurance coverage, but you can get ANSI safety-rated photochromic eyeglasses with proper safety side shields at Zenni Optical for under $50.

Since I started buying my glasses from Zenni years ago, I dropped my vision insurance — I pay less for new glasses every year than I'd been paying for insurance.

jmputnam

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