Re: What is correct clearance for reed valves ...
Yes, there are clearances for the reed valves, but basically if you can see that they aren't sitting flush, replace them. I agree that you can get away with flipping them in a pinch, but don't do that and forget about them or it will come back to bite you at a bad time. Do it to get out on a small calm lake while you wait for your reeds to come in, not to go out into the ocean though!!
If you remove the screws holding them down, clean the threads very well and loc tite them in there. If you leave oil and such on the threads the loc tite won't work.
If a reed breaks out on the water you can cut a credit card to size and use that to get back to the dock/launch. It won't run well, but if you do it right it will run. Unfortunately, I can tell you for sure that ING orange account card with no raised letters actually work pretty well.
