Grab loop back up

[sbroam]

My little guy had a scare today (and me, too later when I found out) - he flipped, doesn't combat roll yet, and found his grab loop was in the boat... Fortunately his cousin was nearby and gave him an Eskimo rescue. The skirt is new and tight...

So, what are your grab loop back up ideas that don't involve depending on a 12 year old to remember too leave something outside the cockpit?

I'm about too attach a strap to the inside and have the other end secured with a thin piece of bungee to the security loop on the deck. We have a Dagger Dynamo with a similar loop, I added the bungee.

On two skirts, I had cut the loop at the rand and stitched end to the deck of the skirt so it is always outside. The last time I did that, even backed up with a patch of webbing, we tore a hole in the skirt putting it on. Reinforced it more and fixed it.

Curious to hear other ideas...

[Wodza]

Would this work?


http://www.levelsix.com/products/club-b ... =388200418" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[sbroam]

Thought about that, too. I am concerned a bit about making the skirt easy/easier to get snagged on something in a swim (I remember reading of at least one incident). Thanks, I'll mull that over.

[Mike W.]

Glad he had someone looking out for him! Seems like some boat builder a while back riveted a strap to the rim. The lose end hung outside the rim and the skirt. You could pull that strap to pop the skirt. Some lessons stock with you. My guess is, he'll never tuck the loop inside again.

[sbroam]

He did say he wanted to be an open boater after that and started googling k-1 to oc-1 conversions...

Boys are distractable, I'd like a "fail safe"...

[wildwaterc2]

How about a looser skirt? My kids wear adult sized skirts in the c2 with me - they could slide out the tunnel if they had to.

Or perhaps an old-style shockcord skirt?

[sbroam]

It was hard enough finding these! This mod seems to be working.

[gumpy]

1 way out-usually you can grab a handful of skirt in the space between your hip and the cockpit rim, on both sides, and pull up hard. try this first on to see if it works for your boat/skirt combination. usually does (thanks Wayne G)

also, I used to have a custom c1 skirt from the now defunct Skirtworks of Friendsville that had a nifty foolproof grab loop. it was nylon strap, I think 3/4", wrapped around the rand(front and center) and extending up and over the top of the skirt, sewn to the skirt about 6" or so back from the front. they had first attached a maybe 2x2" diamond shaped piece of neoprene to the skirt on top as reinforcement, then box stitched the strap to it. I'd send you a pic but I sold it to gonzo. maybe he can post a pic?

[sbroam]

Yep, I've got one of those skirts, too. I modified a previous skirt to match and mentioned in my original post another that tore (repaired, reinforced). I like that this is part of the skirt, not adding a big snagging hazard. If I do it again, I'll do a better job from the get go!