C-Forum

Open Canoe Painter Lines

I am new to open canoes and have many questions relating to painter lines. I've searched and read many opinions on the safety and use of painters. I'm leaning toward adding them to my tandem Dagger Caption, despite the risks associated with rope in moving water.

Does the club have a position on painter line safety?  Is there a reference for installing painter lines? If you will, please post pics of your system to keep the lines safely out of the way, 'till needed.

 

I've never in my life seen a painter line tied to a whitewater kayak... so maybe they're the ones doing it all wrong?






Generally speaking a throw rope works just fine for lining or tying off a canoe. Packs nicely into a nifty lil' self contained bag when not in use as well. I can't stand to see ropes getting dragged around in the water... but you should do what you'd like to do not what everyone else says is right or wrong.

I use smaller stern bags on all my boats under good bungie. Bags hold around 40-50 feet of rope and only come out when needed. This system works great for self rescues in the rivers we paddle here. May not be the best for all situations. But it works great up here.

Opinion has been divided on this forum regarding painters.

I use them and have found them to be extremely helpful in self-rescue when the boat has to be pulled into an eddy from strong current.

It is quite possible to secure a painter so that it does not accidentally get loose in my experience.

I have them on both ends of my Outrage. I always used them for flat water and easy rivers, so when I bought the outrage, i did not remove them. I have found them handy a few times lowering my boat and tying it up on the bank.

don't use them. If I need to tie my boat off, I'll use my webbing sling.

TGG!

Opinion is 50/50, with a variety of variations. There's no right or wrong, so do whatever is common among your paddling partners (what they want or expect is just as important as what you like) and whatever works for you.

Me, to accommodate the mixed opinion, on some boats I use painters half the time, and on other boast i only use a painte ron one end.

Pat.

p.s. A"kayak" can have a painter - they are doing it wrong! My OC people were concerned that the handles on my C-1 deck would be too difficult for them to grab from their boats if they needed to rescue my boat, so I put a little rope on my C-1.

I normally attach then with locking D rings for quick attachment. I also use floating rescue rope for the actual painter lines. open canoes with out air bags or open canoes with air bags they have never been a problem for me

I use em.

I tie one on the grab loop at the stern of the boat. Sometimes in the front or both. They definitely come in handy for difficult portages, self rescue, securing boat to bank, and you can use the same rope to tie your boat to the car or truck.

I just wind it into a coil, grip the coil toghether and tie a single knot around the bundle. Then I simply tuck it under the deckplate where the airbag can hold it in place.

If you swim out of the boat, you can grap for the rope and it will pull right out. Avoid thin rope because it will slip and burn your hands. Get some thick stuff. 3/8-1/2".

yarnellboat wrote:so do whatever is common among your paddling partners (what they want or expect is just as important as what you like)

That's not advice that I'd personally feel comfortable about giving... It's important that people think about the postives and negatives of their kit choices and weigh them up for themselves; especially with something like painters where they can significantly increase risks if improperly used (or stowed).

My advice on these matters has always been thus:

• Can you justify how, when and why you'd use these such that the benefit of having them outweighs any risk they pose?

Answer that and you should have your answer as to whether you should be using them or not.

... they also look dorky

... know a fellow who lost a finger, because he didn't have a painter.

Everyone wants to tell you want if... what if they come undone.... what if they wrap around you.... what if I want to line my boat... what if I need to lower it... and on and on. But Jim Brown might say - what if.... I didn't have to reach under a gunwale, to grab hold of my boat... ooops there's it goes, bye bye digit. (real story)



Just goes to show if something can go wrong, it will one day. I like being able to get away from a fully load canoe (if need be), and let it pendulum over to the side. For me getting a rope out of a bag, or attaching a line are adding additional unnecessary steps - at the most inopportune of time.

Never had a problem with painter rope, other than being to short some time... I use a small end bag(throw bag) on the stern of my boats, it keep the rope from getting tangle or loose when I want it to stay put! The bag is held in place, on the deck plate with a bungie. Like Yukon said, it work great up here. Have a system that work for you and stick to it!!

but....if you had a problem with a painter, you wouldn't be around to talk about it

philcanoe, didn't that guy have grab loops?

i'm a no on painters. Maayyybe on a tripping canoe, but no for a solo ww canoe. scary scary.

I am interested to know why that is so scary- Larry In 20 years I have never had a problem and that is 20 years of paddling and 15 years or so of teaching with a fw thousand students and a whole lot of swimming. I can see the potential. I am also not of the mind that because that is the way we do it, does not mean its the only way or the right way. If there concerns or thoughts that they are scary I am happy to rexamine the way we do things or adapt or analysize and its great that is what one can do here