Rescuing Kayaks

[Acosi151]

Other than.. well, really.. probably the most epic bit of "eff you! kayakers!... serious it's a canoe" kind of self-boasting.. the whole deal with trying to help a kayak into an eddy is a bit of a task.

Tonight I got a padddler-less, swamped, pyranha recoil cross deck a couple times after raming it into an eddy. With the boat upside down across the gunnels paddling was top-heavy but relatively easy.

Getting the boat up was another matter: The eddys that had a spot I could get out and dump the kayak were easy.. trying to lift the full boat accross the deck was impossible.

On top of that...in the past I've had trouble trying to ram a playboat into an eddy that had no floatation.. The heavy rocker of the L'Edge would just run over the half submerged kayak.

Any of you have a different technique for corralling a boat? Now that I'm starting to get better I've got some Karma to pay-off...

[Smurfwarrior]

I simply get some forward speed, abruptly lean forward to lower the bow and bash the heck outa the kayak in the direction I want it to go. Works for me in my L'Edge. For longer distance tows on water I'm not concerned about I have a tow leash with quick release mounted on the boat. I really only use that on big water runs when we take noobs down.

[RapidMediaTVGuy]

will try to empty the boat from my kayak. It's easier though because I'm a lot lower in the water than in an open boat. A few things that will help is if you sink the stern (less volume/water in the stern) it will pop the bow up and then try to throw it across the deck. Bulldozing a full boat doesn't work that great, I'll usually half empty it, roll it upright and then try to shove it in to shore. If there are no airbags the only way to really drain it easily is from shore.

Canoeist's get the value of airbags, for some reason not all kayakers do. Maybe once they lose/wrap a boat they will invest in some and make everyone's life easier.

Dan Caldwell
Rapid Media TV Guy

[ncdavid]

I'll rescue a kayak without bags once.

[the great gonzo]

I found that dozing a full kayak does not work well with canoes that have a lot of rocker, for the same reason that Acosi151 mentioned. I simply turn the boat over and clip my tow thether into the stern grabloop, as a swamped kayak with air bags will float higher in the stern. I do not bother rescuing boats without air bag any more. If the owner does not care about his boat, why should I?

TGG!


(As a quick note on my thether, my default setting is having the webbing go straight through the quick release buckle, without going through the metal backing plate for quick and easy releasing. I only use the backing plate when setting up for a life bait rescue)

[TheKrikkitWars]

I tend to bulldoze, even in heavily rockered boats like the Jefe or Prelude; if I lean forward, the boat will catch under me. Though sometimes you end up paddling in a position which is more like a mobile rock splat than anything else.

In terms of emptying boats in the water; curling the boat at one side of mine boat so that they empty gradually until they're paddlably empty and getting the owner to paddle it to a better spot works ok for me...

[Craig Smerda]

WWLD?

[2opnboat1]

if they dont put flotation in the boat I dont rescue.