# How to avoid a collision



## kayakone

That is, power or sail boats, with you. Because we are low, and slow, and making no noise, and because power boats are increasing in numbers (as are yakkers), near collisions are an inevitable and probably increasing reality. This is about avoiding a collision that seems imminent.

VISIBILITY:

1. Colour of your yak. Yellow or orange has to be better than darker colours.

2. Having bright coloured PFD/clothing (rashy, jacket)

3. An orange or yellow flag on a mast, the larger and taller the better

SOUND:

If all the visibility precautions fail, have an audible warning device. Available are blow-into-hooters from marine shops, which are somewhat bulky, or whistles. The aim is to warn them you are there, and don't want to die... there are more fish to be caught. I have used Fox 40 whistles, the loudest being the 'Sharkz', at 120 db. The sound is penetrating, and travels for over a km. They can be heard above the noise of even twin outboards. This tiny bit of safety kit could save your boat and your neck, or at the very least, considerable anxiety next time a boat is powering (motor or sail) towards you.

LOOKOUT:

Keep a good one. Many of us have seen boats suddenly change direction towards us, when moments ago they were well clear. Many boaters are not paying attention or looking ahead, and at 10 - 30 knots, with even the slightest unintentional steering input, may suddenly become a lethal threat to you.

Stay safe
Trevor


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## Stainless

I Have been tempted to buy an Air horn. I dicided against it as im 100% sure it would be used up the first time i had a BBQ at home and got on the terps.

I like the idea of the whistle.(my friends wont)


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## 4weightfanatic

Stainless said:


> I Have been tempted to buy an Air horn. I dicided against it as im 100% sure it would be used up the first time i had a BBQ at home and got on the terps.
> 
> I like the idea of the whistle.(my friends wont)


I love the confidence - know yourself too well. Want a beer get this in your ear !!!!!!


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## garyp

I have a horn.


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## kayakone

garyp said:


> I have a horn.


Don't we all. Or is this a double entrendre?


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## solatree

kayakone said:


> 1. Colour of your yak. Yellow or orange has to be better than darker colours.


Nup - Yellow and orange are quite dangerous - viewtopic.php?f=9&t=31711&hilit=+dangerous


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## kayakone

Aren't being rammed by a stinkboater, jetski, or a sail boat far greater odds than a shark attack??


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## solatree

kayakone said:


> Aren't being rammed by a stinkboater, jetski, or a sail boat far greater odds than a shark attack??


A bigger risk than a being eaten by a shark cos you're in a yellow kayak ?.........Nahhhhhhh..'Course not ;-) 
search.php?keywords=bigger+risk&t=31711&sf=msgonly


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## Randell

I was at Mooloolaba beach point yesterday....... thought I saw a dolphin, but it was a guy doing his ocean swim 50mtrs offshore, in a black wetsuit.
Then one of those big tinnies with a 40+ outbroard, streering from the rear at about 25kts. It was a bit of a sloppy sea.
He was following at about 60mtrs offshore...... and rounding the point.
Anyway he missed the swimmer, but wouldn't be terrible to kill someone that way.................
randell


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## Nativeman

Some boaties are just plain ignorant or don't keep a proper lookout when on the plane. For what reasons I do not know but you would think if you are in charge of a vessel at speed you would be watching out for other users on the waterway or permanent fixed objects.

On Saturday just gone I thought my numbers was up, I was in a bright yellow/orange kayak on a Gold Coast estuary, boat was on full plane, heading straight for me and it was within 30 metres before it veered away.

Scary stuff, I truly believe some boaties are being smartarses just to piss us off, this guy had a grin on his face as he went by.

Cheers


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## kayakone

gmoore said:


> Well, I have to agree that coloring your yak something like yellow or orange would be better. Or if you could get your hands on those glow in the dark types of paint, that would be a lot better, but they tend to lose a lot of luster when they are always put to water, which unfortunately, what is going to happen to your yak the whole time. Getting a horn would also be good solution.


Gmoore, 
Don't know your location but a whistle is a more kayak friendly option than a horn - it's smaller, and easily attached to your life jacket. A secondary use is attracting a fellow yakkers attention when you have a solid hookup...otherwise known as premature bragging  . I have just bought some very loud (120 db) whistles useful to warn errant boaters of an impending collision. The whistles are tiny and work wet. They can be heard over a kilometre away and above the ambient noise of outboards....$ 15 + postage. PM me if interested. (Mods: this is not a commercial venture, but a safety incentive, with the whistles available at cost price).

Regarding night paddling (or predawn launches) there is a 5 cm wide reflective tape available in marine shops such as Whitworths....visible at night for hundreds of metres. Apply to the hull and paddle in a few places, and if night yakking, high on a vertical pole. Also on the pole, add an orange/yellow flag for markedly increasing your visibility to boaters. (A commercial version is available with light/reflector/flag...VISIcarbon Pro from Yakattack).

If all else fails wave your paddle and blow that whistle like your life depends on it. It does...and as Nativeman illustrates, you are bound to get more than a few frights from boaters, both power and sail.

Stay safe
Trevor


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## HiRAEdd

solatree said:


> kayakone said:
> 
> 
> 
> 1. Colour of your yak. Yellow or orange has to be better than darker colours.
> 
> 
> 
> Nup - Yellow and orange are quite dangerous - viewtopic.php?f=9&t=31711&hilit=+dangerous
Click to expand...

Chances of being hit by a boat versus being eaten by an colour-annoyed shark? I'll take my chances with a bright yellow kayak


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## solatree

HiRAEdd said:


> solatree said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> kayakone said:
> 
> 
> 
> 1. Colour of your yak. Yellow or orange has to be better than darker colours.
> 
> 
> 
> Nup - Yellow and orange are quite dangerous - viewtopic.php?f=9&t=31711&hilit=+dangerous
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Chances of being hit by a boat versus being eaten by an colour-annoyed shark? I'll take my chances with a bright yellow kayak
Click to expand...




solatree said:


> kayakone said:
> 
> 
> 
> Aren't being rammed by a stinkboater, jetski, or a sail boat far greater odds than a shark attack??
> 
> 
> 
> A bigger risk than a being eaten by a shark cos you're in a yellow kayak ?.........Nahhhhhhh..'Course not ;-)
> search.php?keywords=bigger+risk&t=31711&sf=msgonly
Click to expand...

 ;-)


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## spork

Have found myself getting out on the water at dawn, and getting home as the sun sets a couple of times (just one more cast...) and decided it was time I stopped giving powerboats any excuses for not seeing me.
Got a battery powered 360 degree pole mounted white light today. With the stock pole, it was still lower than the top of my head when mounted on my milk crate, so it wasn't really 360 degrees. I wrapped some 'leccy tale around the bottom of it to fit snugly inside some conduit. Did another wrap a few inches up, also fits snuggly inside said conduit. Then I did a thicker layer, that stops the pole sliding down the conduit. Cut strips of foam and taped it to the piece of conduit too fit snugly inside a PVC pipe rodholder. Now the light sits about 18 inches above my head, thus giving all round visibility. I also have a 900 lumen (thats f'ing bright!) CREE light with a head strap. It has a strobe mode if I need to make myself more visible after dark. Seriously bright light. On my pushbike people think I'm a (slow moving) motorbike when I have this thing on. OK. I should be well visible in the dark now, as well as able to see where I'm going and what I'm doing.
Now I want a decent flag, but bugger paying heaps for a stick with a bit of fabric on it! I don't plan on offshore work for the time being, just rivers, lakes and estuaries, so my 'yak and I won't really be down in troughs between waves with only a flag visible. However, many of the wakeboat / skiboat and even fishing boat skippers around here seem a little myopic, so I figure a flag would be good to help them see me. I don't really need a pole. I have a butt end of a 13" light action surf rod that fits perfectly into one of the PVC rodholders on my milk crate, so I just need a decent flag. Orange or fluro green, pref. with some reflective piping to attach to my butt. :shock: 
Does anyone know where I can find a flag like that? Ideally, it would have some velcro straps sewn onto it for easy attachment, or a sleeve with a fastener on the bottom to keep it in place.


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## kayakone

spork said:


> ...I have a butt end of a 13" light action surf rod that fits perfectly into one of the PVC rodholders on my milk crate, so I just need a decent flag. Orange or fluro green, pref. with some reflective piping to attach to my butt. :shock:
> Does anyone know where I can find a flag like that? Ideally, it would have some velcro straps sewn onto it for easy attachment, or a sleeve with a fastener on the bottom to keep it in place.


Just pick up a Hi-vis vest on the highway. You see one or two every week. Bright colours plus reflective tape a bonus...make your own flag out of this (40 X 30 cm).

Higher is better. I just heard from SWR that a kayaker was run over there (last year?) by a stinky that smashed his yak with prop damage. Thankfully no physical damage to his body, but otherwise....???

Be visible. The more the better.

Trevor


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## spork

Thanks Trevor.
DMR must be a bit tighter in this neck of the woods, because I never see discarded vests. Local $2 shop has them at times though, so will keep an eye out for one and do some DIY.


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## kayakone

Well I just read the following thread for the first time. Like everyone else at the time, I'm shocked!

So here it is, totally relevant to this dicussion....



RedPhoenix said:


> kayakone said:
> 
> 
> 
> I heard that a kayak fisho was run over by a stink boat at SWR last year
> 
> 
> 
> viewtopic.php?f=3&t=37108
Click to expand...

Trevor


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## spork

haha, just finished reading same thread Trevor. Scary stuff.


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## anselmo

or you could do what I do
just stop taking your yak out


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## spork

anselmo said:


> or you could do what I do
> just stop taking your yak out


Yeah - but that would be massive fail... :shock:


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## kayakone

spork said:


> anselmo said:
> 
> 
> 
> or you could do what I do
> just stop taking your yak out
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah - but that would be massive fail... :shock:
Click to expand...

Nick now digs spuds. :lol:


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## anselmo

kayakone said:


> spork said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> anselmo said:
> 
> 
> 
> or you could do what I do
> just stop taking your yak out
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah - but that would be massive fail... :shock:
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Nick now digs spuds. :lol:
Click to expand...

I don't even have time to dig spuds


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## soloyakka85

Black spray painted cap gun...just to get their attention of course. Just the thing for stinkies that veer away at the last moment. :twisted:


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## kayakone

:shock:


soloyakka85 said:


> Black spray painted cap gun...just to get their attention of course. Just the thing for stinkies that veer away at the last moment.


Safer and legal (you must not point a look alike weapon). Besides, the skipper may not even be looking :shock: http://www.fox40shop.com/s.nl/sc.7/category.15980/, and https://www.whitworths.com.au/main_item ... item=43905 
I have found it much better to warn him/her early, with a whistle blast first, then the air horn. It has saved me several times. Activate these warning devices early, as they often have their heads down while travelling at up to 15 knots. They have no idea you are there, safety flag or not.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=37108&p=553317


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## Zed

I always felt the whistle is a last resort to be found, not a deterrent to being hit. If some idiot is on auto, and back on the back deck near the engine(s) he's just gonna wonder why the diesels are whining a bit more today vs hearing a couple air horn blasts. But if you're afloat and adrift, you may be able to hail someone at slow speed actually looking for you in the dark. I have my whistle on a lanyard on my vest so that I can easily blow it even while backstroking.


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## kayakone

salticrak said:


> I wear hi vis amulets blessed by Oden.


Good idea Paulie, _if_ the skipper is looking.


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## dru

kayakone said:


> salticrak said:
> 
> 
> 
> I wear hi vis amulets blessed by Oden.
> 
> 
> 
> Good idea Paulie, _if_ the skipper is looking.
Click to expand...

Oden is always looking.


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