# Kayak be gone !!!!! Baby come back !!!!



## FishWhisperer (Mar 5, 2009)

After witnessing an event last weekend that involved a mate coming off his kayak in reasonable wind and seeing his kayak basically take off while he was still under water, I pondered what would have happened if we weren't together.

As mentioned, in a bit of swell and wind my mate went bottoms up while attending to nature, by the time he had re-surfaced the yak was out of arms reach. He wasn't tethered to the yak so it would have left him bobbing round half a km from shore. Luckily I saw what happened and went after his yak.

It got me thinking who here carry's all their safety equipment onboard their yak? I have flares, VHF, UHF and a sharkshield all "attached to my kayak" and I don't bother tethering myself to it, so if it happened to me alone I would have to walk on water to catch it.

I am thinking I might start tethering myself to the yak once I am out of the shore break on the way out and unleashing again before heading in.

Does anyone have a good system that seems to work. I don't really want to carry everything on my person (maybe a radio) as it gets a bit to un-comfy.

FW


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

FishWhisperer said:


> Does anyone have a good system that seems to work. I don't really want to carry everything on my person (maybe a radio) as it gets a bit to un-comfy.


There was a topic on the forum 2-3 years ago and you might find it with a search.

A roll of cord retained in a small tube, and a clip on each end of the cord, and when the yakker got offshore he clipped one end on his PFD and the other to the yak, and if he fell out the cord just pulled out.....it was not connected to the yak or paddler in the surf zone.


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## kayaksportsmark (Apr 1, 2009)

How about something like this?

Towline Stuffs into a small pocket with velcro and snap closure. (3m line). All attach to quick release harness.









http://www.liquidlife.com.au/index1.html


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## Guest (Nov 14, 2009)

Scary thought.....

I'm in the process of gearing up to head offshore, I'm pretty safety conscious I think - this is where I am heading so far :

PFD - high end job with pockets and hydratation pack
Shark shield - attached to leg, fed through scupper
EPIRB - small compact unit attached to PFD - incorporates LED light to assist rescue
Waterprooft VHF - attached to PFD
GPS - mounted to yak
Flares - packed in watertight container in kayak
Whistle
LED signalling light (attached to yak.
Hand Pump, and some extra bouyancy in the front hatch in the form of an inflatable outrigger.

I also plan to ensure I am tethered to my yak at all times, and not to paddle solo.

Might have missed something but will be reviewing my safety gear again before heading off.


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## Feral (Oct 18, 2008)

Never ever let go of the paddle! Thats my motto, the paddle is attached to the yak!


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## yaker (Aug 29, 2005)

.


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## soggypilchard (Dec 1, 2008)

then tow one of these babyies behind all the others so you can peddle after your first yak if you lose it ;-)


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## soggypilchard (Dec 1, 2008)

i know this may seem silly, but, what about swimming after your kayak?
if you cant swim after your kayak or swim to shore from where you are, should you be out there?
the leashes just seem more of a tangle risk. but that's just my opinion.


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## mangajack (Jul 23, 2007)

I attach my drogue to the kayak before i enter the water everytime. It sits on deck right behind the seat so if ever I do go over it deploys straight away to stop the wind taking the yak accross the current so it is easy to swim to.
I do not carry a conventional anchor as these can be a serious entanglement risk if you get a hitch around your leg in a rollover, the last thing you need when trying to get a breath of air is something tugging at your ankles pulling you downwards. An anchor may not weigh much, but it is enough after a few minutes to get lots of peoples heads underwater.

Attach the paddle with a leash is probably the most important thing to do offshore. Awful hard trying to paddle with your hands to a quickly travelling paddle caught in the currents.

Jack.


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## FishWhisperer (Mar 5, 2009)

Dodge said:


> FishWhisperer said:
> 
> 
> > Does anyone have a good system that seems to work. I don't really want to carry everything on my person (maybe a radio) as it gets a bit to un-comfy.
> ...


I have had a bit of a search and can't find what your talking about but this does sound like a great idea, I am sure i could come up with something...Problem with me is I need my little legs puping as I have a hobie can't really attach a sharkshield like some of the other guys have mentioned to my lleg. The cylinder sounds like a great idea to stop tangles with rod leashes etc....Iif anyone has a photo of such a rig would like to see it...

Cheers everyone for your input...

FW


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## ELM (Jul 14, 2008)

Its a tough call to say what we need to counter act wind drift in a capsize situation, after being entangled in two fishing lines and a paddle leash, myself this year with a capsized AI, I would have to say as few leashes as possible and defiantly nothing tethered. 
If you had to have something, I think Mangajack is on the money with the drouge idea (but very short leash or excess line stored in a tube that will not let tangled line out) and the paddle leash. A quality line cutter or knife attached to your life vest is a must have, if it will not cut your leashes or fishing line, then it's no good to you.

Dallas
Having a shark shield attached to your leg and then fed through a scupper hole, in my opinion is knocking on deaths door. Chances of the tail getting caught in the scupper would be pretty high I would think and would defiantly hold you under. Others who have them (as I do not) may have a better idea and more precise info about this, but I for one would not risk it.


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## FishWhisperer (Mar 5, 2009)

ELM said:


> Dallas
> Having a shark shield attached to your leg and then fed through a scupper hole, in my opinion is knocking on deaths door. Chances of the tail getting caught in the scupper would be pretty high I would think and would defiantly hold you under. Others who have them (as I do not) may have a better idea and more precise info about this, but I for one would not risk it.


I am with you on that one, I have mine attached to the kayak, but thought it would be useless if I did loose my yak. If there is one thing i would like on me while I made my way back to shore it would be that.

Some great replies here...Interesting to see that no one really agrees with anyone else....I thought tethering would be the go, but can see the tangle issue being a problem...Maybe a motor on the yak with a remote control attached to you vest might be the solution...


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## vertigrator (Jul 25, 2006)

If you're doing something that may throw your balance out, such as attending to the call of nature, then deploying the drouge first sounds like an excellent plan.

If there's a decent breeze up there's no way you'll be able to catch your kayak if you're swimming. But if you happend to go overboard while paddling don't let go of your paddle. If it's leashed then you're fine and you can pull your yak back. If you're not attached then you can paddle swim to the yak. Apparently paddle swimming can gain a lot more ground than standard old swimming with your hands. The idea being that you paddle with your blades angled so they don't dive down and just pull across the surface. A mixture of standard kayak paddling and freestyle swimming. I saw it mentioned on a sea kayaking site recently.


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## Guest (Nov 14, 2009)

ELM said:


> Dallas
> Having a shark shield attached to your leg and then fed through a scupper hole, in my opinion is knocking on deaths door. Chances of the tail getting caught in the scupper would be pretty high I would think and would defiantly hold you under. Others who have them (as I do not) may have a better idea and more precise info about this, but I for one would not risk it.


Hey mate,

Yep that thought had also occurred to me.....might have to give it some more thought.

If it did get stuck in the scupper, the yak is only 71cm wide so Im not sure it would be a drowning risk (if wearing a pfd), should be either able to pop up beside the yak for some air, or worst case scenario there would be air pockets under the kayak to breathe until cutting your way to freedom with a knife attached to ones body for such an emergency.

The scuppers on my T160 are quite large though so I think it would pass pretty freely through them.

As an alternative, I suppose I could always attach a float to the shark shield and leave it untethered in the tank well with the antenna thru the scupper, if I do happen to get knocked into the water hopefully it might just end up bobbing around in the water within easy reach.

I just like the idea of having it attached to me in case I end up in the water with a Noah 8)


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## malhal (Jul 8, 2008)

Sorry I don't understand how you could just not swim to the Yak. Maybe I have missed something or is the yak that fast without you on it? Being towed by a fish is fair enough but by itself I find it hard to see how you can't catch it. 
I have come off several times in the surf zone with one of these being over a hundred metres out and have had to chase the yak down the beach swimming even further. It is not much fun but I think if you can not swim at least reasonably well you have no place offshore. I myself took up swimminng regularly when I decided to start fishing offshore and after a bit of time and effort can now swim a couple of kms fairly comfortably. But in a pool environment. Kayaking is a physically demanding sport, it says so on the sticker on my Stealth. Especially when you least expect it.
Like i said maybe the yak is a lot quicker than i think on its lonesome and but another tether or leas is creating more of a danger than anything else I think.

Cheers Mal


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## mozza (Sep 27, 2009)

have heard that answering the call of nature from a kayak is difficult,why not piss into an empty bottle, without leaving your seat.not sure about number twos, anybody got a technique ? would you just use a bigger bottle?or maybe a large zip lock bag, like the ones you put your lunch in.the guys with hobies would be ok, they can allways use the cupholder.


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## bongorust (Jan 31, 2008)

This is a great topic. I know the scenario that has been put across with a conventional yak & the options are very much dependent on your situ

Because Ive been seriously looking at the AI's I got to wondering 'What if I come off when goin at a great rate of knots?'. Not a capsize or anything, just plain ol fall off

Has this happened to any of our bretheren? What can be done?

We've heard some of the options & some are better than others but all are valid, also as you would all agree under wind power the swim option would be the least desired

Opinions on both??


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## vertigrator (Jul 25, 2006)

malhal said:


> Sorry I don't understand how you could just not swim to the Yak. Maybe I have missed something or is the yak that fast without you on it? ...Cheers Mal


Yes the yak will just go too fast if there is a decent wind going in the wrong direction. Say you fall off to the windward side during a 30 knot wind and it's a few seconds before you get upright and facing your yak. By that time your yak could be 10 metres away and sailing along at quite a speed. You've got a bulky PFD on so you can't swim as fast as normal and just can't bridge the gap and the gap keeps getting bigger. This is only an issue in windy conditions and you being on the wrong side of the yak.


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## kiwipea (Jun 17, 2008)

Have a look at this link viewtopic.php?f=9&t=25888#p274483

kp


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## ELM (Jul 14, 2008)

As for the comments about keeping hold of the paddle, if you are on a Hobie with a Mirage drive, chances are you will not be holding the "tethered paddle". Mine was clipped to the aka on the AI when it capsized, the loop in the leash was long enough to come back where it tangled around my leg along with the fishing lines.

Dallas, fully understand your reasoning, if I had one and was capsized, I would rather it be with me as well.
I have not had anything to do with shark shields, so unsure how well the tail would clear scupper holes, large or small, just think it's got the potential to snag and maybe needs to be re-thought. Could it be mounted on the back of your vest with the tail hanging over the side? how big are they?


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## FishWhisperer (Mar 5, 2009)

ELM said:


> I have not had anything to do with shark shields, so unsure how well the tail would clear scupper holes, large or small, just think it's got the potential to snag and maybe needs to be re-thought. Could it be mounted on the back of your vest with the tail hanging over the side? how big are they?


ELM The problem with the SS's is that top of the antenna needs to be in water (all 2 metres of it) I like the idea of the unit mounted on the back of your PFD but I think the antenna would need to be in the water a lot closer to the unit. I'll have a look into it though as its a good idea. If I wasn't in a hobie I would just tether it to my leg or ankle. The antenna itself as mentioned is around 2m long and tapers off in size as it gets to the end. The bend radius of antenna due to its stiffness would help prevent tangles too, mind you if it did get caught round your leg it would be very unpleasent while trying to turn it off. I had an antenna caught on my glove and it laid across my arm for a whie while I was trying to boat a nice fish and it continued to zap me until I turned it off (Boating the fish was priority  ) So it is tolerable for extended periods...Just.


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## Guest (Nov 15, 2009)

Yep, I read somewhere that it was recommended it be placed through a scupper in order to keep both electrodes submerged.

It was suggested that an antennae draped over the side of a moving kayak might result in the top electrode coming out of the water due to the forward motion and associated drag on the antenna, they have the same issue with the surfboard model apparently.


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## jtugores (Nov 2, 2009)

What about something like the surf board system? Easy and makes sense, doesn't it?


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## ELM (Jul 14, 2008)

Could you zip tie a small para vain to the end of the tail to help keep it submerged when draped over the side of a yak, unit mounted on a belt???


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## harrip94 (Sep 30, 2009)

soggypilchard said:


> then tow one of these babyies behind all the others so you can peddle after your first yak if you lose it ;-)


is that the new range of hobies ? :lol:


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## FishWhisperer (Mar 5, 2009)

ELM said:


> Could you zip tie a small para vain to the end of the tail to help keep it submerged when draped over the side of a yak, unit mounted on a belt???


What are you taking about here a sharkshield or the surfboard idea???


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## ELM (Jul 14, 2008)

FishWhisperer said:


> ELM said:
> 
> 
> > Could you zip tie a small para vain to the end of the tail to help keep it submerged when draped over the side of a yak, unit mounted on a belt???
> ...


Sharksheild


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## FishWhisperer (Mar 5, 2009)

The antenna does sink without a vane. I have mine just dangled over the side attached to one of my rod hoders...So I guess you could attach it to some kind of belt and use the same principle. I have some time off now so I will look into some of these options..


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## Seasquirt (Jul 17, 2007)

I like the idea of having one of the compact tow lines attached to your PFD. I always carry one but but it is normally stowed, so I might just have to do that in future. Any way a normal tow line might even be an overkill so a very flat and thin webbing (would have to be flat) with sturdy plastic catches ( no rustable springs ) might be your lifeline. This would fit into something less than fist size.
I have also always subscribed to to the notion of a leashed paddle and always hang on. This did me a disservice some 30+ years ago where not only did I nearly drown ( I was sooo close ) I also partly amputated my thumb. I carry a dive knife now,always.
I limit the number and add variety to the leashes I use. Only my rods and paddle are tethered and everything else is clipped directly. Still I would rather the risk of entanglement than risk losing my yak and they do take off at an alarming speed -----faster than you can possibly swim.

Cheers
Pam


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## Seasquirt (Jul 17, 2007)

Ohhh and one for the ladies !!!  
For us an urgent call of nature offshore means we have only one option.   

Tether your yaks to yourselves girls :lol: :lol: :lol:

Cheers
Pam


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## ELM (Jul 14, 2008)

Seasquirt said:


> Ohhh and one for the ladies !!!
> For us an urgent call of nature offshore means we have only one option.
> 
> Tether your yaks to yourselves girls :lol: :lol: :lol:
> ...


Try www.she.p.com for some info on another option. No affiliation but know some female divers that use them.


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## Seasquirt (Jul 17, 2007)

Thanks ELM.  Hilarious option not sure how comfortable I would be talking to someone and then my expression changes to a sigh of relief. Think I would probably laugh then that would make things worse. Cheers for the suggestion.

Pam


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## Jeffo (Sep 10, 2006)

> Luckily I saw what happened and went after his yak.


I think this is a key point. Dont fish alone.

Cheers

Jeffo


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## blaggon (Jan 14, 2008)

just buy a hobie.. they come with an ensuite.. much easier to answer the call :twisted:


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