# using a drogue



## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

i have just read an interesting article in an old sea kayaker magazine about deployment of a Drogue or sea anchor , this article is primarily for kayaks , although the system is the same for all water craft . It is suggested that the sea anchor is deployed at either the for or aft of the kayak dependig on which way you wish to hold , to deploy beam on and attempt to hold side on they say is to court a capsize , it is suggested that a minimum of 40 ft of line to 60 ft of line be deployed with the sea anchor , and to obtain a maximum comfortable drift in a reasonable swell , allow the sea anchor to drift backwards or forwards depending on your situation so that the actual sea anchor is in the next swell behind the sea kayak . Also suggested that a float is attached to the sea anchor to stop it sinking and thus dragging the kayak down with it , just to fianlise the old sea dog information session , the line to the sea anchor is called the rodes , and the lines around the sea anchor used to give it shape are the shrouds .

ahhh well done Baz ,


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## Bartek (Dec 12, 2007)

Bazzoo

I have used drogues a lot over the years on tinnies and the like ,and nearly always deployed them to allow the boat to drift sideways, never once capsized or even came close. The length of rope on my drogue in the garage is approx 3-4m max. never tried one on a Yak, soon hopefully


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

Bartek said:


> never once capsized or even came close. .............. never tried one on a Yak, soon hopefully


Mate compare the beam of the boats you have used, and then compare the beam on any yak or canoe and it will be self evident why you drag from the bow or stern, to do otherwise and rig midships will certainly risk a capsize ;-)


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## sulo (Apr 9, 2007)

I've been thinking about trying a drogue of sorts for awhile, even if just to slow my rate of tidal drift in the creek. Gets a bit annoying drifting past a series of snags and the kayak drifts so fast you can only get a few casts in before having to paddle back.I've even toyed with the idea of chucking out a green shopping bag on a rope just to see if it works. 
I spose when you have offshore conditions and swells and stuff to worry about it might get a bit more complicated.


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## Guest (Apr 13, 2008)

I run mine at about 6 metres and find it just as effective as running it at 10 - 12 metres, which is what I use to do. And I also have run it side on numerous times to no ill effect. Not saying it can't happen, but it's never happened to me. The new Hobie ones have a float on the top side and a weight at the bottom side, which seems to give it the perfect shape. Very effective.


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## Peril (Sep 5, 2005)

I have been capsized in unfavourable conditions when using a short line on the drogue. No problem since I started letting out more rope.

Good advice Barry


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## Robbo107672 (Mar 25, 2008)

G'day,
I used a drogue successfully today with only about 1Metre of line on it.. The conditions were very choppy on PPB with 1 - 1.5 M waves. It felt a little 'jerky' when the swell pulled the yak hard against the drogue but it never felt unstable with it deployed off the bow.
Also had no sign of sinking the drogue, it was always close to the surface probably due to the short line and the short line made it easy to deploy and retrieve quickly and without tangling with other gear.

I guess that a longer line might improve the 'jerky' feeling but I don't think that the extra time to deploy and the chance of tangles would make it worth while. Of course if I was in bigger seas, it might be an issue, but I probably wouldn't be out in such conditions anyway as I got pretty wet today with a couple of waves breaking over me.

Rob.


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

The article i quoted from today is from Sea Kayaker magazine , and applies mainly to kayaks offshore in wave and swell conditions , the methodology employed is good seamanship ,and it is a method i used on my seagoing catermarran over many years in marginal conditions, where a sea anchor can save your life, and do what it is designed to do and hold you head or stern on to the wind and swell, control your drift and stop the fast runs down the face of waves and the sudden stop at the bottom , as there are many guys here now fishing out at sea , it is pretty good info to know how to deploy correctly ,and can enable the paddler to hang tough if hes caught out in a sudden blow with swell .In rivers and creeks , these conditions are rarely encountered. 8) 8)


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## Peril (Sep 5, 2005)

Peril said:


> I have been capsized in unfavourable conditions when using a short line on the drogue. No problem since I started letting out more rope.
> 
> Good advice Barry


From memory it was a 2m swell with a 1m chop. Wind was perpendicular to the swell. In conditions like that you don't want to take unnecessary chances


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## Baldy (Oct 1, 2007)

Mine is around 5m from the bow/stern, if conditions are that bad I need more than that out, I'll be thinking about heading in.[If its an emergency then I can use the anchor rope to extend it]

For me its more about comfort than safety, I dont know about the rest of you but I find my yak to be really stable side onto waves, remarkably so, just roll the hips and it sticks like glue. BUT its alot more comfortable having the bow/stern into it, for one you wont get as wet with whitewater washing over the yak and taking stuff with it...including you! The other reason is its just much less work, keeping balance while side on takes more concentration and effort, having it tied bow/stern lets the yak do most of the work.

The other thing is there is no warning when a bigger breaking wave hits you side on, if you dont see it coming it would be pretty easy to get thrown off as the leading edge picks up[Ive come close a couple of times], with the bow or stern taking the brunt of those waves its a safer option for fishing where your attention is on something else[tying rigs, fighting fish ect..] When you feel the bow/stern rise that bit more than usual it gives you that second or so to get ready.

There are times when its quite safe to run the drogue side on, a stiff offshore breeze is one, there might be little to no waves and if your inshore no swell. So in those situations a 1-2m "rodes" tied next to you works well, its very easy to deploy and retreive which is what you want when your getting blown offshore and you want to fish the structure/dropoff in close.

They are one of my favorite bits of kit for the yak and I use mine on just about every trip. The one safety tip I have for using a drogue or anchor is NOT to tie the rope directly to your anchor trolley or if your not using one, directly to the stern/bow. Allways tie off next to you within easy reach and then run the rope to the bow/stern with a carabina. With a trolley this is easy as you can clip the rope in before you move it into position. The first thing is safety, if I need to get rid of that drogue in an emergency I can just run the knife over the rope within easy reach. The other thing is its easy to adjust how much rope you have out easily, without moving the trolley, which ive found more usefull with the anchor than the drogue[and the reason i setup my old canoe with the pvc anchor holder/launcher on its bow] Sometimes I only want to move 50m or so and being able to leave the anchor in place ready to drop when i get to the spot is very handy.

I dont mean to tell people how to suck eggs :lol: Its all pretty simple, its just that ive seen a few mentions of tying anchors/drogues directly to the trolley, so I thought it was worth mentioning. I think this is more important in terms of safety than how much line you choose to use.

Cheers
Baldy


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

sulo said:


> even if just to slow my rate of tidal drift in the creek. Gets a bit annoying drifting past a series of snags and the kayak drifts so fast you can only get a few casts in before having to paddle back.


Mate it will be of no help in a tide, as your drogue just becomes part of the water flow the same as the yak...they are a brake when the wind is pushing you excessively, and are excellent in a dam situation as I fish.

In the snag situation you describe and if happening often, I leave the dumbell lowered and tied off on the swing to travel clear of the bottom, and when a pause is required it only has to be released and drop say 2m, then 2 zig zags on the cleat to tie off again and I'm fishing, all up about 10 seconds...to resume the drift lift again and continue


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

No doubt about you Richo , as well as being athletically built like myself :shock: and very good looking like myself :shock: , you do happen to have a wealth of knowledge in all matters relating to water and fishing , i am off this afternoon to buy myself a set of dumbells , as i agree thats a top way to control a drift in tidal situations and i'm actually amazed i never thought of it :lol: :lol:


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## Guest (Apr 14, 2008)

In hind sight, I should add that I attach my anchor and or sea anchor with a meter of thick bungee cord where I tie it off (these days to an anchor trolley). That may be why I've never come close to having a tip out by tieing off to the side. Obviously that absorbs a lot of shock on sudden jerks.


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## greenhornet (Aug 8, 2007)

great read guys thanks for the info!!


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