kayak saftey gear?

[brianW]

Just bought a used kayak and am wondering what saftey/self rescue gear shoul I have with me at all times? Yes I do have a PFD and will wear it when I am out. thank you, -brianW

 

[darren]

Ocean or white water?

- darren

 

[Rick]

If you are in a long boat, a paddle float works great for self-rescue if you have problems rolling, along with a bilge pump - and don't forget a good sponge

Practice self rescue with the paddle float somewhere shallow and then move deeper until you can self rescue.

 

[DougPaul]

Appropriate insulation in case you wet exit and can't get out of the water for an extended period.

Doug

 

[sleeping bear]

Take an ACA (American Canoe Association, they do all paddlesports) course. Learn proper paddling and rescue techniques. Tie your boat on correctly and securely to your vehicle when transporting it. A whistle is required by law in many states.

 

[Waumbek]

Take an ACA (American Canoe Association, they do all paddlesports) course.

Thank you. I checked the ACA website for courses, and there was only one sea (coastal) kayaking course offered anywhere north of Boston in 2006 (Brunswick ME). Do you know of any other reputable groups or organizations that offer them more frequently in NH or Maine?

 

[bobandgeri]

Do you know of any other reputable groups or organizations that offer them more frequently in NH or Maine?

Check the North Shore Paddlers Network . They organize formal training classes, informal practice sessions, day and weekend trips, Tirp Leader training classes, and pool practice sessions during the Winter. Many there will paddle year round. They have a forum such as this one for posting organized trips as well as Show and Go's.

Past classes have included some well known instructors:

Karen Knight: Women’s Sea Kayaking Workshop
Karen Knight & Bob Foote: Dancing on Water
Bob Foote: Stroke Coaching & Analysis / Rolling Clinics
Nigel Foster: BCU 3 Star Training / Kayak with Wind & Waves
Derek Hutchinson: Beyond the Cockpit

 

[sleeping bear]

Thank you. I checked the ACA website for courses, and there was only one sea (coastal) kayaking course offered anywhere north of Boston in 2006 (Brunswick ME). Do you know of any other reputable groups or organizations that offer them more frequently in NH or Maine?

Lots of paddle shops offer instruction with ACA certified instructors.
The one that comes to mind is Charles River Canoe and Kayak in Boston, I know they offer courses in both canoe and kayaks. Zoar Outdoor in Western Mass. does tons of instruction as well, although mostly whitewater.

 

[brianW]

Thanks for the info. I did buy a 15' perception (ocean) Going to be doing a lot of large lake and flat river kayaking. I am also hitching up with a local kayak club (for me at least) in Augusta, GA that does both sea and white water stuff.

I did spend last Sunday morning on a local lake that is about 15 minute from my house and had a blast. Plenty of lake to explore since its 30 plus miles long (Lake Thurmond aka Clarks Hill) I want to play on the Savanah River but that one sign I read about alligators (not eggs) kinda has me freaked out. -brianW

 

[darren]

For a boat like that on open water, besides a PFD (duh) here is a general list of what you should have:

1) pump - to pump out water that gets in your cockpit

2) paddle float - used to assist in a 1 person re-entry into the cockpit after a wet exit (meaning you fell out and you need to get back in and you are alone). You will have to TRAIN to learn how to use one effectively. Just buying one and strapping it to your deck doesn't do you any good.

3) whistle - get a nice marine two tone one, even the cheap plastic ones are super loud

4) flares - you can get the kind that you can shoot off without a gun, you just pull the rope on one end

5) compass + map - even if you know the area very well, you should still have a compass. Fog can move in very fast and if you are any distance from land you can go in circles pretty easily. Deck compasses are nice and they are fairly cheap. It is a lot easier than trying to paddle while using a handheld compass.

6) Put a bow line on your boat. It can double as a tow line.

7) Dougpaul raised the very important point of insulation. Even in GA, I'm guessing in the spring or fall, the water can be cold enough to kill pretty quickly. Just be sure where ever you paddle that you are prepared to spend a while in the water.

8) If you are going in a group, then you should have at least 1 spare paddle. If you are solo, then obviously you are the person that needs to bring the spare paddle. If you break your paddle and the wind / current is going out then you can get in trouble in a hurry.

9) dry bags for your extra clothes, food, etc.

10) head lamp if you are going out in the evening

Let me know if you have any questions.

Welcome to the addictive world of kayaking.

- darren

ps: I might set up a kayak forum that will be readable only by people that sign up (so it wont bother the hiking only croud). Stay tuned.

 

[sardog1]

Here's a vote for the Storm. But for the life of me, I cannot understand how something that can disable a person standing next to it can be called a safety device.

"For the life of me" is also why I carry one.

 

[Grandaddy]

ps: I might set up a kayak forum that will be readable only by people that sign up (so it wont bother the hiking only croud). Stay tuned.

That would be great Darren!

 

[BorealChickadee]

My first non-ocean kayaking was down the Sacandaga river in the spring. Someone had a cement can anchor in their kayak, explaining that it was good to drop to check out a rapid and if they got dumped hopefully the anchor would drop out as planned, snagging the kayak on rocks and it wouldn't go ten miles downriver. Sounded good to me.

 

[KayakDan]

Darren,nice job on listing the safety equiptment.One item to add for ocean stuff is a VHF radio. Crossing a busy channel,a Securite' call can give some peace of mind,and if you,or someone else you see,is in trouble-Ch16 can be a lifesaver.
Also,an item I carry is a dive knife. If I ever need to cut a line fast to get loose-it's there! Mostly I dig rocks out of the skeg box with it!

Waumbek,try H2Outfitters,highly reputable,located on Orrs' Island,Maine. Jeff has been doing ACA instruction for years,and runs some very exotic trips(Iceland,Japan). These courses are not run frequently because they are really geared towards developing instructors.H2Outfitters
Another place is Everyday Adventures. I paddled with this guy once,and he's good! Don't know much about his instruction. They are in coastal NH.
Everyday Adventures
If you're new to paddling and just want a solid start,these outfitters offer good "Fast start" courses with the basics. Get familiar with wet exits,paddle float and T rescues,and basic strokes,and you're on the way!

Just back from three excellent days in Muscongus Bay! Lobsters and steamers on the rocks on Hungry Island for dinner on night 1. It just doesn't get any better! We covered about 21 miles over the 3 days,and very little rain during paddling time.

 

[Stan]

ps: I might set up a kayak forum that will be readable only by people that sign up (so it wont bother the hiking only croud). Stay tuned.

Hooray! and excellent list.

 

[darren]

The forum is set up. You have to join a group to see it. It's easy. Read the post in the Site Help forum.



- darren

 

[Jay H]

In addition to the things mentioned here, thought I'd expound a little on the VHF radio thing. Warren and I just got back from a 4 day kayak on the Penobscot Bay, home to many lobsterman. In addition to all the things listed, Warren had a spare VHF radio that he let me borrow and one of things useful is local knowledge of the local boaters. I'm not that well versed in VHF radio usage as I don't own one and have never used one before but besides monitoring the usual channels, you might want to know exactly what the local boaters use in and amongst themselves. We found out from the MITA person that most lobstermen use channel 71 (pleasureboat), however, we both had out VHF radios set to other channels. However, the MITA guy also mentioned that most of them don't use it anyway except for in and out of harbors so in real world, don't except them to announce themselves.

We had flares, compasses, spare compasses, both of us had spare paddles. Of course, each of us had our own pump, sponge, PFD, whistle, USCG approved light.

I had the GPS, Warren had the official nav. chart.

Jay

 

[KayakDan]

Jay, it seems that the channels most used for locals(lobstermen etc) are 69-72. You can set up your VHF to scan all these channels along with 9/16 so you can stay in touch.

 

[Jay H]

Thanks Dan. I borrowed a radio for my Maine trip, other than knowing how to push-to-talk and how to unlock the radio, I don't know about all the features of it yet. When I do some more extensive coastal paddling (like more parts of the Maine Island Trail) I might look into purchasing an inexpensive VHF radio for all the paddling I do locally, it's not worth it and for the most part, one can typically stay out of the boat lanes unless you're like around Manhatten where it's probably unavoidable.

Jay