[KayakerStan]

At this time of the year besides being dressed with drysuit, dry top/wader combo and layering your clothes for the water/air temps you should also know how to get back on your kayak if you were to fall off it. Here's a video I shot last year of how to get back onto your kayak if you were to fall off. It's very easy to do and you all should know how to do this and practice it before every trip you make. Please be safe out there here's the link to the video:

This post edited by KayakerStan 01:46 PM 03/29/2008

 

[650287]

Wow!!! That looks like our September ON THE WATER MEETING of the KFA-NY. Is that Rich our new President doing self rescue?

Our next, and last indoor meeting of the season will be held on April 9th at the Ceader Beach Marina, Sports Fishing Education Center. From 7:30- 9:30 PM.. Indoor meetings are open to all. On the water meetings are from May - October, and are for members only. All are welcome to join our family.

 

[KayakerStan]

Many of you that have read my past posts on this site know I have always pushed safety first in kayak fishing, dressing for the water/ air temps whichever is colder and also learning self rescue before you go out on your new kayak.

wrote:
Wow!!! That looks like our September ON THE WATER MEETING of the KFA-NY. Is that Rich our new President doing self rescue?

Our next, and last indoor meeting of the season will be held on April 9th at the Ceader Beach Marina, Sports Fishing Education Center. From 7:30- 9:30 PM.. Indoor meetings are open to all. On the water meetings are from May - October, and are for members only. All are welcome to join our family.

Carl, it's amazing how low you will stoop to promote your Club.

Here I am posting a link to a video I made about self rescue that could possibly save someones life and you post about your next meeting.

This post edited by KayakerStan 03:15 AM 03/30/2008

 

[PaddleOn]

Good point Stan and being able to get back on/in your kayak is something everyone needs to make sure they can do...
especially if you fish alone!.
When you watch the video notice the leg kicks that help the person get himself back onto the boat.This is all about timing plain and simple.Pulling yourself on while kicking hard to propel your body a bit.
This is something you should practice!Do not wait till your out fishing/paddling and get dumped into the water..
Take a day...an hour...and mess around with your kayak in a shallow area.Get to know how the kayak will react.
Its tipping point...
the best re-entry...
If you ue a sit inside your going to have a very hard time re-entering alone.There are tricks and a few things you can bring along( paddle floats etc) but these need to be practiced before the swimming sesion ( your butt getting dumped overboard) ever happens.

Something to keep in mind if your the type that fishs open water is that the conditions that made you fall out will still be there when you get back in( unless you fell out because that 50lb Stiper yanked you clean outta your seat ).
In sea kayaking this means : if the water is nasty and the wind is howling those conditions make it much harder to re-enter your kayak.And those conditions will still be there waiting for you to do it again...
Getting back on/into a kayak in rough conditions is exhausting even for a fit person.It drains you quick and the adrenalin that was pumped out leaves you wiped out ( been there unfortunately).
Think before you head into open water.

Lastly on this Sunday morning rambling I'm doing...
WIND is not your friend!
Even a slight breze can wisk your kayak away faster than you can swim after it.
Please be carefull.
Get to know your kayak and think ahead before each trip especialy if you go out alone.
Kayaking accidents are rarely caused by one event.
Its usually a combination of events that add up and doom the panic stricken exhausted paddler.

I think its time for an On The WaterNoreast Seminar dealing with kayaking and all that goes along with being safe and prepared.
Hands on seminar

Jay

KayakerStan wrote:
At this time of the year besides being dressed with drysuit, dry top/wader combo and layering your clothes for the water/air temps you should also know how to get back on your kayak if you were to fall off it. Here's a video I shot last year of how to get back onto your kayak if you were to fall off. It's very easy to do and you all should know how to do this and practice it before every trip you make. Please be safe out there here's the link to the video:

 

[KayakerStan]

wrote:
I think its time for an On The WaterNoreast Seminar dealing with kayaking and all that goes along with being safe and prepared.
Hands on seminar

Jay

Jay, that sounds like a great idea!!!

How about setting up a self rescue seminar during the warmer months? I would be more than willing to help out and get involved with something like this.

 

[bassknuckles]

Also practice in your different kayak clothing

In the video I was able to do the self rescue farly easy as I did practice and also flipped last year during an outing. When I practiced, I also practiced with my dry suit and for the fun of it with waders on.

I had a very hard time completing self rescue with waders on, when I was kicking water was getting inside the waders through the chest which made the waders heavyer luckly I have good upper body strengh and was able to complete the self rescue. If I failed more then twice I dont think I would be able to complete the self rescue. Also the waders could easly snag or get hooked on some of the "gadgets" on the yak.

With the dry suit on, it was easier then the waiders but I did not have all the mobility as I had in the video do to the gaskets.

Practice

Also when you practice you may also want to practice flipping the yak back over, when I flipped, my yak also flipped so I had to turn the yak over first. With the Hobie it was fairly easy as I just grabed the drive system and pulled it toward me and the yak flipped back. In my Ocean Yak I needed to climb over the hull and grab the other side of the yak and pulled the yak toward me as I slip off the hull, I got wet this way but it worked. Hope I explained this fairly well.

This post edited by bassknuckles 07:40 PM 03/30/2008

 

[KayakerStan]

Jay & Rich, you both come up with a lot of good points.

Let me also add a few things when you get good at self rescue when wearing dry clothes (dry suit, wader/dry top combo) or shorts during the summer months try doing the same with a fully loaded kayak. Kayaks react differently when they are fully loaded sometimes it will be harder to right your capsized kayak it will also react differently when you try to get back on it. When you get good at self rescue in a calm area try it in an area with a good moving current. If you plan to fish areas with strong current you need to know how to get back on your kayak and how your kayak might react. Last but not least if you plan to fish out in the ocean try getting back on your kayak with waves breaking over your head. It?s amazing how fast conditions could possibly change while out on the water. Over the many years I have enjoyed this sport there were some instances I was out in the ocean 1 maybe 2 + miles out in moderate conditions and out of nowhere it got nasty real fast. You really need to be prepared and more importantly stay calm.

Kayak fishing is a fun sport it can also be very deadly. We all have families that care about us, and we care about them. Please be careful dress right, learn self rescue right away before going out on your kayak and practice, practice and practice it a lot. Be safe catch plenty of fish and have lots of fun.

 

[mrsinbad]

Jay, if you are going to set up something on self rescue, I would be glad to help out, if you need it.

 

[Captjc]

In reading all the post on this topic the mention of wearing waders with a dry top while kayak fishing sends shivers up my spine. Waders with boots attached are never a good idea. They can fill with water pushing air to the boots and even with a PFD turn you upside down.
There are many other safe options.

As for self rescue there is nothing wrong with carring a paddle float,rescue stirrup and pump even in a sit on top. What happens if you develop a crack with a slow leak in your SOT and have no way to pump out the hull. Moving the kayak back to shore with water in the hull would be hard work to say the least. Practice with these items in controlled conditions will allow you to master them quickly.

Our staff at CaptainKayak practices the worst case senarios in water every year so that they know what to expect when faced with a problem.

I would be willing to host a FREE In-Water Kayak Safety Day at our location on Dune Rd. in East Quogue when the water warmes up a bit if there were enough people willing to participate.

 

[KayakerStan]

Captjc, I can understand your concern about waders on a kayak. Let?s face the facts not everyone will go out and buy a dry suit that will run between 400 - 600 + dollars and still could possibly tear or develop a leak so stockingfoot wader/dry top combo at least is something that are affordable and works. It?s better than going out with only rain gear or jeans and jacket on at this time of the year.

Many of us including Jon Shein who started Kayak Fishing Stuff and probably has been kayak fishing longer than anybody on this site has used stockingfoot wader/dry top combo for many years. We always test out our dry clothes before we launch our kayaks and so should everyone that wears this combo or a dry suit or anything else to make sure its sealed water tight. We have also tested the combo in many different conditions, fast moving current, rough seas and ocean surf and it works as long as you are wearing a "real dry top" and it fits properly along with stockingfoot waders. I would never wear waders alone without a "real dry top" I believe that?s a death wish.

Here is a video posted on youtube by Jim Sammons about waders and water. Even though Jim also demonstrates wearing waders alone I would never try it. Here is the link to the video:

As for self rescue there is nothing wrong with carring a paddle float,rescue stirrup and pump even in a sit on top. What happens if you develop a crack with a slow leak in your SOT and have no way to pump out the hull. wrote:

A paddle float, stirrup and pump are all good things to have and should be taken along on any trip but anyone that owns a SOT kayak should be able to get back on their kayak just like in my video in less than 10 seconds. If stirrups are needed to get back on your SOT you should practice getting back on like in my video it?s the right way and the fastest way to get back on your kayak. I would be more than happy to show anyone how to get back your SOT kayak without using stirrups it?s very easy to do once you know how to do it properly.

As for possible unforeseen leaks another preventive measure that everyone should do before your first kayak trip would be to stuff a bunch of pool noodles inside the hull on each side of your SOT kayak. As you all know pool noodles can be bought at a lot of different places and they are not expensive. If by any chance the kayak were to crack or developed a leak the pool noodles will give the kayak more than enough flotation so you will be able to get back on and paddle the kayak to a safe area without having to use a pump. In any case I would still carry a pump.

 

[Captjc]

KayakerStan,
I appreciate your concerns about kayak fishing safety and I'm in agreement with you. In my experiences people new to the sport always ask what they should wear. The representation of a "wader/dry top combo" can give the wrong impression. The STOCKINGFOOT WADER is what should be stated every time a wader is mentioned as to not give a single person the idea that a booted wader is OK to wear. Let's face it there are many surf fishermen getting into the sport and they all have waders with boots attached. DO NOT USE WADERS WITH BOOTS ATTACHED IN A KAYAK. There are other safe option and stockingfoot waders are one of them. That was my point.

Every person should know how to self rescue and practice even before adding the element of fishing. Practice in a pool or in some other controlled enviornment. In addition everyone should be carrying a paddle float, stirrup, and pump for unexpected emergency uses. Some people become exhausted or injured and these items can assist you in reentering your kayak and if your kayak has taken on water you can pump it out. There is nothing wrong with being "overprepared for an emergency".