kayak folks look here please/ now pics!

[raggie33]

them look cool McGizmo bet there fast.i miss the ocean somedays

 

[RyanA]

Grrrr.... Sit on tops.... I'm not sure I'd even classify them as real kayaks. Real yakers wear skirts, sea skirts that is, it's manly, I swear.
Raggie your boat should float providing the hatches are sealed. Give it a try in shallow water to be sure.
Also there are one size fits all solutions for skirts, provided there is a lip around the cockpit.

 

[raggie33]

im afraid the skirt will lock me in there so far i havent been close to fliping it over even when drunk idiots in power boats got to close.tnight i was checking to see how much gear i can fit in it may go camping the next cold night i hate heat.ill go some where on the lake thats army core property and hide up in the woods so folks dont harass me but most places i am looking into you can only get there by boat

 

[McGizmo]

Grrrr.... Sit on tops.... I'm not sure I'd even classify them as real kayaks. Real yakers wear skirts, sea skirts that is, it's manly, I swear.
....

:nana:

If the technology were there, back then, I doubt anyone would have designed a dang closed deck boat! You have to dress as if you will go in the water but then you seal yourself into the boat and have a lower body sauna!

I learned to eskimo roll both the wave skis and surf skis but no need!

Agreed though. These aren't real kayaks; something more advanced and better! :duck:

 

[RyanA]

Admit it Don, sea skirts look cool, kind of like a neoprene kilt.

 

[RyanA]

im afraid the skirt will lock me in there so far i havent been close to fliping it over even when drunk idiots in power boats got to close.tnight i was checking to see how much gear i can fit in it may go camping the next cold night i hate heat.ill go some where on the lake thats army core property and hide up in the woods so folks dont harass me but most places i am looking into you can only get there by boat

You should practice bailing in a safe environment, pool or shallow water with a buddy watching. There's usually a pull handle on the front of the skirt. Practice running your hands down the rails on the sides of the cockpit to the handle, pulling the handle, and leaning forward. Then try it upside down with a buddy watching. I'm not going to lie, I've capsized my boat accidentally before, but having this little bit of advance knowledge makes bailing much easier.

 

[raggie33]

ill practice for sure they have some kayak club near me that had something to do with the 96 Olympics not sure if they was done there or what but i still am pretty shy so i wont join but i bet them guys have classes

 

[McGizmo]

Raggie,
Forgive me a little digression but related to kayaks and Eskimo rolling...

My good friend in the bay area was into making beautiful wood crafted kayaks in the "old tradition" and he used the skirts and when we would paddle, he would start out with a few practice rolls. Well I didn't need to have this skill because my surf ski didn't have any bailing or sinking issues but it seemed like a skill that would be cool to master.

I went about making a seat belt that would hold me securely in the surfski and I had easy release snap shackles incorporated in the seat belt so that I couldn't be trapped with the boat upside down. All fine and good but I wanted to be able to hang upside down, under water, for as long as it took to figure out how to roll the boat upright. Gizmology enters in and I rig a small 8CF scuba bottle on the deck with a long hose on the regulator so I can have the reg in my mouth and suck air as long as I need to.

I went to Monterey to learn how to roll because I prefered water I could see in as opposed to the dark and dreary SF Bay. The rig worked great and I was able to master the Eskimo roll in no time. However I discovered that hanging upside down in the surfski was quite comfortable and provided a nice view of the ocean. It was akin to being in a lounge chair! (I have told this story before I am sure so forgive me, those of you have already heard this). During this time, I was also visiting Monterey and going on solo scuba dives to visit the kelp forests and bottom and take pictures. With this new rig, I could paddle out where ever I wanted to and should the desire to view the ocean below come up, I could simply roll the surfski upside down. stow the paddle and kick back and view and take photos. It worked great! I was on a roll and I knew this technique would be fantastic in the Maui waters when I next visited during whale season. I decided to get the "sport" mastered during weekly visits to Monterey so I would have it down.

Unfortunatly this cool new sport had a fatal flaw. The flaw being that of presumed fatality or dire problems held by anyone at a distance who witnessed a kayak turn turtle with no one coming to the surface! :green: Shortly into my new sport, I was out in the Monterey Bay and there was a bloom of these 6" diameter orange jelly fish. They were everywhere! and propelling themselves at impressive speed. I got to an area where I could see hundreds of them about 4-5' below the surface and proceeded to roll over and watch them and take a few shots. I was probably inverted for 5 minutes or so. I decided to roll back upright. Upon resurfacing, I found my self surrounded by some really concerned and spooked kayakers!! They weren't expecting me to roll all of a sudden with a mask on my face and regulator in my mouth. They had been dreading a floater surfacing in the area.

We discussed what I was doing and they thought it cool but scarry. I decided that a dive flag on my rudder might be a good idea as it would only be seen with the boat inverted and hopefully give onlookers an idea of what was up.

In the pic below, I took a split view shot of my brother on the surfski that had been set up for "roll diving" and you can see the dive flag on the rudder:

I figured that this flag covered any potential confusion and proceeded to do more of this activity until I went into the local Monteray dive store one day to get the small bottle filled with air. The guy in the store asked me what I used the small bottle for and I told him. He got an expression on his face and asked me if I had been out doing this about a week ago. Yes, I had. Well apparently someone from shore had seen me roll and not surface and they went and called the Coast Guard reporting an accident. In the time it took for them to get to the area, I had simply surfaced and moved on and probably back to the beach. The Coast Guard spent some time out there probably in a grid search and word went out about a possible boating accident and missing kayaker.

Well so much for that cool new sport!! I had some serious and thoughtful discussions with other divers and boaters as to how such a sport might be implimented with no down side or unnecessary concern generated and there were no simple or obvious solutions. The idea that the public or fellow boaters could get comfortable and unconcerned with a capsized kayak and no one visible is not a good idea!!! Perhaps with some education and specially marked or colored kayaks......

I would guess others have had this idea and for all I know, it may be practiced in some places now? :shrug: Raggie's comment about practicing brought this story to mind as I would think a great way to learn to Eskimo Roll is if you can take the breath holding aspect and panic out of the equation, at least initially.

I don't know what the phyisics are but it is conceivable that a simple snorkel that feeds through the deck and opens at the bottom of the boat might suffice. Once cleared, I don't think you would be sucking the air too far below the surface for it to be a real problem but it's just a guess.

 

[raggie33]

Raggie,
Forgive me a little digression but related to kayaks and Eskimo rolling...

My good friend in the bay area was into making beautiful wood crafted kayaks in the "old tradition" and he used the skirts and when we would paddle, he would start out with a few practice rolls. Well I didn't need to have this skill because my surf ski didn't have any bailing or sinking issues but it seemed like a skill that would be cool to master.

I went about making a seat belt that would hold me securely in the surfski and I had easy release snap shackles incorporated in the seat belt so that I couldn't be trapped with the boat upside down. All fine and good but I wanted to be able to hang upside down, under water, for as long as it took to figure out how to roll the boat upright. Gizmology enters in and I rig a small 8CF scuba bottle on the deck with a long hose on the regulator so I can have the reg in my mouth and suck air as long as I need to.

I went to Monterey to learn how to roll because I prefered water I could see in as opposed to the dark and dreary SF Bay. The rig worked great and I was able to master the Eskimo roll in no time. However I discovered that hanging upside down in the surfski was quite comfortable and provided a nice view of the ocean. It was akin to being in a lounge chair! (I have told this story before I am sure so forgive me, those of you have already heard this). During this time, I was also visiting Monterey and going on solo scuba dives to visit the kelp forests and bottom and take pictures. With this new rig, I could paddle out where ever I wanted to and should the desire to view the ocean below come up, I could simply roll the surfski upside down. stow the paddle and kick back and view and take photos. It worked great! I was on a roll and I knew this technique would be fantastic in the Maui waters when I next visited during whale season. I decided to get the "sport" mastered during weekly visits to Monterey so I would have it down.

Unfortunatly this cool new sport had a fatal flaw. The flaw being that of presumed fatality or dire problems held by anyone at a distance who witnessed a kayak turn turtle with no one coming to the surface! :green: Shortly into my new sport, I was out in the Monterey Bay and there was a bloom of these 6" diameter orange jelly fish. They were everywhere! and propelling themselves at impressive speed. I got to an area where I could see hundreds of them about 4-5' below the surface and proceeded to roll over and watch them and take a few shots. I was probably inverted for 5 minutes or so. I decided to roll back upright. Upon resurfacing, I found my self surrounded by some really concerned and spooked kayakers!! They weren't expecting me to roll all of a sudden with a mask on my face and regulator in my mouth. They had been dreading a floater surfacing in the area.

We discussed what I was doing and they thought it cool but scarry. I decided that a dive flag on my rudder might be a good idea as it would only be seen with the boat inverted and hopefully give onlookers an idea of what was up.

In the pic below, I took a split view shot of my brother on the surfski that had been set up for "roll diving" and you can see the dive flag on the rudder:

I figured that this flag covered any potential confusion and proceeded to do more of this activity until I went into the local Monteray dive store one day to get the small bottle filled with air. The guy in the store asked me what I used the small bottle for and I told him. He got an expression on his face and asked me if I had been out doing this about a week ago. Yes, I had. Well apparently someone from shore had seen me roll and not surface and they went and called the Coast Guard reporting an accident. In the time it took for them to get to the area, I had simply surfaced and moved on and probably back to the beach. The Coast Guard spent some time out there probably in a grid search and word went out about a possible boating accident and missing kayaker.

Well so much for that cool new sport!! I had some serious and thoughtful discussions with other divers and boaters as to how such a sport might be implimented with no down side or unnecessary concern generated and there were no simple or obvious solutions. The idea that the public or fellow boaters could get comfortable and unconcerned with a capsized kayak and no one visible is not a good idea!!! Perhaps with some education and specially marked or colored kayaks......

I would guess others have had this idea and for all I know, it may be practiced in some places now? :shrug: Raggie's comment about practicing brought this story to mind as I would think a great way to learn to Eskimo Roll is if you can take the breath holding aspect and panic out of the equation, at least initially.

I don't know what the phyisics are but it is conceivable that a simple snorkel that feeds through the deck and opens at the bottom of the boat might suffice. Once cleared, I don't think you would be sucking the air too far below the surface for it to be a real problem but it's just a guess.

i read it to fast and didnt see at first about the air tank lol

 

[Patriot]

Great story Don! Thanks for sharing that since I found it very interesting. It seems that the dive sticker is a good idea but probably just to small for it to register to concerned on lookers.

I've kayaked / surfskied in Monterey Bay twice. It must be one of the most beautiful places to kayak in the world and the wildlife was abundant. I look forward to going back there.

 

[raggie33]

dang power boats ruin it they dont watch for us with no power so now 9i just try to stay like 1 feet to the shore.im sure there drunk

 

[RyanA]

I guess not all powerboaters are jerks, just the ingnorant ones. Belive it or not you have the right of way.:shrug: