[Paddlewise] FW: Foot pumps

>>
What interest me about all these post is , How often do you find yourself
in a situation where a hand pump used properly would not work or a buddy
could not assist in emptying your kayak of water rather going to all the
trouble of buying and mounting a foot pump.
>>

Before ordering a kayak with a foot pump, I tried to imagine conditions
that would cause me to do a wet exit. I reasoned that if I do capsize
and wet exit, it is most likely to happen in breaking waves, which
means they will be refilling the cockpit about as fast as I can pump it
out unless I put the sprayskirt back on. I also imagined trying to
brace in such conditions while both hands were on the pump. A foot pump
(or an electric pump) made the most sense to me in such conditions.
With a foot pump, I can paddle and brace while pumping, while the sealed
cockpit that an internal pump makes possible keeps more water from
entering.

I don't necessarily count on support from a buddy in such a situation,
because groups tend to spread out when the weather gets rough. Also,
there is the potential hazard of smashed fingers and strained muscles
when kayaks raft up in rough water.

Putting it another way, I have a foot pump for the same reason I carry
emergency flares and strobe and wear a dry suit on cold water: not for
anticipated normal kayaking, but for the unanticipated extremes; not as
a primary defense, but as a backup for my backups. My preferred
defenses are to stay out of trouble in the first place and, if that
fails, to be able to recover with a reliable brace, and if that fails,
to be able to recover with a reliable roll. Meanwhile, since my spray
skirt leaks a little, it's handy during rolling practice to be able to
pump out the boat occasionally without having to remove the sprayskirt
and unstow and restow a manual pump.

Chuck Holst

***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************