Re: [Paddlewise] High and Low Towing and Towing Gadget

In a message dated 9/14/99 5:00:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
bobvolin_at_bestweb.net writes:

<< 
 .....Three questions/comments:
     1.  Why would you want to elevate your stern when towing?
     2.  This device on the tower's stern would seriously impair
 maneuverability:  you wouldn't be able  to turn as needed because the
 harness would tend to keep you aligned to the towed boat.
     3. How would you disconnect quickly in an emergency (say, a capsize)?
  >>

Good Q's John.  

1.  I wouldn't.  But even with a short (15 ft) tow, the lift seems like it 
would be very minimal -- you're looking at a triangle with the vertical side 
of around 10 to 16 inches and a 15-foot hypotenuse.  

2.  Seems to me to be the opposite.  I have to admit that I gave this little 
thought before writing my original question, but what I saw as a possible 
*big* advantage would be the elimination of catching the tow rope on the 
rudder or stern.  Even with rudderless Greenland-style kayaks I've had 
problems with the line (even when anchored to the middle of my back) hooking 
on one side or the other of the upturned stern.  This gives the towed boat a 
7-foot lever arm to turn you off course when it drifts to the side opposite 
the rope.  If the towline was connected to a ring which could slide freely on 
a bridle beneath the hull, an off-center pull would slide the ring to the 
same side and transfer the pull to both sides of the kayak, inline with a 
point somewhere between the two attachment points, just behind the cockpit.  
Am I missing something here?

3.  Connect the bridle line through two jam cleats, one on each side, near 
the gunnel and maybe six inches behind the cockpit.  To release, pull either 
end of the line out of its cleat and let go of the rope, the rope would trail 
behind the boat and let the ring and towline slip free.  IF you had nothing 
on your rear deck that would foul the system, you could rig the bridle and 
ring on top of the deck and leave it there for a short tow or tow in mild 
conditions when hooking the rudder/stern is no problem.  When needed, undo 
one end of the bridle and pass it beneath the boat, hand-to-hand, thread it 
through the ring and run the free end through its cleat.  The bridle would be 
length-adjustable using the cleats, but would probably be happy if long 
enough that the loop would reach back about halfway to the stern.

Comments anyone?  Like I said above, I'm just thinking out loud here, but it 
seems that there would be some real advantages unless you were using a kayak 
with an adjustable skeg and wished to deploy it during the tow *or* had a 
boat with a keel line with a very deep skeg at the stern.

Thanks for your input.

Harold
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