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

> .....Three questions/comments:



>  >>
>
Bob's questions (>>), followed by Harold's responses (>), followed in turn
by Bob's further comments:

Bob:>>     1.  Why would you want to elevate your stern when towing?
Harold:>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.
Bob:......OK, I see that.

Bob:>> 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.
Harold:>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?

.....It's a very appealing thought to avoid snagging the tow line on the
stern.  I recently experienced (was responsible for) just such a problem
which resulted in a dangerous situation.  Happily, the worst of it turned
out to be my embarrassment, but it could have been nasty for my towees
(there were two hooked up together in a training exercise that nearly went
very wrong).  I can see that attaching the system close to the cockpit might
avoid the alignment problem, but the system seems -- at least as I imagine
it at this point -- pretty cumbersome.  Seems to me that when a tow becomes
necessary, one would want to hook up and get going ASAP.  But, as I envisage
it, you'd have to rig it before you could hook up to the towee.

Bob:>>     3. How would you disconnect quickly in an emergency (say, a
capsize)?
Harold:>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.
Bob:....The disconnect would work well (although you'd want to have a small
supply of spare slip rings handy).  Threading the bridle under the boat gets
back to my previous suggestion that the system might be a bit clumsy in a
situation when you want to hook up to someone in a hurry.  And do you think
the procedure would be practical in rough conditions?  On another point:  if
you make the bridle fairly long, say halfway to the stern, then I believe
you run into that alignment problem, although it would indeed by mitigated
by the slip ring.  For reasons of speed and maneuverability, I think it
would be preferable to learn how to free the tow line from one's stern, and
to learn that it's necessary to check the line at frequent intervals.  Given
my recent experience, I've practiced this and find little hardship in it.

>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.
.....Indeed, many boats have these things.

To work through the problems inherent in towing and rescues in general *well
in advance of actual need* is the best way to ensure that they will succeed.
Surely the fouling of the tow line is a serious potential problem and a
workable mechanical solution would be very welcome.  But the mechanics are
not the only factors we need to consider.  I believe that rescue procedures
and equipment solutions should be conceptualized in the context of the
conditions under which they are likely to be needed.  This must include
rough conditions in which the rescuer's abilities and stability may be
compromised.   Accordingly, towing systems must be easy to deploy, easy to
attach, and easy to escape.

Bob Volin
        bobvolin_at_bestweb.net   ;->
            There cannot be a crisis this week;
             my schedule is already full.

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