From: ralph diaz <rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com> > Another experiment you may want to try with jet ski buddies is to have > them tow you boat with you in it. I am not really certain what is the > best way to do this and would like to see some experimenting done. Well, I´ve done some of this, but far from experimenting I did it just for fan. I´ve been towed by an inflatable motorboat, like a Zodiak. I tied a 15m long rope to the front toggle of my kayak and a guy in the Zodiak grabbed it tightly. A second guy droved the Zodiak, slowly accelerating under my request. Remember my kayak has no rudder and is quite unstable ( similar to the Nordkapp ), so as the speed raised I had to rely on a low brace. In case I capsized the towing guy simply had to release the rope. Results....???? BIG BIG FUN !!! I don´t know the speed we reached but it was just the one when the Zodiak´s hull starts to plane by. I never capsized and as the speed increased the boat felt very stable, to the point I could rise both hands for short periods, or even turn the low brace into a rudder and play some slalom cutting the waves. I think supporting with your bare hands would be good enough, but as I have dislocated my left shoulder once ( also kayaking), I didn´t want to take the risk. For the same reason I didn´t want to go faster. The low brace was not really a brace, as I just kept the paddle in position "just in case", I loosed my balance. Most of the time it simply sliced on the water. The secret is in the driver, who has to gently manoeuvre the boat, and respect you timing and indications. Capsizing won´t be a problem as the speed is not so high. > I suspect that some pattern of towing would eliminate this unfortunate > development but I don't know what. One would be for the kayaks to raft > up in twos and threes and make certain the motorboat doesn't go too > fast. To my knowledge the swim escort kayaks have not done that. > Some years ago with five friends we crossed the "Rio de la Plata", from "Colonia", Uruguay to "Buenos Aires", in Argentina. For safety we had a 31 ft vessel with us. One of my friends decided to quit so his kayak had to be towed. After it turned over we realized that towing it with a short line so the bow remains raised above the water was the solution. Of course you can do it from a vessel which is high enough. Towing from a motorboat you may have to find the appropriate length of the rope so the kayak remains centred by the wave generated by the boat. There´s a point where the kayak is sucked by the engine so you can advance without paddling. But this also depends on the kind of motorboat, its speed, engine, etc. Best regards.- U.K.T. - UNION DE KAYAKISTAS DE TRAVESIA Fernando López Arbarello uktkayak_at_uol.com.ar *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Sat Feb 26 2000 - 20:06:40 PST
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