Re: [Paddlewise] Drift Stopper Sea Anchor Modifications

Duane wrote;
>I began using it as instructed by the manufacturer
>and was very displeased.

First I'd like to state that the Drift Stopper was not a sponsor on the Gulf
Expedition.  I paid full price for both sea anchors used.  One was purchased
four years prior to the expedition.  It would be almost impossible to say
that any one piece of equipment was the most valuable.  For long crossings a
sea anchor is a VERY valuable piece of equipment / safety tool.  Almost no
tweaking was done to the original design of the Drift Stopper.  I was very
pleased with the results of the design.  Of course I haven't found any piece
of gear that is flawless or could be improved on to suite ones individual
needs.

>The problem was how the sea anchor sat in the
>stored position on the deck.  When the nylon straps that held the storage
bag
>on deck became wet, they expanded, causing the storage bag to flop around
too
>much when waves washed over the deck.  Sometimes the bag even hung over the
>side a bit.  The tightening strap is too far forward to reach myself while
in
>the cockpit, but I had a partners tighten it on the water, and it still
>flopped around a lot.  Also, there were way too many straps and lines on
the
>deck, which just seemed unsafe.

Having two sea anchors with an age difference several years apart there was
a difference between the too.  The older one having more wear was more
pliable.  This extra flexibility allowed for easier deployment and
retrieval.  As far as the "flopping around" this problem may vary with
different designs of kayaks (i.e.; how close the forward bungiee system is
to the bow).  What I did to minimize the flopping was to run the strap from
the smaller end of the storage bag under the deck bungies before reaching
its manufacture supplied deck cleat.  Tucking the strap under the bungies
helped to stabilize the straps.  After attaching the bow end of the storage
bag I really have to put a serious tug on the stern strap to attach it to
the supplied deck cleat.  With all that said there was some movement in the
storage sack but not so much that I would say it was flopping around.  Surly
it never hung over the side.


>That storage bag was just too much windage
>too.


  Anything on the deck will produce some windage.  It's just how much are
you willing to trade off compared to the benefit the windage problem gear is
providing in other areas.


>The looped line usually
>become tangled and slowed deployment.

Never had the line becoming tangled.  To coil up the line I would wrap it
around my hand. (the knuckle area).  After completion of the coiling I could
easily slip it off my hand.  I relize this sounds a bit unsafe but it never
caused a unsafe situation even in bad seas.

>Also, I was concerned about the chute
>being in the air towards the bow during deployment and retrieval, possibly
>catching the wind, inflating and causing havoc.  This never happened, but
the
>potential seemed to be there, especially in a strong wind.

 I've deployed the chute in 30 plus knot winds and never had that problem.
The potential may be there but I don't think the chute could ever get
airborne before the water would grab and deflate it.

>Even worse, when
>bringing the chute back on deck, it had to hang from one side of the bow
>while the water took a few seconds to drain form it.  This much weight to
one
>side made the kayak a bit difficult to balance in choppy water while the
bow
>was going up and down in the waves.
>
>I solved these problems by doing away with the storage bag and its straps.
I
>simply put the main chute line through the front pad eye that is used for
the
>front toggle.  Then the line is tied around the cockpit, as recommended by
>the manufacturer.  The chute is stored by collapsing it and folding it in
>half, wrapping the remaining line around it, and tucking it all under the
>front bungees.  This makes for very little windage and very few lines on
the
>deck.

Sounds like a good idea but...............
 Yes, you do have to wait a couple of seconds to let the water drain.
Would it not be best to have the extra weight on one side closer to the bow
in lieu of midship for stability?   Would it not be safer if retrieval
procedure had to cease before completion if the chute was being pulled in at
the bow in lieu of midship?  Sounds like it may be a dangerous situation to
have not only the line but also the chute near the functional area of your
paddle if conditions warranted some type of evasive action.

One reason I liked the Drift Stopper system is the bulk of the unit was kept
well away from the valuable reachable space in front of my cockpit.  I had a
seriously cluttered deck during the Gulf Expedition, go figure.   Every
square inch that I could reach with my hands while in the cockpit  was
extremely important.

Arthur Hebert

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