On Fri, 2 Jun 2000 07:18:56 +0930 Peter Carter said: <<I agree with Matt too. Whatever rescue method you use, a minimum volume cockpit and a hands free pump allow you to concentrate on paddling, even with a completely swamped cockpit, not fiddle about with spraycovers, etc., etc. (I know of some Aus paddlers who don't use spraycovers at all. There are times when I use one only to prevent sunburn.)<< Sounds almost like a washdeck kayak philosophy, in term of what the Tsunami Rangers use to avoid the dreaded "have to bail the cockpit now" conundrum - don't have cockpits. You almost have the same thing. This minimum volume thing is one of my "ultimate" backup strategies, one I came to a conclusion about a few years ago after talking with Paul Caffynn, after he told me about how the Tasmanian guys set their boats up. <<I think some manufacturers ought to think about how their boats behave when swamped: are they easily controlled, or are paddlers at the mercy of free surface effects?<< Some of the doubles are so bad around here, that water sloshing about inside will blow the bulkheads out. Not good. >>The sea sock that some have been describing is one way to do it for the folding boats, although as some have posted, they can be uncomfortable. For the others, bulkheads closely spaced, and buoyancy material in any unused space, especially along the sides. The less the volume, the less the water, the less the effect on stability, the less to pump...>> Yeap, just make sure wet exits are not hindered with too much material being built up. >... Sorry Peter Carter, but we do like our Paddle Floats up here. >>I had noticed. Idle thought: Would a kayak be more stable with a ballasted keel than an outrigger float? After all, deep keel yachts are self righting, multihulls are not.>> Just one last note on the Reentry and Roll: Some say it is too difficult to do in a cold sea, and that is why the Ozzies can get away with it, as it tends to be a bit warmer in your geographical locality. Yet, the R&R is popular in the UK, which is anything but warm. Funny, isn't it? As far as paddlefloats, yes Peter, they can work in the right circumstances, but you can also bust paddles using them at any time, potentially. They do give you a lot of stability, correctly deployed and used in the parameters they were designed for. I would like to thank you for your letter to SK magazine awhile back supporting your contentions. Maybe a few paddlers up here took notice. Keep up the good fight. As for ballasted keels? That's kind of a weighty subject. BC'in Ya Doug LLoyd *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Doug, Thanks for your message. To respond... >>There >are times when I use one only to prevent sunburn.)<< > >Sounds almost like a washdeck kayak philosophy, in term of what the >Tsunami Rangers use to avoid the dreaded "have to bail the cockpit now" >conundrum - don't have cockpits. You almost have the same thing... Almost, but we still have the protection against cold, wind, etc. that a deck offers, as well as chart table, and so on. I did experiment with an open cockpit Voyager. Very wet, and without belt or thigh braces when I braced into a wave I stopped and the boat kept moving. >... This >minimum volume thing is one of my "ultimate" backup strategies, one I >came to a conclusion about a few years ago after talking with Paul >Caffynn, after he told me about how the Tasmanian guys set their boats >up. I built a number of boats with the Tas side bulkhead system. Very effective, easy to make, since the bulkheads are all flat shapes, and they also stiffen the boat in the cockpit area. Long lengths of join, though. Years ago (late 70s) Alan Byde sent me one of his 'pods' cut into little pieces: a 3D jigsaw puzzle. I've changed the seat area completely, and it's now the only form of cockpit I build. (Details of Voyager internals are at <users.senet.com.au/~pcarter/voyager.html> and I've added a new diagram.) Gives a much better internal finish, as well as being lower volume. Being a complex shape, it does take longer to develop, and putting everything together can be interesting, which is probably why manufacturers avoid it. Paul Caffyn and his colleagues developed what amounts to the aft end of this idea, putting the seat and aft bulkhead together, as in the Arctic Raider. Still full width ahead of the seat, though. >Some of the doubles are so bad around here, that water sloshing about >inside will blow the bulkheads out. Not good. Definitely not. There was (still is?) a commercial double here which had only two bulkheads: the whole cockpit area was one compartment. One I saw had two high-capacity electric pumps, and I doubt whether they would really cope. >Just one last note on the Reentry and Roll: Some say it is too difficult >to do in a cold sea, and that is why the Ozzies can get away with it, as >it tends to be a bit warmer in your geographical locality. Yet, the R&R >is popular in the UK, which is anything but warm. Funny, isn't it? I think our Tasmanian waters could be as cold in winter as the UK (I've paddled in Tas only in summer). I think it's a case of attitude: caution, skill, using the minimum of (well designed) equipment. >I would like to thank you for your letter to SK magazine awhile back >supporting your contentions. Maybe a few paddlers up here took notice. I had several messages from people in N America, so the letter stirred some thinking, as intended. >Keep up the good fight. As for ballasted keels? That's kind of a weighty >subject. Thanks. An interesting subject though. I have my eye on a couple of diving weights. Cheers, Peter pcarter_at_acslink.net.au allegedly <www.acslink.net.au/~pcarter> temporarily <users.senet.com.au/~pcarter> 34deg 55' 24.1" S 138deg 32' 9.8" E (GDA-94) *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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