Although Vancouver Island hasn't had many storms this winter, nor the rainfall we so desperately needed, we have had a few intense systems move through. I wasn't going to mention the following incident, but all the recent talk about dangerous amounts of water and cockpit volume has drawn me out. Last week we had a squall blast through, but it was later in the evening. Wild wind and rainfall was prodigious, but short lived. My kayak's cockpit almost completely filled with water -- and I wasn't even sea kayaking. Actually, I had put the kayak away on the exterior kayak rack, high alaong the fence line, after getting home late from some normal gale paddling. I was tired, did not place the cockpit cover on, and did not invert the kayak over onto the padded racks as I normally would have. So, it filled with water and came crashing down in the night with a huge thud. The extra reinforcing proved beneficial once again. And, oh yeah, my heavy Nordkapp, even heavier with the added water, narrowly missed my wife's budding Tulips below. It was a very close call indeed. Doug Lloyd (who's trying to stay in his wife's good books) *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Glad the boat and tulips came out alright. Here in Western North Carolina we had a late season winter storm blow through last week. There is a lake near my house that has a small boat storage area with canoes and kayaks of all flavors stored inverted and locked on to a wooden racks. The boats are stored 3 high and 2 wide on horizontal 2X4 crosspieces that are attached to a center 4x4 post. The wind was fierce during the storm and the tops of several of the racks were broken with the boats twisting and falling with one end on the ground, hull down, with the other end still locked up at the crosspiece. They stayed out like that until the next day's snow which obviously filled and weighted the boats causing the whole structure to fall. What's the point of this story? Not much, just a similar one to Doug's, although I do have a question. Say a kayak is stored with it's cockpit open and up and somehow manages to become filled with water, which then subsequently freezes...would the expanding ice be enough to break a composite boat or even a plastic boat? Where would the boat break if it did? Steve Thompson Asheville, NC _______________________________________________________ Send a cool gift with your E-Card http://www.bluemountain.com/giftcenter/ *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On 03/25/2001, at 7:26 PM (GMT -08:00), Doug Lloyd wrote: >...my heavy Nordkapp, even heavier with the added water, narrowly missed my >wife's budding Tulips below. It was a very close call indeed. Ironic, isn't it Doug? Your greatest danger yet w/sea kayak was averted by sheer luck - not by any of your skill and lovely redundant safety features. Perhaps *they* will come in handy on another day. :-) Melissa *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Doug Loyd: > Last week we had a squall blast through, but it was later in the > evening. Wild wind and rainfall was prodigious, but short lived. My > kayak's cockpit almost completely filled with water -- and I wasn't even > sea kayaking. Its amazing how many people travel and stay over night with their kayaks right way up and uncovered on their roof racks. I have always wondered what happens if a storm hits. Cockpits would hold between 80 - 100 litres of water, which added to the weight of the kayak itself would equal 120 + kg . Not only would it effect the vehicles handling, but how would they get it down without bailing first? It could be a bit embarrassing being seen sitting in your kayak on top of a car in front of a motel using a hand pump! Cheers Grant ______________________________________ Want Kayaking information on Waiheke Island? http://www.issystems.co.nz/kayak/index.html *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
>Grant > >Its amazing how many people travel and stay over night with their kayaks >right way up and uncovered on their roof racks. I have always wondered what >happens if a storm hits. Quite often. >Cockpits would hold between 80 - 100 litres of water, So how many inches of rain fall in 12 hours? Divide that by 1/3 (cockpit opening vs cockpit floor area). Now what volume? > which added to the weight of the kayak itself would equal 120 + kg . Doing a visual (mental) image of a bunch of wine cask liners in a cockpit I'd say 24 kg max. >Not only would it effect the vehicles handling, Less than the different between and couple of plastic kayaks and a couple of wooden ones. > but how would they get it down without bailing first? It could be a bit > embarrassing being seen sitting in your kayak on top of a car in front of > a motel using a hand pump! So there we were in the main street of Warkworth and I'm pumping out the cockpits, kayaks on the roof of the van and an Asian girl (must be a tourist) is standing open mouthed in amazement - my partner is nearly rolling on the ground laughing (at the spectator's expression). There was a thread a year or so ago (rec.boats.paddle) about kayaks filling their cockpits with water over night and splitting from the weight - if my kayaks (wooden) couldn't stand that weight I wouldn't paddle them - OK fibreglass (except Doug's) are fragile but still not that weak. As above, about 3 foot of rain over night to fill a cockpit. I'd have the boats off the roof rack and be paddling from the flood by then. Alex . . Alex (Sandy) Ferguson Chemistry Department University of Canterbury New Zealand *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
SNIP: It could be a bit embarrassing being seen sitting in your kayak on top of a car in front of a motel using a hand pump! Alas, I wasn't there to witness the event myself, but I heard of two guys leaving a camping, one driving while the other was sitting on top of the car, in his kayak, paddling, steering and bracing in the air, following the movements of the car. Although he was wearing a wetsuit, sprayskirt, PFD and helmet, the police considered the situation "unsafe" and ordered him down. A footpump and some water would have added greatly to the show. Niels. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Grant Glazer wrote: > Its amazing how many people travel and stay over night with their kayaks > right way up and uncovered on their roof racks. I have always wondered what > happens if a storm hits. Cockpits would hold between 80 - 100 litres of > water, which added to the weight of the kayak itself would equal 120 + kg . John Dowd describes such an incident in his book: "I have personally broken a kayak from whiplash when I drove over a curb, not realizing that an inch of rain had accumulated in the bilges overnight." [Sea Kayaking, 1988 edition, page 75] Had to be much less than the 120 kg associated with a full yak. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
>That was a threaded bung I saw in the bottom of the MAC50 cockpit, wasn't >it!?? > >Pete > > >So there we were in the main street of Warkworth and I'm pumping out the > >cockpits, I'm now being accused of having bungs in the bottom (!!??), however I was looking a DRR last week and there was a neat threaded hole in the side which went to a plastic pipe. The hole was supposed to be below the water line though the owner admitted he actually had to lean the kayak a little to get it under. Drinking water = weight. So, paddling (racing) in a river or lake why not drink it? Remember this is (supposed to be) a clean green country. Alex . . Alex (Sandy) Ferguson Chemistry Department University of Canterbury New Zealand *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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