I have no idea what kind of can of worms I am opening with this one.... I have never used one or met anyone who did, yet. Paddle tethers.... Are they good or bad? Do you consider them essential? Do they attach the paddle to you or the boat? How long is the tether? Just straight rope, or some kind of springy/contracting line? Marvin *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
skylakeboatworks_at_yahoo.com wrote: > Paddle tethers.... > Are they good or bad? > Do you consider them essential? > Do they attach the paddle to you or the boat? > How long is the tether? > Just straight rope, or some kind of springy/contracting line? Telephone cord version (see the NWOC site: http://www.nwoc.com/) attached to the deck not me, for 7-8 years, never a hassle, not essential only a convenience for bird-watching (etc.), retracts to about 12 inches, extends to two-three feet, and ... I would _never_ use this one in surf! -- 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/ ***************************************************************************
----- Original Message ----- From: <skylakeboatworks_at_yahoo.com> > I have no idea what kind of can of worms I am opening with this one.... I > have never used one or met anyone who did, yet. > Paddle tethers.... This has been covered before in Paddlewise. I use a tether. I tether everything I have of any importance to me such as my paddle float, my pump, my hat, my pee bottle, etc. You will get various arguments on the use of tethers at all and from the pro-tether crowd, what to tether your paddle to. I am of the tether the paddle to the kayak school. A recent incident in the latest issue of Yachting magazine underscores the wisdom of this tether approach. The fellow in the accident did not have any tether at all, but like most of us in a capsize did still have his paddle in his hand. As he surfaced he could see his kayak blowing away from him faster than he could swim. If the paddle had been tethered he would still have had his kayak. If you are tethered to your paddle all you have is one of the two essentials of sea kayaking (the paddle) and not the other...the boat. ralph diaz -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
I always carry a tether, and even use it once in awhile. Sometimes it gets in the way so I don't use it. Sometimes I'll want to take pictures, paddle in high wind or whatever and it really comes in handy. It is such a cheap and small piece of equipment I don't see why someone wouldn't get one. I usually just leave it sitting in my PFD pocket although I've seen a lot of people wrap them around their paddle shafts when not using them. If you're worried about entanglement, well hey, now you have another reason to carry a PFD mounted knife! -Patrick > >From: <skylakeboatworks_at_yahoo.com> > >> I have no idea what kind of can of worms I am opening with this one.... I >> have never used one or met anyone who did, yet. > > Paddle tethers.... > *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
At 12:10 PM 3/27/01 -0600, Patrick Maun wrote: >If you're worried about entanglement, well hey, now you have another >reason to carry a PFD mounted knife! As many know one of the most staunch advocates of personal tethers is Audrey Sutherland. She does lots of slide show talks and you can bet one of the first questions asked of her is if she is worried about entanglement. Her answer is that she has practiced wet exits and reentries under extremely challenging conditions so many times that she knows exactly how the tether will behave and how to deal with it. It's like using a paddlefloat and those that argue about the difficult in using one for reentry in challenging conditions. If someone goes out and buys a paddlefloat and lashes it under their deck bungies, without even trying it out, of *course* they're going to have a difficult time using one for reentry. If, however, someone takes that paddlefloat and practices over and over under all kinds of conditions, it's going to be a lot more useful when they really need it. They're not just relying on a piece of equipment for their survival, they're also relying on their skills. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Marvin: Anything at all can open a can of worms on this list. Jump right in and grab a handful. "Paddle tethers... Are they good or bad?" It's useful to tether your paddle to the boat when the wind gets up. If you come out of the boat, and can retain hold of either the paddle or the boat, you still have both. If not tethered, the boat can blow downwind faster than you can swim after it. Also useful when performing rescues, or just rafting up to borrow some more palatable food than you brought along yourself. You just throw the paddle aside, and you know you still have it. "Do you consider them essential?" Not quite essential, but good to have. "Do they attach the paddle to you or the boat?" One type I've used tethers to the boat. I prefer this. I've tried another type, a short bungy from the paddle to the wrist shown in some of Derek Hutchinson's Testaments. I find these chafe while paddling, and they don't have the chief advantage of joining boat to paddle in wind. "How long is the tether?" Anchored on the front deck, long enough so that you can extend the paddle fully for a Pawlata roll, full sweep etc. So about 3' - 4'. For normal forward paddling, this leaves some in the way, but excess can be tucked under a deck bungy. "Just straight rope, or some kind of springy/contracting line?" 5 or 6 mm bungy works well, and doesn't bang on the deck while paddling like coiled surfboard or boogy board tethers do. You can attach it to the middle of the paddle with an olive cleat, or velcro wrap. The other end gets a snaplink or closed hook, or just a knot. The chief reservation with paddle tethers is whether you are at risk of underwater entanglement in the event of a capsize in surf. Some say never deploy the paddle tether in surf, others here use them whenever they are on the water, in surf and out, thinking that the loss of a paddle in surf is more of a problem than entanglement. Short surf skis, sit on tops, here are normally fitted with a paddle leash, and the beaches are not stacked deep in drowned goat-boaters lashed to their surf skis. PT 37°42'S 145°08'E *************************************************************************** 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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