It sure sounds good, just slip the pump between the spray skirt and your body and pump. Problem is, I have my PFD on over the spray skirt. If it is so gnarly that I want the skirt on to keep the water out while just sitting, there is no way I am unzipping my PFD. No, the skirt won't fit over the PFD. It wouldn't seal worth a darn, even if it was big enough. Even without the PFD, I have visions of slugging myself on the chin with every stroke. Maybe I am wrong on this, I haven't bothered to try it. Maybe I could get it under PFD and skirt, but then I would be slugging myself on the chin. A pump port in the skirt makes so much sense. Why don't they make them like that? Rob. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Rob MacDonald <robm_at_udl.com> wrote: >>>>>>>It sure sounds good, just slip the pump between the spray skirt and your body and pump. Problem is, I have my PFD on over the spray skirt. If it is so gnarly that I want the skirt on to keep the water out while just sitting, there is no way I am unzipping my PFD.<<<<<<< Usually you can just lift it up a bit and push the spraydeck down a bit. >>>>>>>No, the skirt won't fit over the PFD. It wouldn't seal worth a darn, even if it was big enough. Even without the PFD, I have visions of slugging myself on the chin with every stroke. Maybe I am wrong on this, I haven't bothered to try it. Maybe I could get it under PFD and skirt, but then I would be slugging myself on the chin.<<<<<<<< Maybe you would be but you don't have to, tilt the pump some to one side some. >>>>>>>A pump port in the skirt makes so much sense. Why don't they make them like that?<<<<<<<< Somebody does but I can't remember who. Did anybody else see this announcement not to long ago? obviously there are going to be certain combinations of clothing and spraydecks that don't allow a pump down the front. Please try it and report back (if you don't knock yourself out and drown after hitting your chin). Matt Broze http://www.marinerkayaks.com *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Just a thought, after watching two very skilled, competent sea kayakers fail to be able to pump out after being swamped in some three foot chop on an eight mile open crossing, one with a blown nylon sprayskirt and the other with an opened-at-the-wrong-time neo skirt: if you're considering the handpump as your primary seawater elimination tool, try it in nasty conditions but with some controls before you're caught in them for real without support. The idea of being able to enter a partially or completely swamped cockpit --- and this is assuming that the bulkheads are sound and the compartments don't start to flood --- and stabilize yourself in order to pump out your boat may not be realistic in lumpy seas. It is not easy. Even if you can brace adequately with your knees somehow gripping your pump so that one hand can control a two-bladed paddle in lumpies and one hand can pull that pump bail straight up continuously, you'll be hard pressed to keep as much water out as you're pumping out. Some people can make this work. Says so in a lot of the books. I just don't know any of them. Jack Martin *************************************************************************** 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 had a pump in my previous sea kayak (Pintail) that worked like this: There is a short handle that is clipped (and tethered) to the deck. After you have made a wet re-entry and rolled up (the boat will be sloshing with water), you put the skirt on, take the short handle and stick it in a pivot hole that is flush with the deck and start rocking the handle back and forth to work the pump. The pump takes in water thru a hose lying along the floor of the hull and shoots the water out thru a one- way hole on the deck. I practiced doing this in faily calm seas and the procedure worked well. In a rough sea, if you get thrown over when you're pumping, at least you won't have more water entering the boat since the skirt is on. Then you'd roll up again and continue pumping. Maybe this is easier said than done - I haven't actually tried the entire procedure under rough conditions. Jack Fu *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
One of the problems for me with excessively tight spray decks that they seem to leave a rather large gap for water to get in, and without enough tension from the front will implode with a large spillover. Can you'all see any problem with adding a hook onto the pump shaft to hook the front end of the spray deck onto? Not that this is a problem on my boat with a deck pump. JCMARTIN43_at_aol.com wrote: > > Just a thought, after watching two very skilled, competent sea kayakers fail > to be able to pump out after being swamped in some three foot chop on an > eight mile open crossing, one with a blown nylon sprayskirt and the other > with an opened-at-the-wrong-time neo skirt: if you're considering the > handpump as your primary seawater elimination tool, try it in nasty > conditions but with some controls before you're caught in them for real > without support. The idea of being able to enter a partially or completely > swamped cockpit --- and this is assuming that the bulkheads are sound and the > compartments don't start to flood --- and stabilize yourself in order to pump > out your boat may not be realistic in lumpy seas. It is not easy. Even if > you can brace adequately with your knees somehow gripping your pump so that > one hand can control a two-bladed paddle in lumpies and one hand can pull > that pump bail straight up continuously, you'll be hard pressed to keep as > much water out as you're pumping out. > > Some people can make this work. Says so in a lot of the books. I just don't > know any of them. > > Jack Martin -- ¤ Gabriel L Romeu ¤ http://studiofurniture.com + /diary or + /paint *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Rob MacDonald <robm_at_udl.com> wrote: ... A pump port in the skirt makes so much sense. Why don't they make them like that? ... Matt Broze <mkayaks_at_oz.net> wrote: ... Somebody does but I can't remember who. Did anybody else see this announcement not to long ago? ... Zoelzer (www.zoelzer.de), a kayak and canoe accessories manufacturer in Germany, makes them. He specializes in spray decks and spray skirts for everything from sea kayaks to wooden canoes. Let me know if there is concrete interest, I'm in the process of ordering some gear for myself. Best regards, Ralph Ralph C. Hoehn Ralph_at_PouchBoats.com www.PouchBoats.com *************************************************************************** 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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