Re: [Paddlewise] SV: broken/bent paddles during rescue

Chuck wrote:
<SNIP>>>>>>>It don't tie the paddle shaft in place behind the cockpit rim
because
I don't want a wave to jerk the paddlefloat up at the same time
another wave or my weight might be driving the floatside gunwale in
the other direction. I don't want a busted paddle shaft. I can hold
it in place well enough by hand.<<<<<SNIP>

I can't picture a (non-breaking) wave driving the floatside gunwale in the
other direction with much force (but I could see doing that with your
weight). If that is a worry you could not blow up an inflatable float as
much so that it would sink before it could put too much force on the paddle.
One must still be careful of the paddle even if just holding it in place by
hand while entering the kayak. The paddle shaft can easily get under the
back of some kayak's cockpit rims. In that case they can get a lot of
pressure put on the place of contact with the coaming rim when a wave lifts
up the float and the paddler is putting a rotating force on the kayak when
attempting to climb aboard (that is resisted by the paddle hooked under the
back of the coaming).  The leverage could also break or rip out the back of
the coaming of a fiberglass kayak if the paddle didn't break first. If your
kayak's coaming is high enough to let your paddle shaft get stuck under it
I'd be very careful using the holding on to the paddle method since most do
it by gripping both the coaming rim and the paddle shaft at the very back of
the cockpit with one hand at the same time.

Short of a very weak paddle or ocean breakers I have trouble imagining how
one would break a paddle that is strong enough that they can use it as a
brace against the shore to stabilize the kayak when entering or exiting it.
I haven't seen or heard of more than a very few paddle breakage problems
from fastening the paddle to the deck with cord, webbing or doubled up shock
cord over the last 20 years. I do remember someone breaking a blade in half
many years ago because they didn't slide the paddle blade very far under the
deck lines before trying to climb up on the deck. The resulting leverage
from the blade tip to just the middle of the blade would then have been
tremendous.

Chuck (or anyone), how do you stabilize the kayak for pumping out in rough
seas after you have reentered it? Also, how big is the volume of the foam
float you use (or what are its dimensions) and where do you store it? Do you
also store it there when you have a big gear load? I like a lot about foam
floats. Flat ones even make a much better device to aid in learning to
Eskimo roll than an inflatable (which doesn't skim well on the surface). The
fact that you don't have to inflate it during a rescue is great too (but
then I guess nothing much is stopping me from inflating an inflated float in
advance of needing it either). Well, I guess what is stopping me is the same
thing that is stopping me from packing a foam float around too, the shear
bulk of it and the rarity of having to use it.


Matt Broze
http://www.marinerkayaks.com/


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