Re: [Paddlewise] Safety in recreational kayaks

In a message dated 4/17/2002 4:53:50 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
SCANSPORT_at_CONNRIVER.NET writes:

> ... Most folding kayaks come with flotation configured the way I suggest, 
> and the flotation has proven effective. I have built folding canoes and 
> kayaks with side flotation for years and have first hand experience with 
> the benefits. It is hard to understand why recreational hard boats should 
> not have the same benefits. In more specialized higher performance boats I 
> would not support the mandated flotation that I'd like to see in 
> recreational boats. Because the users are much better informed there is 
> less of a need. And such a mandate would restrict designs too much. ...

Alv, I've been following your description with interest. But let's face it, 
manufacturers originally introduced inflatable side tubes into some of their 
folding kayak models mainly merely to ease the process of assembly, by 
allowing the frame to be built inside the skin without having to achieve 
lateral tension in the skin at the same time -- the latter being provided 
after the sponsons are inflated. In order not to lose too much interior 
space, this often made the boats beamier, giving the impression (!) of 
"recreational boats." There are people out there who prefer more slender 
boats. There are manufacturers who still provide such boats. It would appear 
that what you're proposing is that these boats be legislated out of the 
production line-up? 

Inbuilt floatation, if it is to be effective, requires, according to 
Archimedes that a good amount of interior space must be filled out by it. 
That space is lost to stowage capacity. But what about gear carried in dry 
bags, which, once the boat starts to flood, also reduces the floodable 
volume? In fact, a long distance paddler is likely to be blocking a 
considerably greater volume of the boat's interior in this way! 

(The additional floatation that sponsons happen to provide is a nice side 
benefit (although only once the boat is completely flooded and when does that 
ever happen in practice in a decked canoe or kayak?!?) and let's assume that 
the greater manufacturing tolerances (and hence building cost reductions) 
made possible by these inflatable tubes are also a side-benefit and not a 
design feature.)

When I grew up in the more slender folding boat variety, we used to stuff 
cheap plastic soccer balls into the ends of the frame during assembly. That 
was in the days before PFDs and other safety measures that have been 
legislated into our life (most of these measures are sensible and their 
legislation does not affect me since I was practicing them anyway). The 
soccer balls were perfectly effective and sufficient to provide enough 
floatation to self-rescue even if the boat had been completely flooded 
(highly unlikely in reality in a decked canoe / kayak). Furthermore, the 
floatation in the ends made for much better boat control when running a 
partially flooded boat before the waves while trying to get back to shore ... 
I'm a sea paddler, the increase in the risk of broaching in a partly flooded 
boat WITHOUT something to keep the water from sloshing into the ends is a 
very real problem -- one rarely recognized or discussed and one NOT solved by 
sponsons.

If you wish to push for legislation that makes floatation mandatory, then 
let's do so in a way that keeps the paddler responsible. Edi Hans Pawlata 
already recognized and publicized the fact in 1928 that it's not the boat 
that is seaworthy, but only the combination of boat and paddler. By all means 
make it mandatory that the paddler is properly equipped and that s/he 
properly deploys the equipment ... but let's not push for legislation, which 
only covers half of the potential problems, or should we also mandate 
floatation built into the ends of sea boats and padding built into the stems 
of white water boats and should we mandate flexible coamings and deck 
construction that does not break the paddler's back when a breaker sweeps 
over him, or ...

It remains an obvious fact that boats with some inbuilt floatation -- like 
Pakboats -- present an advantage to the safety conscious paddler since s/he 
does not have to add quite so much floatation themselves. Having said that, 
you would not catch me putting out to sea without a whole lot more floatation 
stuffed AND strapped into the hull of my boat than that provided as standard 
on the current crop of folders of whatever stripe.

Best regards,
Ralph

Ralph_at_PouchBoats.com
www.PouchBoats.com

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