Re: [Paddlewise] Freezeup Questions

Living in Alaska I always paddle in cold water and I always use a solid 
paddle float because:

*Inflatables can puncture, valves can leak or stick open or closed.
*Solid floats save time since they are always inflated
*Mine is homemade and has equal floatation to any inflatable I have seen.
*In rough seas the longer it takes to blow up and rig a paddle float the 
more chances of something going wrong.
*If you have been battling rough seas for a long time and flip you may not 
have much breath left to inflate the paddle float.
*In very cold water even with a dry suit you are going to experience a 
temperature change and for some this makes it hard to get a deep breath.
* My solid paddle float doubles as a kneeling pad while I am loading my 
boat. This keeps barnacles from ripping the knees out of my dry suit.
During the summer I have seen extreme differences between the water 
temperture and the air temperture. The water this past summer never got 
above 50 (40 down by the LeConte) Yet a couple days the air temperature 
reached into the low 80's. A dry suit in 80 degree weather is way too hot so 
I go with Hydro skin. So if I flipped the hydro skin would keep me warm 
enough to do a paddle float rescue provided I didn't have to blow the thing 
up!
Also in the past we have discussed gasp reflex where some people inhale by 
reflex when their head hits cold water. Coughing up water and blowing up a 
paddle float are not compatablable activities.

Bob
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