Re: [Paddlewise] Another new product

On 10/3/07, Bob Carter <revkayak_at_aptalaska.net> wrote:
>
> Just checked out on the web the Pak Pod deck bag by Pakboat
> www.pakboats.com
> Basically it is a deck bag that doubles as a rescue paddle float.
> Opinions?


I'm not a big fan of having things on my front (or back) deck but a few
well-secured items are inevitable. I have a compass, charts, flashlight and
gps on my front deck and even these few items can be a distraction at the
wrong moment. Every now and then something slips or slides out from under
their bungee cord and I have to pause and spend time readjusting it. At the
wrong moment pausing and readjusting doodads on the front deck could become
a problem.

And I've always thought that a front deckbag could present a potential for
interfering with a safe exit (spray skirt release) if it isn't placed
properly or becomes displaced. I have given up on touring spray skirts and
now use my w/w model all the time (for one thing the one I have made me feel
like an ingenue with a loose bra strap - but that's another story) and it
takes a definite  forward pull to release it.

Even so, I've often thought that perhaps I'd like the right deck bag. Maybe
it would simplify my life and not, as I suspect, complicate it more.

But I don't think this front bag/paddle float combo would be it. The photos
make it look like there is a small barrel chest-high on the front deck and I
can foresee interference problems between it and my paddle strokes. And the
potential for problems from wave action. It might look completely different
in real life, but I'd never buy one from the photos.

And I'm not sure it makes it any easier to get to the paddle float either. I
don't think there is any "perfect" place to carry a paddle float. I keep
mine inside the bungee cords on the back of my cockpit seat where it's easy
to get but still relatively secure. But it's out of the way yet handy as
befits a device one hopefully will never use except for practice in a warm
place; or as a pillow.


Craig Jungers
Royal City, WA
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