JKA
Paddler
Indeed Gary, and if I recall correctly it was you who showed me how to 'blind' my phone by wrapping it in tinfoil! 
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Tying yourself to the boat - comments?
- Thread starter JohnAbercrombie
- Start date
sofstu
Paddler
In most I have owned you could get a less expensive Valet key which basically allows someone to enter your car through the drivers door and limits them to something like 30kph.
It doesn't give them access to the trunk or any interior compartment.
However the last time I looked these keys were still around $100
JohnAbercrombie
Paddler
Brian D.
Paddler
Informative strand. Does anyone have more pictures of the attachment to the paddler and to the boat?
John,
I like that set up, but what are the steps you take?
Is the green line pre clipped to the black line and after in your boat with spray skirt stretched on to the lip,
you then unclip the green line and attach it to your spray skirt?
Does the bow attached line interfere with self rescue? I could see you paddle tangling with the safety line if you self rescued by re-entering (under water) and rolling back up.
It is hard to picture a "video" of this in my mind. 3 dimension plus wind, waves, and a boat that is trying it's best to get away from you.
I think all methods decribed above are ok, however you method of self rescue might determine the best way to tether your self with a safety line to your boat.
I like that set up, but what are the steps you take?
Is the green line pre clipped to the black line and after in your boat with spray skirt stretched on to the lip,
you then unclip the green line and attach it to your spray skirt?
Does the bow attached line interfere with self rescue? I could see you paddle tangling with the safety line if you self rescued by re-entering (under water) and rolling back up.
It is hard to picture a "video" of this in my mind. 3 dimension plus wind, waves, and a boat that is trying it's best to get away from you.
I think all methods decribed above are ok, however you method of self rescue might determine the best way to tether your self with a safety line to your boat.
JohnAbercrombie
Paddler
The other end of the green line is attached to the bow. I clip the stainless carabiner to the deck shock cord when I'm not in the boat, or when I'm getting ready to land.
After I get into the boat, I clip the carabiner to the thin shock cord loop which is attached to my sprayskirt.
If I'm paddling solo, my preferred self-rescue (if my roll fails) is re-enter and roll, or re-enter and roll with paddle float (probably). I have done one of those with the bow line attached and it went OK with no tangles. I feel that the line to the bow is less likely to be a tangle than the other 'setup' I used for a while - the under spraydeck line from my waist to the cockpit floor. But that system has the big advantage of being 'nearby' to the cockpit.
When I'm paddling solo, I am very very cautious, so the tether is definitely in the "I don't plan to use it but just in case..." category. Watching the boat float away is the stuff of nightmares, for me. I never had a problem staying clipped in- even in nice weather - when I was offshore in my sailboat.
cougarmeat
Paddler
I recall a kayaking video in a series where the topic was hosted by "some guy" named Ed Gillet. He said when the wind approached 20 knots, he's clipped in.
I had a setup with webbing strap - I figured less likely to tangle - but instructors kept warning about the potential for getting caught up in it. So it's been in the equipment storage tub. It would have been clipped to the waist of my PFD and a back bungee, and was long enough that it wouldn't restrict any motion.
If I came out of the boat - missed my roll - I figure I'd have time to sort things out. My main concern, as John mentioned is having the boat get away from me. That happened on a windy lake once, and I'll never forget the feeling as I swam after it and my fingers continually brushing the hull as wind kept it just out of reach.
I had a setup with webbing strap - I figured less likely to tangle - but instructors kept warning about the potential for getting caught up in it. So it's been in the equipment storage tub. It would have been clipped to the waist of my PFD and a back bungee, and was long enough that it wouldn't restrict any motion.
If I came out of the boat - missed my roll - I figure I'd have time to sort things out. My main concern, as John mentioned is having the boat get away from me. That happened on a windy lake once, and I'll never forget the feeling as I swam after it and my fingers continually brushing the hull as wind kept it just out of reach.
Brian D.
Paddler
Hi John. Do you have more pictures? I can't what the black cord is attached to. Does not look like it is looped through the sprayskirt handle.The other end of the green line is attached to the bow. I clip the stainless carabiner to the deck shock cord when I'm not in the boat, or when I'm getting ready to land.
After I get into the boat, I clip the carabiner to the thin shock cord loop which is attached to my sprayskirt.
If I'm paddling solo, my preferred self-rescue (if my roll fails) is re-enter and roll, or re-enter and roll with paddle float (probably). I have done one of those with the bow line attached and it went OK with no tangles. I feel that the line to the bow is less likely to be a tangle than the other 'setup' I used for a while - the under spraydeck line from my waist to the cockpit floor. But that system has the big advantage of being 'nearby' to the cockpit.
When I'm paddling solo, I am very very cautious, so the tether is definitely in the "I don't plan to use it but just in case..." category. Watching the boat float away is the stuff of nightmares, for me. I never had a problem staying clipped in- even in nice weather - when I was offshore in my sailboat.
To add on to Cougarmeats moment about bouts floating away. My wife and I paddle a 21 ft Seda Tango. Large profile. We were practicing our self rescues on a lake here in Nor Cal. My paddle got away from me. We both lunged to grab it. In the seconds it took to grab the paddle the boat was on the move. Swimming in a PFD is not efficient and I worked my ass of the catch the kayak. So a tether system is in order. With a tandem would both paddlers need a tether?
JohnAbercrombie
Paddler
I didn't want to "tie down" the sprayskirt handle in any way. Luckily both the skirts I use most often (different boats) had a spot where I could thread that 1/8" shock cord through. If they hadn't, I would have sewn a small webbing loop to the webbing of the handle to provide an attachment point.
Brian D.
Paddler
Thank you, John. Now it makes sense.
Alex Matthews
Paddler
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2015
- Messages
- 13
Hi John,
This is an interesting topic, and one I’ve pondered quite a bit. I’ve found myself considering a tether again lately. I paddle alone often, and while I used to be extremely confident of my roll, these days that is no longer quite the same. Age and a collection of injuries remind me daily of my growing decrepitude So, as I still like to kayak ‘bouncy water’, an unplanned swim is certainly more of a possibility than ever.
Years ago, I had fun paddling my short stable surf ski in pushy conditions in Baynes Channel (see a video that I made here - vimeo.com/user4723795/ ). Since one can’t roll a surf ski, and a bigger wave will just blow you off your ski, a tether was definitely a key ingredient for Baynes.
A ski leash attaches to the leg just below the knee, and for my ski (as is usual) the other end of the leash is anchored to the ski just a little aft of the foot pedals. This anchor point is fairly close to the midpoint of the ski, rather than being right at one of the ends of the boat (bow or stern). The big advantage to this placement is that it reduces the length of the leash (since is doesn’t have to span from the paddler all the way to the bow), and keeps things far neater, with the leash easily contained within the footwell area. Surf ski leashes are ‘coiled’ (like the receiver cord on an old fashioned land-line telephone. Remember those?, to further reduce length (when not under load), and clutter.
On a ski, this system works really well. But there is, I think, a real downside to that central anchor point: in waves or strong current, it does not allow the kayak to pivot from the bow or stern, so that the boat‘s length is in line with its direction of travel. Instead, the ski ends up effectively acting more like a drogue, as it is held broadside to the forces of the water acting upon it.
This effect can be remarkably powerful. It would only be worse with a flooded sea kayak. So I think that your set up, with the anchor point at the bow is a good idea.
I actually snapped a leash under load at Baynes. It was a powerful reminder that in those conditions (sizeable waves, high winds, strong current), there was absolutely no way that I was going to be able to get back to my boat by swimming. No way. Had I been on my own that day (not something that I would do under those conditions) I would have had a very long, very difficult swim to shore, without my ski, and I’d have probably have had to ditch my fancy carbon wing paddle too?
As it was, my paddling buddies reunited me quickly with my ski, and all was well.
But it does pose the question of if you want anything ‘breakable’ within your tether system. Quick-release - absolutely! Breakable? - not so sure.
This is an interesting topic, and one I’ve pondered quite a bit. I’ve found myself considering a tether again lately. I paddle alone often, and while I used to be extremely confident of my roll, these days that is no longer quite the same. Age and a collection of injuries remind me daily of my growing decrepitude
So, as I still like to kayak ‘bouncy water’, an unplanned swim is certainly more of a possibility than ever.Years ago, I had fun paddling my short stable surf ski in pushy conditions in Baynes Channel (see a video that I made here - vimeo.com/user4723795/ ). Since one can’t roll a surf ski, and a bigger wave will just blow you off your ski, a tether was definitely a key ingredient for Baynes.
A ski leash attaches to the leg just below the knee, and for my ski (as is usual) the other end of the leash is anchored to the ski just a little aft of the foot pedals. This anchor point is fairly close to the midpoint of the ski, rather than being right at one of the ends of the boat (bow or stern). The big advantage to this placement is that it reduces the length of the leash (since is doesn’t have to span from the paddler all the way to the bow), and keeps things far neater, with the leash easily contained within the footwell area. Surf ski leashes are ‘coiled’ (like the receiver cord on an old fashioned land-line telephone. Remember those?
, to further reduce length (when not under load), and clutter. On a ski, this system works really well. But there is, I think, a real downside to that central anchor point: in waves or strong current, it does not allow the kayak to pivot from the bow or stern, so that the boat‘s length is in line with its direction of travel. Instead, the ski ends up effectively acting more like a drogue, as it is held broadside to the forces of the water acting upon it.
This effect can be remarkably powerful. It would only be worse with a flooded sea kayak. So I think that your set up, with the anchor point at the bow is a good idea.
I actually snapped a leash under load at Baynes. It was a powerful reminder that in those conditions (sizeable waves, high winds, strong current), there was absolutely no way that I was going to be able to get back to my boat by swimming. No way. Had I been on my own that day (not something that I would do under those conditions) I would have had a very long, very difficult swim to shore, without my ski, and I’d have probably have had to ditch my fancy carbon wing paddle too?
As it was, my paddling buddies reunited me quickly with my ski, and all was well.
But it does pose the question of if you want anything ‘breakable’ within your tether system. Quick-release - absolutely! Breakable? - not so sure.