Another out of the new box of accessories I ordered for the Store.
For some time I’v been of the opinion, a pump is a pump is a pump so was a bit hesitant in getting these. For the speed (1gal./10 strokes), ruggedness and compactness, I’ve pinched one for my kit.
I for one am willing to spend more on something better. 2 times more money should be 2X better however.
If the pump is well made with a stainless steel rod and excellent valves it would probably be worth the money knowing you will not have to buy another one in 4-5 years as we see on some of the cheaper pumps.
I can understand wanting to empty the cockpit faster, but there is an easier, faster and far cheaper way. This is what I use to get the water down to about 3" deep and THEN I use my pump.
Folds up small and rides behind my seat. I have a 40 inch long piece of small diameter bungee on it so I can’t loose it in a capsize . It’s also very useful to help a partner bail out his or her kayak when I am along size in an assisted rescue,
for serious conditions, you might want to have the sprayskirt on while you pump out
(maybe not for most, but certainly for some)
example: I was paddling out an inlet, into the surf. Got pummeled, sprayskirt implosion (cockpit full). I had to pump out ‘in conditions’, so had sprayskirt on and pump through the waist.
I feel fortunate. I guess it speak volumes for conditions of the upper Chesapeake where I paddle. I have never use my spray skirt and paddle regularly in open channels. Winds typically range between 10 to 20 mph winds and can gust 20 to 30 mph. I’m not good with wave heights, but SE winds build momentum from the ocean for 100 miles straight up the bay. Wind, waves, current and tidals not are far mild, but not threatening either, if you can manage the speed to overcome the conditions, for which the 145 or 175 Tsunami are well suited - if anyone is looking for a pleasant boat to paddle.
@Craig_S, you surely agree that the 175 Tsunami and the 145 in the more moderate conditions, are very stable and seaworthy. I can’t speak for other kayaks, but I’ve never had need for more than a 3"x 1/2"x 5" cellulose kitchen sponge to occasionally dry the interior of water.
Yes raisins, I have had to do that once myself. So the point you make is valid.
But most times you can use a bailing bucket like mine and the one I have holds about 1-1/3 quarts. So bailing with it is about as fast, comparing dips and pours to reciprocation of my pump handle and rod, I am moving about 2.5 to 3X more water per dip and pour. than my pump will move per reciprocation. So it’s a lot faster and at $12 it’s also WAY cheaper.
It’s a given that sometimes you will have to place the skirt back on as much as possible and pump out, especially if you are paddling solo.
But in assisted rescues the person in the flooded kayak can use a paddle to brace and scull while I help bail out the cockpit . On big waves and chop it’s still a much slower process, but faster then using only a pump and using a pump always takes 2 hands. Using a bucket takes one. I am NOT suggesting a collapsible pail or bowl INSTEAD of a pump, but in addition to one.
John, you mean you never get water coming over the edge of the combing?
It’s not super common for me, but I can depend on several trips every season where my waist is flooded over by waves. There is no way I could keep from filling up without a skirt. I even bought one for my Old Town Loon when I first started, because getting water into the cockpit was something that happened to me quite often. Once it’s 4 to 6 inched deep the kayak was getting very heavy and also the more you get in, the easier it is for the next wave to fill it even more because the kayak gets lower and lower every time it gets a little bit fuller.
I am a firm believer in skirts. I put on my spray skirt even in calm water and light wind. At times I don’t attach it to the combing, but I have it on my waist so if we get a sudden wind coming down the mountain it only takes a few seconds for me to seal off the cockpit.
You have a far more challenging environment than where I paddle; you also have a tippier boat with low freeboard. If I anticipate winds are going to be gusting over 25 mph, I take the 175 which has a 400 lb max capacity. At 255 lbs, I would get occasional quarter waves slap my kidneys, but no problem at 230 lbs. If you recall the picture with my granddaughter, that is typical with a 8 to 10 mph wind out of the SE. I usually experience double that, so about 18 inches plus. A hip roll helps bob over the waves from the side. Waves from the rear can be ridden. The real problem is full power head on into the wind, because the bow will fly off the peaks and plunge into the trough throwing a sheet of water over the deck and into my lap. The solution is to back off to around 4.2 mph in the 175 and 3.8 mph in the 145. When winds gust above 30 mph, the water spray is a constant harrasment, because the spay covers the sunglasses making visibility difficult.
The Chatham has a finer bow that cuts flatter through the waves. The Tsunami has a full bow and symmetrical hull that lifts on a wave. If I were a young guy like Craig, I’d use my spray skirt and just power through the waves. In rough conditions, I might get an inch of water, then I slow down.
Both my Chatham and my Sea Lion get a lot of water over the bows if I am heading into waves. The fathom is taller off the water and rides dryer. But you are correct about the low freeboard. Both sit pretty low at the cockpit compared to other kayaks I have paddled. I have a Dagger in my yard now that is 1/2 paid for by a friend in Lander and it is a very dry ride. Bulky and wide compared to my 3 kayaks, but the up-side to that is how it goes over waves instead of partly through them.
So much depends on your paddling environment and what you face. You often face some really serious unexpected conditions out there. It’s common to hear about the unpredictability of weather here, but I disagree. Powerful fast moving straight line Derechos typically show up on radar at least near the western tip of Maryland. Even with a front traveling between 30 to 60 mph, that gives three hours warning.
Localized thunderstorms are easy to predict within about a 2 1/2 hour window. Even when no rain is predicted for the day, evidence shows up hours in advance, if you pay attention to subtle signs in the cloud layers. Fair weather, low-deck, cumulus clouds in an otherwise blue sky will develop as the day goes on, but subtle changes in the upper atmosphere indicate thunderstorm development That warning window is why I strive to attain a certain sustained speed, because it takes that much time to safely return from the other side of the bay. I know the conditions, the choke points where things will change, how to interpret changing conditions, and what my kayak will handle. I simply don’t go out or take a route close to land if I think the atmosphere indicates unsettling conditions.
The Tsunami has all the characteristics that I need for my paddling environment, but I wouldn’t be comfortable on your lake.
I have no clue how I’d use a bail bucket to empty my cockpit below my legs without a pump. You don’t need weather to put water in your cockpit either a boat wake can easily flood you.
I keep it under deck bungee’s so it’s easy to get. It’s also clipped on my deck lines with bungee and Scotty clip.
I would never have to open my skirt to assist anyone else.
Between my knees…yes very easily.
I can get the water down to about 3" deep at the V bottom with the little bailing bucket and do it quite fast. THEN I get out my pump and empty the rest out. It’s easy and very fast. As of now the smallest cockpit size I have on my kayaks takes a Seals 1.4 size skirt and I can bail them out with no problem at all.
Of course having inseams of 28 inches probably helps me. I can get a good amount of bend to my knees and make room.
