Assisted rescues involving SOTs are sorely under-practiced in all kayaking skills systems, at least that I have seen. I readily admit to being far more practiced with canoes than SOTs, even though paddling in salt water the SOT situation is more likely to happen.
There is a common myth out there that SOTs are less of an issue because anyone can easily get back on. Not true if it is a SOT loaded w fishing gear that can be in the way, the swimmer is tired or a heavy person, or simply unpracticed. A young, healthy and obviously more fit young man than myself came off his SOT where I vacation offshore in Maine and had to be towed in holding onto the SOT by his wife in a Swifty a few years ago. The SOT lacked rigging, the water was too cold for just a bathing suit and he had no idea what he was doing. (No he should not have been where he was either.)
I am going to add another comment below to get a better idea of exactly how the rescue stirrup is being proposed to run. Seeing a couple of comments after mine that suggest I may have not gotten the direction right.
I don’t get the concern of the possibility of the stirrup coming dislodged from under the coaming. In all the times I’ve used it ,this event never occurred. Could it? Sure anything is possible but in the event that it does, you could ask the swimmer to abort the attempt and reset, or if you become that panic, just cut the stirrup. Not sure why the concern, as this technique is to be used in open waters where there is little chance of entanglement. I could agree with Celia saying its a bad idea (in her opinion). if she has tried it, but I don’t think that is the case. I adopted this stirrup tech. out of a need due to the fact that at sometimes the rescuer has not had the ability to stabilize both boats and not being able to get the swimmer back in the boat. This idea is just another tool that could be used. To say its bad without even giving it a try it is a little short sighted.
With all respect to all the much more experienced members than myself, I think I will still make and try the hook stirrup I described above. It might be a laughing matter when I do try a practice session using it but I won’t be wasting any money and only a little time just to see for myself what locking two boats together with the person weight getting a step up and into the boat.
The far edge of the boat being climbed into wants to go up as the boat rolls. The line going over the other boat should keep roll from happening as much. It should make the other boat want to roll the other direction and that boater can lean in to mitigate that. The question will be if both boats roll some hinging on the point they are in contact at will they roll enough to put an edge in the water. If the roll is to great then something hanging between the boats like a chunk of pool noodle or a ball so the boats connect gunwale to gunwale and also hull to hull might help.
I think two canoes would lock up without a lot of roll based on how straight down the hull is at mid length. I might lay the kayak next to the canoe and see what the angles look like.
OK - more of exactly how the rescue stirrup is run.
FWIW I have used one in practice sessions, but it has been quite a while and I suspect I have the direction being proposed backwards.
Exactly how is the thing looped around the rescuer’s coaming and how does it go under/over boats to get to the swimmer to use?
I am pretty sure the way I always used it in the assisted was to loop over a paddle and have the swimmer bring it under their boat. Per this video link except we were wet. That is decidedly ringing a bell. using a rescue stirrup for kayak assisted rescue - Google Search (Note that this example is for a SOT.)
If you guys are talking about bringing it around the coaming of the rescuer’s boat on the side nearest the swimmer’s boat, then around the outside of the rescuer’s boat, then where? It seems time consuming to fish that thing thru the water.
I took a half hour tonight and made a prototype just to compare my idea of a stirrup with our two boats. With my plan nothing goes around the coaming or ether of the people involved and the two boats are joined but only for a few seconds as the one in the water reenters. As soon as they are in the boat the boats are uncoupled.
I wasn’t able to test this in the water. The best I could do was set the boats together on saw horses put the rig on in each direction of rescue and stand on the stirrup, and it did pull both hulls together and form the hull to hull angle I was talking about. If I put a regular solo recovery loop on a thwart of the canoe and tried to put weight on it on the saw horse the canoe would just flip to me like it does when I easily roll it over.
I put 3 steps in the prototype as at least 2 were needed because the difference in widths of our boats. The lower step might work as a pushing off point for taking the next step. In effect weighting the rig a little before the effort is made to get in.
I took a few photos showing the hull to hull angle when pulled tight and the rig in place both ways and of it laid out flat and rolled up showing how much space it would take.
Not sure when I can take both boats to the lake and try it out in 5’of water but when I do I will let you know how bad I failed. Or if someone in a warmer spot wants to make one it was pretty simple.
Please know this is unproven and untested at this point, just an idea for the most part.
If I use my stirrup when I need to assist a swimmer who has wet exitted their boat:
I put the stirrup over my head and get it down to my sprayskirt. Then I seat the stirrup around the combing of my boat that is farthest away from swimmers boat, then the other end of the loop goes over the top of their boat and ends up in the water on the farthest side of the righted kayak. Now the swimmer has a step to use to help get back in. When the swimmer steps on the stirrup the tension on the stirrup holds both boat together and helps to stabilize them. The rescuer still would help stabilize the boats by using their paddles as a bridge like normal practice
Thanks for the explanation. That is what I thought was being said at first. Knowing what happens with the boats in an assisted rescue with me and someone else, which is almost always someone who outweighs me by a good 50 pounds… nope, that would not be a good idea for me.
Try running someone thru the same routine in a low volume boat with a noticeable weight differential, see if it works the same. I am always always handling people who have a lot of weight on me. The only time I was not able to overcome the weight diff was a guy with a foot of height and at least 70 pounds on me in a HOG rescue. Subsequently was able to manage it with someone who still had a lot of poundage on me but not as much torso hanging down from the boat
When I got my first SOT, an Ocean Kayak Scrambler, I read the owners’ manual, and it gave a procedure for self-rescue. Note that these boats were being marketed for divers.
It went like this: get yourself alongside the boat, right at the seat location. Then turn around so the boat is at your back. Reach up behind you and grab the gunnels with both hands. Then, while kicking, shove the boat down and under your butt, leaning back slightly.
I was glad I’d read that when I started acting stupid with the boat in Lake Erie and ended up in the water. Realized I was on my own, said, “Okay,” and followed the instructions. On my first try I overshot and rolled it again, but on the second try I nailed it perfectly. Second time ever–in Lake Erie, with two-foot waves–with no previous practice.
I don’t know why, but OK has since stopped publishing this method and now advocates pulling yourself in face-down, which I would think (I haven’t tried it) would be more laborious and not as secure. It clearly requires one extra maneuver–another chance for something to go wrong–to roll upright once your weight is centered over the boat.
I have another reason for preferring this method: I stash my wallet, keys, phone, etc. in a waterproof waist-pack, which would impede a face-first reentry.
You can practice this maneuver at home if you have a bathtub. Sit on the floor with your back against the tub and practice pulling yourself up onto the rim. If you can do that, then having the water to float you will make it that much easier when you’re out on the boat.
I was hoping to try the two boat assisted hook stirrup this weekend but the rain has kept us home. Maybe this week.
Most of the SOTs around here have a lot of gear attached to them as they are mainly used as fishing platforms. I can only imagine what a mess it would be if they flipped one, but then again almost all of them setup for fishing have two pontoons rigged to them. so falling out may be a real problem flipping them might be hard to do.
Our rec kayak and canoe I have been careful to not have any unsecured items and we also have adequate flotation and the ability to bail or pump them after righting them. If the two boat stirrup works even if both boats went over at once we could work our way into a recovery. Weather is a big factor and we will not be out with cold water and if at all possible bad weather.
The odd thing is around here we are already many times more prepared than virtually everyone else we see on the water and always looking to improve that. Almost everyone else is blindly assuming they will cross those bridges when they get to them, and there’s a lot of them.
greyheron, the method you described may work with a sealed deck SOT, but it will not work with most any sea kayak or rec kayak as a solo recue technique. A fully swamped sit-in boat, especially in any waves, is probably just going to capsize again as you try to get into it…
If you are using a SOT put on a pair of good swim fins before you go for a dip. The extra thrust you get with them should propel you back on easily. They also would help if you had to go after your kayak.
I have a question about the sling with the hook added. Does the sling still float if dropped in? I have a friend who made his own rope ladder with PVC pipe steps after watching me get someone back into their kayak with a sling. The only thing was he added brass snap swivels to the rope ladder. He even installed eye bolts through the deck on both his and his wife’ kayaks. I asked him if it would float if he dropped it. He said that he wasn’t planning on dropping it. I reminded him that people didn’t plan on turning over either.
Mine appears to be coated, so yeah the strap floats at least at first. If you weight the bottom of something made to have ladder steps I suppose it could be lost quickly.
The one I made above is just a prototype to experiment with and if it works I will likely add a small float. I have been buying these little red floats on Amazon for a couple bucks and they are 5-6” long maybe 2” dia with a half-inch hole down the length. Both of my lines to the steps would fit thru the hole.
I have thought about the eyebolt and snap ring idea as well and something like an eyebolt would be needed on a kayak with a spray skirt doing the rescue. I don’t personally like the idea of a snap as if the person being rescued somehow gets tangled in the stirrup I want to get them detached from the other boat quickly.
I don’t think the step needs to be weighted but if it does I will change the bottom rung from PVC to steel pipe. That would defiantly require a float.
I would like to keep the rig as small and light as I can and find a handy place to strap one on both of our boats.
That is after I see it works and get the bugs out.
Keep in mind this differs from a regular sling as this is attached to the rescue boat not the boat being entered.
I took your advice and added a float. I folded it up and it fits nicely into a zip lock bag and I have it attached to my seat where it will be ready to go when I need it.
From your original picture, for a kayak to kayak rescue, you might have to have a way to adjust the length. It looks like it might be too long for that.
That’s the reason I made the 3 rungs when it is hooked to the canoe gunwale and spanning the rec kayak the top and middle rung can be used. That would be the same for rec kayak to rec kayak. When attaching to the rec kayak and rescuing the canoe it would be the middle and bottom rung being used and that would also work for canoe to canoe rescue.
I really think most people in fair shape could go from the water to a single step and get the boast they need to get in. The lower step though will pull the boats together let the person pick what foot to go up on and get their hands in position etc. Just a point to catch your breath also before pushing up.
I figured having an extra rung couldn’t hurt also as you can get the foot you are going up on planted without being rushed and having your leg go thru or something.
I thought about another line maybe to pull on with your hands and arms, but decided against it as once you get weight in your boat you wont have the joining of the boats to steady it and you need to get 3 point balance. The other boater can always add some stability by holding the other boat like a normal sling rescue.
