Ok… i’m a pretty big guy. 6’6", and not light on my feet. I have a Perception Prodigy 12.0. I paddle on lakes and any river that won’t flip me. I have a problem with how far I sink my boat when I sit in it. It doesn’t totally submerge, but I find it difficult to paddle as quickly as I should and if I lean too far, I get water running in.
I know the best answer to this is to drop a few lbs, but in the meantime, will adding Kayak Float Bags help with keeping the boat on the water ( not in ), or are they mostly for when you capsize?
I appreciate everyone’s input!
Wizzy
Float bags don’t change design volume
– Last Updated: Jun-08-10 2:26 PM EST –
That is, they won't cause the boat to sink any less deeply with you in it. That is built into the hull. What they will do is allow less water into the boat... and if you are getting a lot of water into the boat as you paddle it could be upping the volume being carried. How much water are you getting in there?
In any case, they are a very good idea in case of capsize in a big cockpit rec boat like the Prodigy.
As captain Quint said …
“We’re gonna need a bigger boat”
Flotation bags won’t make you float any higher than you otherwise would without them, unless the boat is full of of water.
Flotation bags
Flotation bags in your boat are a great idea. They have no effect until you get a lot of water in your boat. After you capsize or swamp, the bags help float the boat. Because they displace water, they make pumping out or emptying the boat quicker.
You need a boat designed for someone your weight. Sell your current boat to someone smaller.
agree with others
– Last Updated: Jun-09-10 9:57 PM EST –
I agree with the others. You basically need a larger hull to get more flotation. Simply, a longer or wider boat. Though it is more complex than this - best to find one that you fit within the manufacturer's suggested weight range for.
Adding float bags won't increase the flotation of the boat you have (still have the same amount of air above the hull), but will help in reducing the amount of water that can come in should you tip to far.
Chief Brody said that.
Doh! What was I thinking?
Quint had it under control, 'least till he got bit in half.
bigger boat
yeah, float bags won’t help - you need a bigger - higher volume boat. You might weigh less than your boat’s max weight listing, but you’re probably beyond it’s “ideal” paddler weight. Therefor you are plowing through the water with all the performance of a half sunken barge going upstream…
The sad state of science education
in the United States.
not sure but…
I wish I could find the post…elsewhere. A guy was looking forward to fishing with his jon boat in shallower water once he got more flotation installed under the deck and seats.
de-deeee-dee.
The sad state of science education…
Wow… that hurts.
My original thought on the subject was that the bags would not help. HOWEVER, after reading on another message board that it helped one paddler, I thought I’d ask around. Maybe I should have pulled out my high school text books ( because everyone keeps them around, right? ) and looked up the section that said Answers to Everyday Dumb Questions.
Thanks to everyone else for the responses to an apparently silly question. You saved me the $$ by not having to go out and buy the bags and find out for myself.