SOLAS tape
I’ve used SOLAS tape on several boats. When a light shines on it in the dark, no other material I’m aware of reflects quite as well. It great stuff… at night. During the daytime, its nothing special—just a dull whitish appearance. I think just about any dayglo color would be attract way more attention during the daytime.
If you paddle day and night, I think you could make a good argument for using both kinds of tape.
zactly
I paddled up to a demo from a mile away, couldn’t see anything. Then as I got closer the first thing I noticed was flourescent orange blobs which were the safety kayaers wearing flourescent orange highway vests. Then I saw a yellow kayak.
Paddle blades don’t figure into the picture compared to the color, area and height of the object. Side on paddle blades are nearly invisible. If you want to be visible wear a flourescent orange hunting cap, after that a vest.
Not many people use them but a white zyflex sprayskirt worn over the pfd was brighter than a yellow kayak from a distance.
Paddle flash
Several times I’ve seen flashes in the distance and paddled in that direction to find as I get closer it is the blades or oars of another boat. The first thing I notice is the flash, then as I get closer I notice the paddles or oars moving. Sometimes I see the flash and then don’t see anything until i get close enough to see a yellow or orange vest or boat.
Given that I think it could be very useful to keep your paddles shiney. I noticed the flash from wood paddles, some plastic paddles and some black ones. The key seems to be the glossy finish.
I guess silver glossey paddler should be the next rage.
I had a set of oars for ocean rowing that I painted the blades yellow, then I switched to orange. Orange was much easier to find in the surf after an accident.
Finding your paddle
That’s another good reason not to have an all-black paddle – trying to find a lost one in dark water can be a pain.
I painted the blades on mine with ordinary outddor spray paint, and it’s held up just fine.
fishing lure tape
– Last Updated: Jan-18-07 8:20 AM EST –
Cabelas.com sells 5' lengths of fishing lure tape (item# IH-310054) in various eye-catching patterns, colors, and widths. Very reasonable price.
If it holds fast to fishing lures, it might work for paddles.
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Once you apply such tape to your paddle or kayak, you can 'stop worrying' about being seen by power boaters... and then START worrying about being seen as a tasty morsel by some large predatory fish (with big teeth) who has been programmed to take a bite out of anything that looks like a fishing lure. You just can't win... ;)
At night, IF boats had headlights! NM
Go to a truck stop and find some
red and silver conspicuity tape. That is the reflectorized stuff you see on the trailers. It is D.O.T. rated for highway use, sticks to about anything, and is really reflective from different angles. If the power boaters think they are about to hit a semi they will change course.
If you are trying to cross channels
that are used by cigarette boats, you may want to consider being out there. You may say you have the right to be there, but that is a fallacy. Try riding a bicycle down the interstate.
It is your responsibility to be a responsible boater. Part of that responsibility is not putting yourself in a position that you may collide with a high speed, less maneuverable at speed, boat.
headlights
"IF boats had headlights"
Valid point. Everything you do to be more visible is aimed at the boater who is at least trying to keep an eye on where he’s going.
Pleasure boating after dark is a strange mix of beauty and terror. Its one of those life experiences that you carry forward and can enjoy instant replays each time you think of it—due largely to the reality of “hanging over the edge” just a bit. How far over the edge you actually are depends on many factors—most of which are under your control.
I’m generally a pretty cautious fellow, but admit to a certain fascination with being on the water after dark. It is, without a doubt, addictive.
as far as boat headlights
The reason most boats don’t have headlights is because the light will just reflect off the water at night and effectivly blind the helmsmen, its much better to just not have bright ligthts on board and rely on natural night vision, just a big boat thing though.
I wear a
traffic safety vest when I moto-bike!
no wrecks yet…knockin’ on wood. kinda dorky on a Harley, eh?
SoS
Yes, of course…
but since they don’t have them, reflective tape is nearly useless for collision avoidance. Has some other uses.