I was just thinking… if a kayak is rated for x lbs total capacity does that rating allow the cockpit to be filled with water? How do I know the darn thing won’t sink after a wet exit?
If the suggested paddler range is 150-250 and the max load is 400 then 400-150=250lbs of cargo won’t sink the boat even if the cockpit is filled with water?
first off
you can’t fit 250lbs in the compartments, the upper range of displacement will come from the paddler, not the gear.
I agree with LeeG
You won’t realistically load a kayak with that much gear. On trips I have taken, a heavy load of gear is maybe 50-60 pounds.
But the load limit is not the limit where the boat sinks, but where it becomes a bit unruly handling. You can generally overload a boat and it will just ride lower in the water. But its handling characteristics could be very different than designed.
And if you are looking at load in whether it will sink, then you have to look the sum total of all the items is heavier or lighter than water. Once the load is below the water line, the weight doesn’t matter, just the buoyancy of the items. So if the boat fills with water, the weight of this water does not matter (water is neutral buoyancy). Just a little bit of flotation (foam, air bag, etc.) could be enough to keep the kayak from sinking.
???
I think 250lbs of sand would fit in those compartments.
Now I pack heavy but…
I am the world’s worst trip packer, if efficiency and keeping the weight trim are used as a criteria. And while I’ve managed to make a boat extraordinarily “stable”, I can’t imagine how I could actually get the thing sunk.
Anyway, your tripper is a Storm per your profile. I had a Squall, the smaller version of the Storm, and that boat hauled more gear than most lower volume newer boats that’re a foot longer. If you can find a way to sink a CD Storm with any gear you’d load in a real life trip (sideline jobs transporting rocks or sand from a quarry are not to be considered), I want to see a picture.
yep or lead ingots
– Last Updated: Aug-09-07 9:30 AM EST –
sounds like you know the limits. Get the measurements for the volume in the compartments,translate that to weight of water, subtract the weight of the kayak. That's how much weight your kayak can carry without sinking. While you may be able to get in the cockpit and paddle it as the coaming is above the water it'll be ridiculously overloaded.
I’m the poster boy
for heavy loads, Axe, Saw, grill, lantern, typical camping gear; tarps, sleepy bag, tent or hammock, lawn chair, extra clothes, cooler, occasionally a couple of wax fireplace logs…(WHAT?..I like a fire and I’m lazy…so sue me!)
add an extra paddle, water bladder on deck, my sail and a dry bag in lieu of a deckbag…
then add ME; 220 Lbs of rippling muscle and sinew,
wearing all the stuff that goes in a pfd (NO B&B here let’s just say I’m carrying and not discuss WHAT exactly).
okay I can’t hold a straight face about the muscle and sinew line…but I AM built like a fireplug… 
Boat is rated for 400 lbs…and I’m not yet drowned like a rat, although the more the hull settles into the water, the harder I have to paddle to pull it through the water (and believe me it does not GLIDE, you PULL it when it’s loaded that heavily).
yes, you are probably right
– Last Updated: Aug-09-07 8:20 PM EST –
And you would be the first cargo ship kayak I have ever seen (though you may want to use a canoe instead - much easier to load and unload)...
Most people put things like camping gear and clothes in to their kayaks. Usually the heaviest item would be water, food, and cooking equipment. The items that take the most space will likely be clothes, tent, sleeping pad, and sleeping bag.
Interestingly, the items taking the most space are not really heavy and generally lighter than water (assuming kept dry, not water logged), so would be a positive impact on a flooded boat's flotation.
like paddling in cement