Who can help me differentiate between the different models of NW tow lines. Other than type and length of line, I’m having trouble understanding the differences.
This will be my first tow line. Sea kayaking.
I recently found myself out with a small group. I think our situational awareness left something to be desired: at one point I noticed a swimmer out of his boat nearly a quarter mile away from me. Although I’m not the strongest or most experienced, I got to him first…and long story short we needed to tow his boat back to the shore and the other people who came to assist didn’t have a tow line. So it’s time to buy one and practice using it.
I’ve been told to get a bag that opens in a way such that you can just collect the line and dump it back in (Clamshell top) so you don’t have to fuss with respooling the line if you’re in rough conditions.
following @Rookie mention, small, fits a range of torso heights and with two lengths of line to choose from. I’ve even had two kayaks on two separated biners (not that I recommend that for fun)
Oh, your group should all have safety whistles too, clipped to y’alls life jackets. My old sailing club requires them to be orange and clipped to the left breast so everyone can immediately see if you lost yours. I think that’s a great rule.
If you ask 5 instructors about what the best tow line system looks like, you will get more than 5 different answers. There is no one best system, just a lot of pros and cons to different options.
Those pros and cons generally show up at more advanced level situations. The reality is that someone doing basic tow line stuff, any commercial tow line system available from a kayaking name brand (NRS, Kokatat, North Water, Level6, etc.) would work fine.
Some basics:
for sea kayaking, you want a tow line, not a throw line.
a least 10-15 feet of line. If you are in Canada, many boaters are supposed to have 50’ of floating line, which is why most of the North Water ones are made with 50’ of line. I think that rule used to apply to kayakers, but not any more.
a waist belt system allows you to transfer it between paddlers (so someone could use your belt to save you), and it has some safety benefits (able to quickly disengage in an emergency).
This all said, North Water makes good systems and the Micro Tow is what I use. If I was not using it as a guide/instructor and just wanted for recreational use, I likely would consider their simpler and smaller (and cheaper) Nano Tow.
If you are just retrieving a boat, a contact tow line is very useful. Easy and cheap to make, simple to deploy, takes up almost no room, and can permanently live on your front deck. Search this site or online for more info. I always carry both a standard tow rig and a contact tow line.
There are several perfectly good tow rigs available or DIY. I recommend one with 50’ of floating brightly colored line, a float to keep the clip on the surface, a clip or carabiner that does not have a tooth that can snag the line when unhooking it, a waist belt with a quick release, and a bag that makes it easy to stuff the line back in when retrieving it. An integral shock absorber is nice to have when towing a in rough water.
A whistle or other sound producing device is required by the USCG and most states and localities that follow USCG requirements. Not having one is usually the same fine as not having a PFD.
Paddling with a group is usually like herding cats (catfish?). If paddling regularly with a larger size group, VHF radios have become quite affordable. Ideally you should have a lead and sweep with one, at least on open water. I consider a VHF radio as basic safety equipment like a PFD and do not go out without one. Keep it one your person and not tethered to the boat.
A nice feature is the two different lengths you can deploy. In flat water, the shorter is fine, in dynamic water the longer line is considered safer. I wrapped the ‘biner on the short ling with duct tape so I could tell the difference between the two jay feel alone.
I paddle with a radio, whistle, mirror, PLB. All the time. The paddler in the water, AFAICT, had none of that. Had me and another person not seen him he would be in a jam. He made no attempt that I know of to signal us. There was a radio transmission by another paddler “So and So is out of his boat” but the next message should have been “Who is responding?” or “Bob I see you racing over there, who will help Bob” but that didn’t happen. As I said to one of the senior people “We’re not going to win the ACA 5 Star Safety Award today”
I have a contact tow. Ashamed to admit it was not handy and reflecting back I don’t know if it would’ve been the best tool for towing in the wind/waves back to shore. Usually I’m surrounded by people with tow belts, but I learned that’s not helpful if they aren’t nearby or responding.
If I’m leading a group or paddling with a group in conditions where I am not sure of some of the people’s abilities, I will wear a tow belt. Otherwise it is always accessible on my rear deck. I’ll have to admit though, in rough conditions it is sometimes difficult to put on a tow belt. Maybe I’m just clumsy.
As far as radios, if not to get help for yourself, it may be useful in getting help for someone else. I’ve used my radio to obtain help for disabled jet skis, wind surfers, and powerboats over the years when these people had no means to do so or because their communications methods failed. I’ve also used a radio to report toxic spills to the USCG and I’ve also used it to report things like large logs or other hazards in channels.
I paddle mostly in coastal or big open water. People that paddle inland waters or protected waters may have less use for a radio, but it still helps for group paddles.