Pool Noodles that is…
I was trying to find some perfect fit foam to get the bow floatation up on one of my boats. This boat has a center foam pillar in the bow and I didn’t have two air bags. Turns out that pool noodles, color coordinated of course, jamb in the cavity perfectly, making the bend around the foam pillar. 3 1/2 noodles fill the cavity and won’t come out unless you give them a hard tug. They come right to the end of the foot rest rails and don’t get in the way at all. The boat rides as high inverted as it does right side up, so I guess it’s working. Doesn’t ship much water at all when I climb back in…a few bailer fulls and that’s it.
Any reason’s I shouldn’t be doing this? Any better ideas? (I know, air bags, but I short on those right now.)
LOL
My wife asked me the other day. {What are you looking at those pool noodles for? I can see your up to something.} I was thinking of doing the same thing. I think extra flotation is always a good thing.
Like Duct Tape
Those pool noodles have 1001 uses. I just put a couple on my homemade canoe rack to keep the gunwales from getting banged up on the steel bar.
At first I just put them on the gunwales, but the pressure kept splitting them. Then I just split one, fitted it over the bar, and duct taped it down.
You might want to secure them to
make sure they won’t come out, if the boat fills with water.
LOL
It will be a sad, sad, day in the paddling world if the powers that be ever quit making pool noodles!
kari
"Drowned Man Found…
under a pile of festive colored pool noodles, police can't explain"....the article reads.
;-)
It appears that one Walmart pool noodle has more floatation than a type III PFD! Have to test this to be sure, but they sure are floaty and can't leak like an air bag. Anyways, after posting this, I started poking noodles under the coaming of my yaks, in the storage bulkheads, behind the seats, etc., and found you could tuck the things in all sorts of nooks and crannies, completely out of sight, and they stay there under their own tension/compression. I'm surprised the yak/canoe companies haven't jumped all over this.
Those big Glad Bag clothing storage bags are interesting too. Air and water tight, you can sit on them and they don't pop. I've used 'em as dry bags with great success. Rolled up and slightly inflated, they make pretty good air bags too. $6 for 4 extra large ones.
Noodles for hip pads
I wrapped a couple around my seat curving behind the backband and tucked into the recess under the coaming on each side - makes great hip pads!
Paula
adhesive?
I’d like to mount a few noodles into my critter. What glue will stick?
thanks
No glue, on mine…
I’ve now got 7 noodles tucked into one of my boats and you can’t see any of them if unless you look. They seem to stay put under their own springyness. I suppose you could use contact cement or Lexel to stick 'em down but you’d best slice the noodle down the middle to make a nice flat spot to glue to.
The ones in the bow are jam’d in so tight you have to really pull to dislodge them.
Glued to coaming…
I’ve seen them split and glued to the cockpit coaming of rec boats with the really large cockpits…
Cut them in pieces
I got a bunch of noodles at the dollar store. Cut them up into 4 to 6 inch pieces and filled a cheap Wal-Mart Dry bag with them and stuffed it in my bow. It also has the benefit of the extra air in there adding to the buoyancy factor. Of course noodles are also good over my Yakima bars I can tie down that extra rec boat and it doesn’t slide around.
Noodle Floatation
For an interesting take on floatation and pool noodles go to samrizzetta.com and check out his canoe and kayak link. I visited him this past weekend and saw, not paddled, his Sandpiper set up. It makes a lot of sense.
Joe
Gotta buy the book to check it out.
As I have a 'Piper, was interested, but no dinero.
Email him
I’m sure he’d discuss it with you.
Joe
pool noodles on rack
If you stuff the pool noodles in the bow of your kayak, do they come flying out when you reach highway speeds? Should you take them out when transporting your kayak?
Given their limited durability
I"m not sure I’d recommend gluing them on.
Highway noodles…
Nope, I’ve not had mine fly out. My noodle test boat is a Dagger Blackwater 10.5. It’s got a center foam pillar in the bow and the noodle jamb/wedge in there really tight. Then, I’ve got three more wrapped around the seat support under the combing and those would likely have to be cut out…they were a pain to get in. I wanted this boat really floaty for wife and kids.
Also, since I transport my boats upside down, there’s only about 3" of space between the coaming and car roof. I suspect if one did blow out, it would remain trapped on the car roof.
Later I might string some shock cord between the foot rest tracks to retain a loose noodle.
I haven’t put noodles in my Hurricane Tampico since it’s bulkheads seem to be air and water tight. Maybe someday since I’m finding noodles to be really handy. Each one of them will support you in the water!
Noodles in Bow
Thanks I will try it in my WS Pamlico 145T. Its a lot cheaper than air bags at $60.00 set.