Not easy
I have found the PF re-entry difficult.
Practice, Practice and practice it remains awkward.
I find the solid float won’t support me and the inflatable one is inflatable and I have already burst one. That one does hold up my 180 + lbs.
Either works well to balance things out.
I’m a novice
and intend to learn how to roll this year. Last year I took a class on Lake Huron and found that in moderate swells with a modest amount of water in the cockpit, the paddle float was very easy to use as long as I kept very low on the deck. But I’m pretty light at 150 and have good flex from about a zillion years of kick boxing & mountain biking. When I buy my first kayak this spring, a paddle float will be on the list along with a dry suit.
Hatch covers have been known to float
off or sink. If you replace a hatch cover with a, say, nylon cockpit cover and bungy you now have a different problem, susceptibility to implosion. An inflated paddle float underneath can significantly reduce the chances of an imploded spare hatch. Paddle floats are pretty ingenious, they can be used in many, many ways.
Dogmaticus
Most people who cannot roll do not have
the presence of mind to actually use one of those Roll Aid thingy’s. My evidence is knowing many, many, many people with “pool rolls” of varying technical sophistication who completely fail to even try to roll when the shit hits the fan. The first thing they do is pop the deck, the second is make excuses. Been there, done that myself. Those replacement cartridges, priced those things? What is your strategy for the big air bag post-capsize?
Dogmaticus
big air bag post-capsize
Maybe re-enact ‘The Prisoner’? (if I remember my vintage BBC TV titles correctly)
Dog,
I sometimes carry one when solo paddling as a back-up device. It does not replace a roll.
After you have used it and still have the big inflated bag, just clip it to a deck line behind you so that it is still available if you need it again.
I carry a paddle float
– Last Updated: Feb-11-08 4:33 PM EST –
that is accessible for any emergency use but have found it not a good tool for a solo rescue. If you are paddling by yourself and are in conditions that have flipped you over, a paddle float probably won't get you back into the kayak and if it does you will be very exhausted and find it harder to maintain your balance. Rolling or reenter and roll with a footpump will get you back to paddling with minimal effort and fatigue.
While the paddle float rescue
isn’t going to work in real rough water situations, I think that teaching the rescue has some benefits. It gives a beginner a sense of buoyancy and how a swamped boat responds in that situation. Personally, I had such a hard time the first time I tried it, learning to roll became very attractive. I can now do a paddle float reentry pretty easily and quickly, although I would probably try a reentry and paddle float roll if the situation arose “in real life”.
Another thing, if one can pull oneself up on the deck and maneuver into the cockpit with only the aid of the paddle float, then climbing up during a T-rescue should be a piece of cake.
The Roll Aid thing
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I often regret bringing this up - it's just that it's one of those small companies consisting of a really nice guy who had a neat idea and did a nice job of presenting it. These are good people to support.
But - to address the question -
The roll aid material itself says it is not useful for anyone who is not at least well on their way towards a roll. I would agree - without a hip snap and at least moderate ability to keep the head down this thing is not getting anyone up. (You can blow it up with air to practice when you first get it.) So while it does take some presence of mind, it is presence of mind that the target user is likely to have. The handle is excellent - easy to feel and, as long as it's mounted in a reasonably accessible location - is very findable even with gloves.
It would be useful for the following scenarios - Someone has a roll in average conditions but capsizes in stuff bigger than they have practiced handling. Someone normally has a roll but is dog-tired and needs a little assistance with the oomph. Someone has a roll but the paddle broke or is lost and they need a faster or more secure way back up than ripping a split off the front deck, or they are wearing gloves that make it hard to find the end of the split.
As to what to do after - the bag can clip onto a bungie and will eventually deflate. Trivia note - it won't deflate with air in it meaning CO2 molecules are smaller. It does inflate beautifully - we sacrificed a cartridge to confirm that.
And no it isn't repackable on the water unless you are a lot handier than I am at jamming it all back in. But if you really needed it that one time, you might not care.
The cartridges are the most awkward part - they are an odd size that requires contacting the company or hanging onto the info about the company in NJ that makes them. I have managed to fail miserably at the latter.
oh no
the strap location and way of attaching is all that
by far the simplest/quickest/surest I have used
I’m fine with it if you are Doc
Like Celia says, the guy who makes them is very nice and in my opinion excels in the industry in ethics by honestly selling the product and telling us who might benefit. If it’s that one last chance that a seasoned paddler as yourself would rather have I’d rather you take it along, especially if you are buy yourself.
Dogmaticus
I carry one, have not used it much
I have used it a a cushion behind someone’s seat, and it made all the difference in the world for him as far as comfort.
Another thing to think about is: how would you re-enter your boat (by yourself) if you dislocated your shoulder? If you have a paddle float and a stirrup, you might have a chance. Otherwise, it might be practically imposible.
eskimo bow roll in a can! 
reenter and paddle-float roll
is the same thing, only easier