If you do decide to do it. Carry “on your pfd” not in your boat a VHF radio and maybe a PLB (personal Locator Beacon) . This way if you cant get back in you can effectively call for help. Don’t rely on a cell phone.
@greyheron said:
If you want to dry-practice this maneuver, you can do it on the edge of your bathtub.
Do you fill the bathtub first? Cold or hot water? Bubbles?
Seminole Canoe and Kayak Club has scheduled a Assisted Rescue day at the club in Jacksonville, Aug 10. Perhaps a club near you can do the same and you can find out if it is a problem for you.
Hope you are being facetious here, abandoning the boat and thinking that being a good swimmer is a fool-proof option -BAD, irresponsible advice!
@TomL said:
Are you a pretty good swimmer or maybe willing to do a little more,pool,swimming to make sure you are? If so maybe you could get a nice stable sit on top fishing kayak and stay close enough to shore so that you could easily swim to shore in an emergency. The important part about self rescue is being able to rescue yourself…you can always just abandon the boat.
@Omeas said:
Just want to thanks all the folks that replied to my post, the advice and info was just great. I’m inclined to get a sit-in because of weight and my many years of canoeing experience, and I will definitely find a kyack instructor to find the best way to save my sorry butt when the occasion requires it. Thanks again for all of your comments. By the way, I live on a barrier island on the Jersey shore, outside of Atlantic City and plan to only fish the bay.
The way you phrase this makes it sound as if you may be carrying some extra weight, which is probably going to make self rescue more difficult. You also have to consider why and when you would need to self rescue. What would cause you to end up in the water in the first place? Waves. And waves are going to make self rescue even more difficult. I have no experience with sit on tops but certain models of those may be easier to get back on. I have no idea if they are an appropriate craft for those waters you want to paddle though…
My reference to ‘weight’ was kyack weight, not my weight, although I could lose some ‘body weight’. I did buy a sit-in Perception Sound 10.5 fishing yak and it only weighs 44# vs. the 58 of my old 15’ Pathfinder. Actually got to perform a self-rescue in my new boat in my nephews pool… it wasn’t pretty, but I did it and gained a lot of confidence doing it. I’m taking an 8 hour intro course on the 24th at the Philadelphia Canoe Club, which I”m looking forward to. Appreciate your comments.