Sinking Kayak 5 Miles Out

Starts at the 1min mark. Don’t use carts in the scupper holes!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-mo_-xziLI

“The power of the Hobbie!”

Maybe if it was less loaded with stuff.

Note to self: Stick with sea kayaks with sealed compartments.

Four things:

Yes. Have heard about scupper hole cracks from using carts with inserts into the scuppers. I don’t use that type of cart.

I use float bags and foam inside my SOTs (if it isn’t filled with dry bags with camping equipment).

Stay in shape!!! Just weekend paddling ain’t gonna cut it. That dude in Hobie as well as the guy in the sinking kayak were both seriously pumping along despite the drag of a half submerged boat.

Have VHF and call the coasties if need be – “plan c”.

sing

Second the float bags. Anything that can flood anywhere in the boat, no matter how unlikely, is a risk.
The pump would not have solved the problem properly if it was an ongoing crack.

Really stupid design of that boat with those huge deep open cargo areas.

@willowleaf said:
Really stupid design of that boat with those huge deep open cargo areas.

Problem is the hull is open from bow to stern. No compartments really. The deep open cargo areas are so fishermen can carry a lot of equipment and access it underway.

The good thing was they were buddy boating. AND the buddy had a tow line.

@Overstreet said:

@willowleaf said:
Really stupid design of that boat with those huge deep open cargo areas.

Problem is the hull is open from bow to stern. No compartments really. The deep open cargo areas are so fishermen can carry a lot of equipment and access it underway.

The good thing was they were buddy boating. AND the buddy had a tow line.

I am not understanding this critique. The SOTs have one big compartment. Things can be loaded inside as well as on top. SOT’s safety in a puncture or cracked hull situation can be increased by the use of float bags internally. If one gets punctured in the back compartment of a SINK that is not using a float bag, you would see a similar scenario happening. If one gets a puncture in the hull of a Mariner type (non-compartmentalized) kayak, or an SOT, without internal airbags, it would be even more castastrophic once you pop the sprayskirt and bail. The whole thing would be submerged.

In the video, you can see that the side stabilizers, acted somewhat as external float bags of sort. Obviously not as effective at displacing water inside the hull as airbags would have done but it kept the kayak somewhat afloat.

sing

They often
A. Can’t get to all parts of the hull to install float bags.
B. Even if so the shape is wonky.
C. The training wheels really hamper paddling.
D. The Scupper hole was all buggered up. He was pretty rough on it. They don’t all look like that after use.

@Overstreet said:
They often
A. Can’t get to all parts of the hull to install float bags.
B. Even if so the shape is wonky.
C. The training wheels really hamper paddling.
D. The Scupper hole was all buggered up. He was pretty rough on it. They don’t all look like that after use.

A; I have float bags installed in my SOTs. I put a small hatch in the back to insert or retrieve float bags. No more big deal than modifications I have done with my various SINKs and two SOFs.
B. In your opinion (shrug).
C. The “training wheels” I don’t use but I suspect those folks have it because they stand in their SOTs to fish. I doubt anyone using a SINK can stand and fish.
D. Yes. The scupper hole was buggered up by using a scupper hole type cart. I have heard about that as potential source of damage to SOT hulls and don’t use that design. These folks learned the lesson the hard way – thankfully with no repercussion.

sing

Who have gone through more touring, ww, S&G, and surf SINKs than most on this board but choose now to use mostly SOTs and waveskis for my ocean paddling/surfing/fishing and island camping.

One of the charming aspects of the NDK boats, the ones I have, is that the biggest hatch is a 10 inch round. So when you pack like I do for a day or overnight, generally excessively since I will never be accused of packing like a backpacker… float bags have to handle oddball spaces around lots of smaller dry bags.

I finally found out the easiest solution was to get float bags that were quite flexible material and if anything a bit bigger than the space in the bulkhead. So once they are inflated, they will do a fairly good job of filling in all the odd spaces. And they are plenty easy to grab once deflated because of their size.

So granted I am not a SOT person, but I am thinking that very large float bags would fit so that the air tubes were reachable. Perhaps even sized for canoes.

@Celia said:
One of the charming aspects of the NDK boats, the ones I have, is that the biggest hatch is a 10 inch round. So when you pack like I do for a day or overnight, generally excessively since I will never be accused of packing like a backpacker… float bags have to handle oddball spaces around lots of smaller dry bags.

I finally found out the easiest solution was to get float bags that were quite flexible material and if anything a bit bigger than the space in the bulkhead. So once they are inflated, they will do a fairly good job of filling in all the odd spaces. And they are plenty easy to grab once deflated because of their size.

So granted I am not a SOT person, but I am thinking that very large float bags would fit so that the air tubes were reachable. Perhaps even sized for canoes.

Yup. Way back when, I bought a huge roll of heat sealable nylon to make custom airbags when I was building my SOF. I have had enough to make custom air bags for my 3 ww kayaks. When I discovered a slow leak in the rear compartment of my Mystic through a loose nut holding the cable in the skeg box, I fixed that and made a custom bag to fit into the compartment for buoyancy redundancy. I used the material to make airbags for my SOTs. I recently used the material to make custom airbags for my Hornbeck solo canoe. I still have material left over. Evidently, I bought a huge amount of material…

When I am packing stuff into the Scupper Pro for Boston Harbor Island Camping, I pull out the airbags but I have my gear inside drybags that create airpockets of their own. I stuff the remaining open spaces along the inside the of the SOT with $1 pool noodles. So, a “cheaper” approach is buy bunches of $1 pool noodles from discount stores and stuff these into the SOT for those who don’t want to go with airbags. Stuff 4-6 noodles on each side in the front and back of the SOT, one would have the equivalent of two sizeable sponsoons running along boths sides of the SOT interior.

sing

@string said:
Maybe if it was less loaded with stuff.

The fishing equipment in the back probably weren’t that heavy. I generally carry 3 tackle boxes, a water bottle, sun screen, bug juice, misc pliers in the milk crate and about 3 fishing rods in the rod holders. Total weight is probably around 20-25 lbs max. That ain’t much given the weight capacity of most longer (than 13’) kayaks. The reason the SOT is preferred for fishing is the “tank well” design in the back which allows the carrying and accessibility of fishing gear.

The notion/need for stability is really an relative individual thing. Not all SOTs are 30" wide, as you know. I used to Kayak fish with my sink. Totally limiting not because of stability issues but because one can have one tackle box behind and maybe one in front of cockpit. If one does not want to cut holes for rod holders (who wants to do that to composite boat, given the immediate decrease in value!?!?), then you limited to may be one rod that can tucked up either the front or back deck lines because there will also be need for a spare paddle (if one is ready for contingency). Fished with SINK one summer was enough to convince me that a SINK is totally not the kayak of choice for serious fishing.

sing

The title mentions “5 miles out.” No way are they 5 miles from shore and make it back in the short duration of that video. From all the views in the video, it was almost like there was more than one camera and very interesting how well the whole thing was directed.

Looked to me like the filming stopped during the entire time that the sinking boat was being towed. Agree there was a third person. I think the video is actually a patchup of two videos, one from third paddler and another from something like a GoPro on the head of the guy who did the towing.
It is possible it was done with some commercial interest, noted the focus on the rescuer using the foot pedals. And the stabilizers on at least the two boats.
But I doubt the guy in the flooding boat was could having a good time. If they did have a plan, I suspect it didn’t go exactly as intended.

@magooch said:
The title mentions “5 miles out.” No way are they 5 miles from shore and make it back in the short duration of that video. From all the views in the video, it was almost like there was more than one camera and very interesting how well the whole thing was directed.

You may have not noticed. The person in the Hobie had a GPS/Fishfinder. I have one installed in my Scupper Pro. With that you know exactly where you are, the depth, water temp, tide cycles, etc.

Regarding camera, if you log onto any fishkayaking forum. You will find all sorts of photos and video. Lots of folks have a camera mount stick for a gopro. The gopro can easily be taken of the stick, or turned around on the stick. Some folks will carry an additional gopro and/or have the cell camera as well. Seems like overkill. But, I am supportive because these folks are often engaged in “catch and release” after some visual documentation.

Regarding documentation, the GPS would likely have it’s tracking and waypoint log on. That also provides “documentation” of their trip. Personally, I have no reason to disbelieve their story given the visuals and the GPS.

sing

@Celia said:
Looked to me like the filming stopped during the entire time that the sinking boat was being towed. Agree there was a third person. I think the video is actually a patchup of two videos, one from third paddler and another from something like a GoPro on the head of the guy who did the towing.
It is possible it was done with some commercial interest, noted the focus on the rescuer using the foot pedals. And the stabilizers on at least the two boats.
But I doubt the guy in the flooding boat was could having a good time. If they did have a plan, I suspect it didn’t go exactly as intended.

Start from 4 mins of this video. How many paddler(s) and cameras on this fishing expedition?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUFm5dZXceE

Hint - a lot of money, equipment and time (too much IMO) in producing a vid of one fishing trip. (shrug)

sing

The thing about sot fishing is the ability to get in and out, drag feet for big fish and put the gear /fish some where.

Personally I skip the sot for a rec boat sit in. Goal is a Marsh slam. So I just need a rod , some jig heads, and some gulp shrimp. Tackle fits in my pocket. Stand up? Sure, I get out and wade on sand or shell.

If I need more I have a boat made for that.

All the same, if this wasn’t staged, they should have spent aa much time checking and caring for the boat as they took setting up cameras.