A manual bilge pump should be standard equipment when you go out
paddling. Also a large sponge (to get what the bilge pump couldn't),
some sort of signaling device, paddle float, and of course your pfd.

Matt Langenfeld
www.jem.e-boat.net

back40 wrote:

On Wed, 18 Feb 2004 22:09:08 GMT, Matt Langenfeld
wrote:




If you want sponsoons as a permanent fix, then you should consider
switching to a different style canoe/kayak or consider limiting the
rough water you paddle on.

Matt Langenfeld



I wasn't thinking of them as a permanent fix for rough water, but as a
self-rescue aid in the event of a capsiz, from whatever cause, to be
deployed when needed, NOT permanently attached.
I don't paddle rough waters. I only ever had one capsize, it was in
perfectly calm waters, no one else around, no boat wake, I simply went
over, and the more I leaned in the opposite direction to counter, the
farther I went.
I often paddle one particular Trent system lake, which is warm and
very shallow, but does have a lot of traffic in the channel and is
quite wide, and my concern is in event of a capsize, for whatever
reason, it would be a slow and tiring effort to hang on to the kayak
and push it back to a far-off shore. Even if I were able to re-enter,
I can't see making much headway paddling a flooded kayak. So, I'm just
looking at what safety equipment or techniques would be best to assist
in re-entry and bailing out the water. I'm not a great fan of too much
hi tech safety equipment - too often it gets forgotten, lost,
malfunctions, drifts out of reach, etc.