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Re: Kayaker rescued off Millers Rd tonight

Posted: 09 Oct 2015, 12:22
by JägerMarty
laneends wrote: Stuffing every spare space with bouyancy material is a good start.
Cask wine bags are good for this, they saved a canoe of ours many years ago

Re: Kayaker rescued off Millers Rd tonight

Posted: 09 Oct 2015, 12:36
by Hammertime
JägerMarty wrote:
laneends wrote: Stuffing every spare space with bouyancy material is a good start.
Cask wine bags are good for this, they saved a canoe of ours many years ago
Pool noodles are also good I've heard... just need to find some.... Probably need about 15 to fill an outback I recon.. maybe more...

Re: Kayaker rescued off Millers Rd tonight

Posted: 09 Oct 2015, 12:41
by cheaterparts
hammertym wrote:
JägerMarty wrote:
laneends wrote: Stuffing every spare space with bouyancy material is a good start.
Cask wine bags are good for this, they saved a canoe of ours many years ago
Pool noodles are also good I've heard... just need to find some.... Probably need about 15 to fill an outback I recon.. maybe more...
why not use empty platic coke bottles they weigh less and have more buoyancy -

Re: Kayaker rescued off Millers Rd tonight

Posted: 09 Oct 2015, 13:24
by Munroe
laneends wrote:
Stuffing every spare space with bouyancy material is a good start.

.
This was one thing that had baffled one of the guys from water police. I recieved a call later last night asking a few questions to assist in the pending enquiry.
His main concern was that the kayak which was factory fitted and sold with the motor,was not fitted out with active bouyancy within the hull. Whether the guy had removed it? or the manufacturer believed it to be not nessecary, who knows but they definately had issues raising the yak off the bottom :wtf:

As Sog had mentioned he was an experienced kayaker but his complantency and the seas got the better of him in the matter of seconds

The guy looks like he'll cop a fine for an unreg vessel but having licence and reg will still not prevent these sort of things happening.

Just hope that the new guys here take an extensive read of our saftey section, take heed of our own accounts and ensure that they are prepared for when things go pearshaped.

Re: Kayaker rescued off Millers Rd tonight

Posted: 09 Oct 2015, 13:27
by viperdevil
I had few old cheap PFD stuffed inside my outfitter. I also had the good spare PFD in there rather than it sitting at home. When one cheap aduld pfd can make a person weighing 60kg float.....few of them inside the hull should hold good for most of the situation was my theory.

Stay safe out there gents.....silly season has just started.

Re: Kayaker rescued off Millers Rd tonight

Posted: 09 Oct 2015, 15:02
by Hvalross
Excellent post and comments, very useful for me (and others) as newbies.

I have 4 old style life jackets that will now join the already installed foam boyancy. This is a really useful suggestion to have made -thanks
In floor Plano boxes are being relocated above decks......immediately!!
Valuables in a waterproof aroud my waist...or in the pocket of the PFD I wear,....... from now on.
Lifeproof cover iPhone in the PFD I am wearing

Emergency items always above decks when on the water.

Any other things to consider appreciated as I am still getting my rig and habits established.

Added Called in to clark rubber, 1.5m pool noodles ultra light 100% buoyant and SOFT available in three diameters from 100mm ($9 each) casks flimsy, plastic bottles hard Noodles fit any and all nook and cranny!

Cheers
Andrew

Re: Kayaker rescued off Millers Rd tonight

Posted: 09 Oct 2015, 15:18
by laneends
Flotation wont make a yak useable in an emergency, it just ensures it stays on the surface so you have something to hang on to if worse comes to worse, as you may be somewhere less visible and not picked up as quick even with PLB.

Re: Kayaker rescued off Millers Rd tonight

Posted: 09 Oct 2015, 15:56
by Anthony
laneends wrote:Flotation wont make a yak useable in an emergency, it just ensures it stays on the surface so you have something to hang on to if worse comes to worse, as you may be somewhere less visible and not picked up as quick even with PLB.
I think it would make righting the yak easier because there would be less water in the hull. When I got the PA I flipped it over with the hatch open in shallow water to see what it was like. It still floated when the hull was full of water but it much harder to flip it back over. Once I got it back upright it had lost a lot of it's stability but using the manual bilge pump worked well to quickly clear the water out. Not something I'd want to do in poor conditions but well worth practicing incase you do.

Re: Kayaker rescued off Millers Rd tonight

Posted: 10 Oct 2015, 13:21
by Dognut
hammertym wrote:Definitely good work on the boat that got to him and helped him out.

I'm now carrying a marine radio for this exact purpose. Although I have no intention of going in the water, if it happens and I can't get myself sorted I'll be putting a call on on 16 with pan-pan and hoping some of the boats in the nearby area are scanning
Call on 67. Better. 16 isn't used much in Melbourne. I don't know why.

Re: Kayaker rescued off Millers Rd tonight

Posted: 10 Oct 2015, 14:47
by 4liters
How would gap filler foam go for extra buoyancy in an emergency? Half of my yak isn't easily accessible to stuff things like PFDs down due to a very small hatch, scuppers and rod holders and the foam seems like it could be sprayed right down into the parts I can't get to.