Surfski Knowledge Base

saturdays weather
duncanhowat
08/31/15 #17921

Just for future reference, according to Cliff Maas, (UW weather guy) Sat's blow was the strongest summer storm on record, EVER.

fennmako
08/31/15 #17922

So I guess my question is (and we go through this same cycle every so often following a few heli rescues and so forth), why were any of us paddling out in that sort of wind strength? Seriously. Its not like you are generally getting better waves; if anything its the opposite. Simon

Michael Lee
08/31/15 #17923

I think Simon's question is valid. I headed over to Lake Whatcom Saturday….so I can't say that I stayed out of the wind. There is a threshold on the bay (and the lake), where the probability of getting into trouble outweighs the potential for fun. Did we cross that threshold on Saturday?

John Rybczyk

08/31/15 #17924

Well, I guess that all depends. First, by design the paddlers weren't out there when the worst of it hit in the early afternoon. Second, the paddle was from Marine Park to Squalicum, so there were many bail out options (i.e., turning around, the boat works, boulevard park, cornwall beach, squallicum beach). Third, the water was much warmer than when these storms come up in the dead of winter. Would I do the same thing again…no. But not because I was in any kind of danger, but because this about the fifth time I've tried such a thing with an easterly component to the wind and it's just more work than fun once you get past the boat yard. Laps next time for me.

John

duncanhowat

08/31/15 #17926

About sat. Getting your ass kicked every now and then is a good thing. Teaches humility, and should inpart some more wisdom, to be used at a future date. Talked to Darrell from Think, they ran a race out of Jericho sat am. 26 DNF'ed to various shores.

allipp01
08/31/15 #17928

I agree with Duncan. I learned that the strength of the wind in those conditions, pushing against something as large as a surfski, is the primary worry. The waves weren't even on my mind, they became almost an afterthought when dealing with the sheer power of that wind! Thinking on it now, I have to agree with Bill Cirino that a tail leash is the ticket for big winds. A tail leash will point the ski straight downwind, thus giving an approximate profile of 1.5' (width) X 1' (height) = 1.5 square feet. A center mounted leash will turn the boat perpendicular to the wind, thus giving a profile of 20' (width) X 1' (height) = 20 square feet!.

I need to get a bomb proof tail leash dialed in before I go out in those conditions again!

Larry <lbussinger@…>
08/31/15 #17930

I just don't go out in storm fronts anymore, the weather just hasn't had time to figure out what's its doing. You guys only beat the 60+ mph winds by an hour.

Larry B

Re: Leashes… [2 Attachments]
Larry <lbussinger@…>
08/31/15 #17931

I should have started reading the posts from the back. My setup is similar to yours, but I like your leash better. I hadn't found a good way to keep the leash short enough to have it under control on the back deck (not in the water and not under your butt when re entering) but long enough to carry your boat without excessive pull. Where do you get stretchy silicone tubing with 2:1 stretch? I just keep my belt loose so it will spin on me.

Larry

Re: Leashes…
bill
08/31/15 #17932

I hear ya…. The leash in my photo is about a foot too long and can end up under my tush sometimes. Need to make another shorter one. I purchased the silicon tubing off eBay. I have used surgical tubing before and it's super. I can make a 3 foot leash that stretches to 12 or more feet but it only lasted for a month or so, UV's just kill it in no time. I'm still looking for something with the stretch like latex but isn't killed by UV's in a ridiculously short period of time. The silicone tubing is closer to 3:1 in stretch and should last years. My belt is of 2“ webbing and with a locking beaner or snap shackle on it , it moves around my waist freely.

Re: Leashes…
John Rybczyk
08/31/15 #17933

All of this leash talk reminds me of a similar virtual conversation I was following a while back on the surfski.info site. Folks were chiming in, expounding on the various leashing options and there were even a few who eschewed them completely, even in the open ocean. The testosterone was flying. Then there was one fellow who claimed that he was able to do an eskimo roll in his surfski and thus had no need for a leash at all. When he tipped over, he claimed, he just righted himself and kept paddling. That's when I had to join in on the conversation to find out how he could accomplish such a thing. Surely it would have to involve some kind of elaborate lap strap or harness that would be at at least as cumbersome and even more unwieldy than a simple leash! How else could he keep himself in the boat?

No, it turns out that this guy was so big in the backside, he claimed, and wedged into his particular seat so tight, he didn't come out when his boat was sideways or upside down. Once in, he was stuck and a mere huli wasn't going to unstick him. So there you go paddlers, this winter spend a few more minutes at the dinner table and a few less on the erg and render that leash (and maybe even a wetsuit) superfluous.

Johnr

njcooksey@ymail.com

09/01/15 #17934

Duncan's leash on the elite sport he sold me worked well. It was attached to the deck behind the rudder. I came out in the gorge on a 35kt day and the boat was practically flying and spinning like a kite without a tail. I just hauled it over to me an climbed on. The boat stayed pointing downwind and I was able to get back in without untangling. I also sucked at remounting back then and never had to mess with untangling myself much.

The leash stayed on deck with a tab of Velcro. Two pieces of hook Velcro stuck back to back on the leash and the loop side on the rear deck. The leash itself was a six or eight foot surfboard non coiling leash tied to a deck mount and the belt. A thick stiff leash with a large natural bend radius does not tangle anywhere near as easily as a piece of thin cord. The surfboard leash is also too thick to get between the rudder and boat which is another problem with using a thin cord as a leash.

The key things are to attach the leash behind the rudder so the boat tends to point downwind when the boat rolls the rudder is not catching the leash and use a thick stiff leash that can't easily wrap itself around the rudder if it does catch.

Larry <lbussinger@…>
09/01/15 #17935

I would replace that buckle in a heartbeat though, if the ball catches on anything, it'll open.

Larry B

saltspringken

09/01/15 #17936

Yo,
My leash system evolved from what some of those guys came up with after another clusterfuck. Yes, the designs that they are bantering about is very similar to mine with minor tweaks here and there.

I am as bad as everybody else when it comes to safety. Think about it after a close call and then blissfully forget about it in a few days.
Bro

If not now, when?

njcooksey@ymail.com

09/01/15 #17937

Experience tells me the buckle is fine. The Northwater tow belt, which is what I copied, is practically standard issue among rough water sea kayakers and has lots of history of hard use with no issues. I've used mine for dozens of practice and real rescues and tow sessions and never had an issue.

However, if your instinct tells you it's a bad idea, it's easy enough to leave off your version.

Either way, the cam buckle works well as it's designed to get tighter with belt tension. It's used on diving weight belts and I've tested mine with my 230 lb fat ass. It's easy to operate with cold hands.

zach

09/03/15 #17948

While you guys sort out the ideal leash I will just add “Grab the fucking boat!” Ideally you never have to put full tension on the leash. Guys that learned without a leash (and lived to tell about it) are really good about this. It is not a natural reflex for me, so i practice dismounts, not remounts.