Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- stories:sk_vs_sski_2010 [2020/04/23 17:20]
preavley
+++ stories:sk_vs_sski_2010 [2025/03/23 22:11] (current)
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-==== Sea Kayak Vs Surfski ====
+<<stories:phatboats_2010|Previous Story^stories:bellingham_stories|Story List ^ stories:epic_oahu_2010|Next Story>>
+===== Sea Kayak Vs Surfski =====
 **happypaddle <happypaddle@…>** \\
@@ Line 95: / Line 97: @@
 It’s all about where you want to put your time. Learning to roll, or learning to remount a ski.\\
 I took a look at the CDC fatality rates a while back, and kayak vs surfski isn’t broken out, but kayak vs Canoe is, and deaths from canoes are way higher than from kayaks.
+**Larry Goolsby** \\
+/16/10 #9642
+I have difficulty understanding when someone that is not a seasoned surfski paddler could say that kayaks are safer in rough conditions. I started as a kayaker and still paddle one on summer trips. I would not take a sea kayak out in epic conditions. Not all sea kayaks roll the same and some hardly roll at all. If you do a wet exit from your kayak, good luck getting back in in rough conditions. There has been only one death (that we know of) of a surfski paddler. The anniversary of his death is this month. Working in emergency rooms over the last 22 years (and watching the news) has shown me that the number of kayak deaths severely outweighs surfski deaths. I don't see kayaks out playing in the waves when the wind is blowing and the waves are big. Comparing kayaks and surfskis is like comparing apples and oranges; they are two differnt watercraft that are used for two different types of paddling. The rudder systems are also designed for two different purposes; the surfski rudder is designed to stay on a wave. So please, if you have proof that kayaks are safer than surfskis, then share that info with us. Otherwise, please don't make blanket statements that 'lives could be saved'. There are enough kayak deaths, we don't need more.
+Larry Goolsby
+**Dale McKinnon** \\
+/16/10 #9643
+Not sure if folks remember, but two Deception Pass Dashes ago, I witnessed and photographed two kayak rescues, one by a Rescue Kayaker (RKer), the other by the Sheriff's Department boat. The conditions were close to epic and the seas continued to build. Several surfskiers dumped, but they got back on their boats and continued paddling (either quitting the race or continuing on). In the case of the kayaker rescued by the RKer, he managed to pump out his kayak as the RKer hung onto the bow end by draping his body over the hull and wrapping his arms completely around the craft to stabilize it, while its occupant madly pumped.
+In the case of the Sheriff's boat rescue, those of us on board, witnessed a woman caught lengthwise in the trough, expertly rolling and coming up in her Greenland-style boat, but she couldn't STOP rolling. On her fifth roll (about 50 feet off the west side of Deception Island) we heard a weak "help" while a contestant stopped and grabbed her boat as we carefully motored close enough to throw a rescue line to them and pull them carefully away from the rocks on the island. The trick was to get her boat aboard without damaging it. She was in a drysuit, she had a superb rescue roll, she thought she had the skills to handle very nasty chop, but the Monster below demonstrated otherwise. She got caught in the trough and and couldn't stop the merry-go-round.
+There were several stories about the conditions of that race, but I learned one very clear fact: A surfski is a heckuva lot easier to hug and climb aboard in unhappy conditions (as long as you remain leashed to it) than an enclosed cockpit-style kayak. LGs facts are spot on re: kayak deaths in Bham Bay and surrounding area.
+**Erik Borgnes** \\
+/16/10 #9644
+There are a few generalizations that one can make with regards to small boat safety:
+- The average paddler has only average skills.\\
+- Drowning results from too much time in the water, i.e. exposure.\\
+- The boat that requires the least amount of steps to recover from involuntary submersion (to get most of the body free from being submerged), and that requires the least amount of equipment to do so is the safest.\\
+- Tippy / narrow boats are generally less safe than wider / more stable ones.\\
+- Experienced, well prepared paddlers are generally safer than less experienced paddlers, independent of the type of craft.
+SUP's are safest. They require minimal skill, steps, equipment to get your core out of the water. This is true on flatwater and on rough water.
+OC1's are next as the outrigger platform makes it relatively easy to get out of the water and one can lean on the iako afterwards for stability.
+Sit-on-top top skis / kayaks are next as they take one step and no equipment to get back into the seat where the paddler is sitting in minimal water. One can also then hang their feet over the sides for extra stability afterwards.
+Sit-in kayaks less safe because they require safety equipment and additional steps to recover from a capsize and get out of the water and get the cockpit relatively dry (paddle float, pump, sprayskirt). They are also less stable in the intermediate step when you are back in the seat and the cockpit is half-full of water.
+Open canoes would be least safe because they are most difficult to get back into from the water, fill with too much water, and would be least stable when partially filled with water. They also have the largest opening through which additional water from waves can keep filling the craft.
+If one were to assume a paddler had a "bombproof" roll, then one could likewise assume a "bombproof" recovery from any craft and therefore noone would ever drown - we know this is far from reality though. The same goes for the assumption that the paddler would be wearing a drysuit with thick thermals on.
+I remember the KISS principle as do many (Keep It Simple, Stupid). Complexity is a liability on the water.
+Erik
+**lori & beau whitehead**
+/16/10 #9645
+Great discussion… I knew when I read Happypaddle's post things would get entertaining.
+A couple more quick points on SUP's to add to Eric's list … 1) you can knee paddle if things/conditions get dicey. 2) you can still hand paddle very efficiently if you lose or break your paddle. 3) you can break your SUP into 6 pieces and each piece, by itself, makes a better floatation device than a kayak filled with water. 4) You get more chicks standing up. (ok, I made that one up).
+Happy paddling,
+Beau Whitehead
+**p peacock** \\
+/16/10 #9648
+I don't like blanket statements (generalizations) either, but here's another one; No kayak or surfski is safe if the paddler is a yahoo and isn't prepared for their prospective paddling environment. I have been in epic conditions in my kayak, have rolled and re-entered from a wet exit. For me and me only, a kayak is safer. For someone very experienced in a surfski, a surfski is safer. Larry's right, not all sea kayaks roll the same. You would never catch me in epic conditions in an unfamiliar boat. I'm pretty sure that all surfskis aren't alike either and the epic condition paddler would probably prefer his own boat. And by the way, there are sea kayakers out there that go out playing in big waves and wind and also, gasp, gnarly rock gardens. Larry's is again right,… apples and oranges. The main point is know to know your skills, know your boat, and know how to assess risk.
+Dan

Surfski Knowledge Base

User Tools

Site Tools

Differences

Page Tools