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So far I’ve got hotbag, which is spare hat, socks, gloves,pullover;
lunch bag,
thermos,
water,
then I’ve got throwbag,
first aid kit,slings,
now I’m asked to take a bivvy bag
so at least four bags I will have to stow.Is this list complete, please ? Do I really need to bother about a knife
How do I stow all of this, and do I DEFLATE MY REAR BOUYANCY TO GET IT ALL IN,and if so will the boat needle when the inevitable happens?sorry to be so thick, but there you are
Patrick,
Well, correct me if I’m wrong but you seem to be asking what equipment you should take on a river trip and how to sore it in your boat.
I have just spent 10 minutes on the British Canoeing web site trying to find some answers and advice, an experience that has induced a form of turrets syndrome but has completely failed to produce any usable information. So, this is my opinion. Other opinions are available.
The novice river paddler will need a lot of looking after. As their skills and experience grow that need will gradually diminish until eventually they will become an experienced paddler. The experienced paddler will be able to make decisions unaided and will be able to help in coaching and rescue situations. As a rule of thumb the paddler becomes a useful member of the group once they attain 3 star status.
The kit you need to carry should reflect your likely role within a group. It fairly realistic to ask the beginner to carry spare clothing, bivvy bag and some form of food and drink. On the other hand throw lines, karabiners, slings, first aid kits and repair kits are probably the domain of those who have the skills and experience to use them. Having someone stand beside a gnarly river feature holding a throw line may give the impression of providing safety cover, but when that someone tries to perform a throw line rescue and the line ends up tangled in a tree our unfortunate swimmer is probably worse off, having originally been lulled into a false sense of security.
There is some debate about spreading safety kit around the group. Other than spare paddles I am not a fan of this arrangement. If I want some item of safety kit then I want it to hand. Under the pressure of a rescue situation I don’t want to have to try and remember where a particular piece of kit has been deployed around the group. Even more importantly I don’t want to find that a vital piece of kit has been nicely secured within the boat that needs rescuing! It’s far better that experienced paddlers provide themselves with a suitable level of equipment and ensure that they have the skills to use it. There is a cost involved. There is also a cost involved with purchasing a boat, buoyancy aid, spray deck, paddle, helmet etc. This cost is part of the paddling experience.
All items should be secured safely within the boat. The word I have carefully chosen is secured. I deliberately haven’t used words like stored or stowed. Make sure that whatever you carry won’t be floating off down the river should your boat make a sole descent of some rapid while you take a nice refreshing swim.
I have small dry bags that I use for dry clothing and repair / first aid kits. In order to get these in the boat I deflate the air bag, push the dry bag into the ensuing void and re-inflate the air bag. This arrangement seems to work well but I also make sure that the bags are secured within the boat by clipping them to whatever fittings I have inside the cockpit. At the end of each trip I remove all my kit (with the exception of split paddles) from the boat and hang it up to dry. I also ensure that the contents of my dry bags are indeed dry.
I carry a karabiner and sling tucked into my buoyancy aid to assist in the recovery of any boats that have been temporarily abandoned by their owners.
You ask if a knife is really necessary. The answer is probably. We carry knives because moving water and ropes are a dangerous combination. It is all too easy to become entangled in a rope and then get dragged under the water. A knife gives the victim a chance of getting out of that situation, with the obvious proviso that it is easily accessible.
You ask, “…will the boat needle when the inevitable happens?” I don’t understand this question; please feel free to ask it in a different way.
Finally for now I will mention keys. My opinion is that these should be secured about ones person and not in the boat. It is quite possible that a paddler and their boat may get separated. Watching ones keys drift off down the river never to be seen again is something that I have seen happen, (no, not to me), don’t let it happen to you.
I hope this helps and answers most of your questions. If you have any more please feel free to ask but don’t forget that all of this is only my opinion.
Clive A.
thank you,clive for taking the time to assist me with this problem.
I guess that you know why I felt the need to ask this question in terms of my own development, (ha ha!),but it may well be that others will at some time in their career development come across similar issues. As you know, I am pretty slow learner but I will try to take what you have said onboard,and perhaps attempt to be more useful in future.
as regards throwlines…the less said the better probably….the issue of needling is this.If it becomes necessary to deflate a rear bouyancy bag in order to stow kit in the back of the boat ,then will this lead to the back of the boat sinking when the boat is flooded with water.
Patrick,
You wrote If it becomes necessary to deflate a rear buoyancy bag in order to stow kit in the back of the boat, then will this lead to the back of the boat sinking when the boat is flooded with water. This is sort of not quite how it works.
The back of your boat has a fixed volume. If you carry no kit you fill a large portion of that volume with air bags. These air bags will stop water from filling up the back of the boat if it has the misfortune to run a rapid without its former occupier.
If you decide (for instance) to carry some dry clothes in a dry bag you will deflate the air bag, insert the dry bag and then re-inflate the air bag. The volume of the re-inflated air bag together with the dry bag will be roughly equal to the volume of the air bag on its own, thus no matter what you are carrying in the case of a capsize the same amount of water will enter the back of your boat.
That’s not to say that carrying kit has no drawbacks. Every item of kit has a weight and that weight will cause the boat to float lower in the water and will have an effect the boats handling. How much kit to carry is a compromise between having enough kit to deal with any situation that you find yourself in, but not so much that the boat behaves in a way that will adversely affect your performance.
The density of the water outside the boat will be the same as that of the water inside the boat, so a swamped boat will float or sink wholly dependent on the boats inherent buoyancy and the weight distribution of any kit carried. If the back of the boat has a lot of weight in it then this will float lower than the bow but this only becomes a problem if there is air trapped in the bow, in which case the stern will sink and the boat will end up bobbing vertically in the water. This is not a likely scenario for us river paddlers. Firstly because in the normal run of things water enters both ends of the boat at the same time, thus no air can get trapped, and secondly our rivers are seldom deep enough for a boat to remain vertical for long.
Another long answer to what would appear to be a fairly simple question. The short version is that you are worrying about something that is unlikely to happen.
Helpful?
Clive A.
Clive, all the postings are very helpful! As I have just got myself a rivers kayak and hoping to go out and get wet very soon the posts here help me to sort my kit out etc.
Cheers
TS
Just a quick one young Brad wants to do his first river trip what will he need in the kayak?
Biggazza
As it is young Brad’s first river trip the bare minimum kit required is:
Boat, (with air bags fitted in the back),
Helmet,
Buoyancy aid,
Spray deck,
Paddle,
Wear suitable warm clothing and cag. River water is a lot colder that the sea and river valleys are often cold places anyway.
Some kind of drink and some snacks are always useful and of course an apple for the session leader is absolutely essential.Assuming Brad enjoys himself, I would be amazed if he doesn’t, then he should be looking to bring enough kit to look after himself, so a survival bag and spare dry clothes in a dry bag.
From what I’ve seen young Brad won’t be in need of looking after for very long. Assuming he enjoys himself and continues to paddle with us he will probably be in a position to help others by the end of the river season. Christmas is coming and items like throw lines, karabiners and slings make ideal presents for budding young paddlers.
Presentation of your PPCA membership card will be rewarded with a 15% discount at Kayaks and Paddles, and 10% in Cotswold Outdoors. Production of a Mount Batten membership card together with a GoOutdoors discount card will give a further 10% discount in GoOutdoors. These offers may not apply to items already in a sale.
Hope to see a watery young Brad soon.
Clive A.
p.s. That bit about bringing an apple for the session leader was a joke. Thought I ought to make that clear.
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