Kayak Man Overboard - the Do's and Don'ts

[Leprechaun]

I am quite enamored with the whole "Kayak thing." Too late in life for me, but I can live vicariously thru YT posters. I watch every one of this fella's videos. Its a small viewership channel as of now - which is sure to grow, based on his content. He really hurts the large tog in the Rhode Island and Lower Mass. inshore waters. One nice fish after another. Here's the vid referenced in the title of this thread.



I like that after initially showing the incident he goes thru what he did and did not do right. Judging by that ocean, I would think that maybe he chose to head in a bit too late, but I wasn't there, so can't say for sure.

Anyway, good food for thought, kayak or small boat, it doesn't really matter.

Also check out his many togging videos, well worth the watching. And great content on EliasV, Pete Ranieri II, and Fishing Accomplished YT channels as well - the last two of whom fish very locally.

 

[pequa1]

Pete, too late in life ? It really depends just how much of a risk taker you want to be. I hit 72 this June and picked my 45 trips on my kayak this past summer very carefully. Home by noon to avoid the wind or heat. Jig in mostly the 5mph zones. No way am I hitting Sloop Channel and definitely not the inlets or open ocean. I have a SOT 12'8" kayak of trylon from Hurricane Aquasports that weighs empty just 49 lbs, essential for me at my age, and height of 68" and 160lbs since I kayak alone and haul it with my pickup truck's TrakRak, eliminating the need for any trailer. When I sold my boat on Palm Sunday that I had new since 1999, never regretted it one minute. When I get too old to kayak the way that I do, I would be too old for the boat as well.

 

[fishyhands]

The kayak shines beginning of the season and back bays. I am constantly amazed at what I find back there, and it's usually away from active boating areas. There's spots where the first bass hit either from the Hudson or the CT rivers where it warms up over the mud flats, very few boats are out and you can launch from the places you can't during the Summer. Easy paddling and not too far from shore/island if there's issues. Also, you can throw them on your car and hit the sweet water, I've had a lot of fun doing that and you can hit the spots out of casting range of the shore. Not to mention plucking Jitterbugs and jigs out of the branches along the shoreline. Most places permit it, although some areas have restrictions like the NYC watershed, some reservoirs want it steamed cleaned.

Try before you buy, a lot of rental places out there, or a club like Sebago in J-Bay. One spot by me in Island Park is Empire Kayak and the couple who runs it is also very proficient in the local fishery. You mentioned EliasV, if you look back a couple of years in his videos you'll find the ones from when he lived out of Brooklyn and used to guide there.

Anyone who's trying it out and if it's warm out, practice tipping over and getting back in. I use a rope "step", or something that's like a rope with a loop in the end with a piece of PVC about 4" tied off to the yak before I even launch. I've been lucky, I've never tipped over but have come close, usually due to turning around to get something and getting dizzy from heat and lack of sleep (just one more cast). But I practice. Tether everything if you do go over, and bag the cell phone. Noisemaker, flag and PFD. Light if out after dusk and I carry a spotlight also for boats buzzing me.

I used paddled kayaks for ages and was young and dumb and enjoyed the workout. But after getting old, I have to have a pedal Hobie. It is a fraction of energy consumed doing that and it leaves the hands free for the vital things. My biggest goofs were before getting the Hobie have been going out without regard to tide and wind and paying for it later. I've had to ditch my yak a few times after getting taken out on a lunar high tide and walk back to my car, as I had muscle failure trying to make it back against a outgoing tide and a head wind. So, if you paddle only, watch both the tide and the winds.

Again, it's a lot of fun and I can't wait to get my next sleigh ride courtesy of a bluefish this Spring!

 

[pequa1]

The kayak shines beginning of the season and back bays. I am constantly amazed at what I find back there, and it's usually away from active boating areas. There's spots where the first bass hit either from the Hudson or the CT rivers where it warms up over the mud flats, very few boats are out and you can launch from the places you can't during the Summer. Easy paddling and not too far from shore/island if there's issues. Also, you can throw them on your car and hit the sweet water, I've had a lot of fun doing that and you can hit the spots out of casting range of the shore. Not to mention plucking Jitterbugs and jigs out of the branches along the shoreline. Most places permit it, although some areas have restrictions like the NYC watershed, some reservoirs want it steamed cleaned.

Try before you buy, a lot of rental places out there, or a club like Sebago in J-Bay. One spot by me in Island Park is Empire Kayak and the couple who runs it is also very proficient in the local fishery. You mentioned EliasV, if you look back a couple of years in his videos you'll find the ones from when he lived out of Brooklyn and used to guide there.

Anyone who's trying it out and if it's warm out, practice tipping over and getting back in. I use a rope "step", or something that's like a rope with a loop in the end with a piece of PVC about 4" tied off to the yak before I even launch. I've been lucky, I've never tipped over but have come close, usually due to turning around to get something and getting dizzy from heat and lack of sleep (just one more cast). But I practice. Tether everything if you do go over, and bag the cell phone. Noisemaker, flag and PFD. Light if out after dusk and I carry a spotlight also for boats buzzing me.

I used paddled kayaks for ages and was young and dumb and enjoyed the workout. But after getting old, I have to have a pedal Hobie. It is a fraction of energy consumed doing that and it leaves the hands free for the vital things. My biggest goofs were before getting the Hobie have been going out without regard to tide and wind and paying for it later. I've had to ditch my yak a few times after getting taken out on a lunar high tide and walk back to my car, as I had muscle failure trying to make it back against a outgoing tide and a head wind. So, if you paddle only, watch both the tide and the winds.

Again, it's a lot of fun and I can't wait to get my next sleigh ride courtesy of a bluefish this Spring!

Hobies are HEAVY. Your tips?

 

[fishyhands]

Hobies are HEAVY. Your tips?

After slinging around aluminum canoes, they don't seem that bad but yes as I get older, they're getting heavier. They come with wheels, a set that plugs into the drain holes for moving them around and then you plug them upside down in the back for while on the water. Some of the later 'teens (2015-2018) models did develop leaks there account of rotomolding issues but I escaped that. There are sets of wheels that fold up and you can bungee/lash them to the tail of the yak, but they are cumbersome and a PITA on long trips, say like from the lot at the Boat Basin to the launch area.

If you have a truck, then no problem getting them on your ride, same with a normal size car. But when I got a van there was no way I was lifting that bad boy over my shoulders, so I got a Thule "Hullavator". This thing allows you to lever it up with gas cylinders. Not cheap but worth it, especially after messing up my shoulders when I hit my '50s. Handles a aluminum canoe but there is a weight limit, not sure what it is.

I haven't tried it yet, but I see some folks have the Hobie inflatable SUP with pedal fins and a seat. Am I taking that into the inlet? Heck NOOOO... But it is tempting for some other spots. Some of the stuff they're coming up with is amazing and maybe they have something lighter enough.

 

[pequa1]

I find the hardest part of transporting even my 50 lb yak is sliding it off the rear goalpost of the TrakRak and then turning to face the water Age and arthritis has taken its devilish toll. If it gets harder, i will put the yak in my p/u bed catty corner and use my old goal post truck bed extender from HFT that i used on a minivan, sliding it across the rear and middle seats

 

[fishyhands]

I find the hardest part of transporting even my 50 lb yak is sliding it off the rear goalpost of the TrakRak and then turning to face the water Age and arthritis has taken its devilish toll. If it gets harder, i will put the yak in my p/u bed catty corner and use my old goal post truck bed extender from HFT that i used on a minivan, sliding it across the rear and middle seats

Quite a few folks I kayak with does the same (your pickup method). Only thing is to have a pennant for the portion sticking out. I have to give up the van so I'm hoping to get a truck too, if they weren't so crazy in prices/availability now. I've got to repair the dry suit too, the gent I used to use is now way out of state, gah. At least it will keep me from getting crazy trying to get the last few herrings out there.

 

[pequa1]

I don't do the truck bed extender with my p/u truck. It goes up top on the TrakRak. If I get to the point where I can not lift the bow end and slide a 50 lb yak up onto the ladder rack I have bigger problems and need an Assisted Living Facility. The truck bed extender was for the minivan. I slid it over the tbe, and then over the two folded down rear and middle seats. The 14' Hurricane Phoenix I had then would just touch the dashboard. I did put a flag on the stern but I only yak
VERY locally, usually a one mile ROUND trip.

 

[Leprechaun]

Hi Pequa - Yes, I think its too late in life for me to start the Kayak thing. Between a damaged rotator cuff, and a pair of really wonky knees creating just a touch of a balance issue, at this point I prefer to have my 26' boat under me.

One other thing - I've never mentioned this here on the open boards, but I had a crewman go overboard 9 miles offshore on a fairly rough day, season before last. It was effin’ scary, but we got him back in the boat in good order - soaked, but none the worse for wear. That incident has heavily influenced my thinking about what its really all about - for me and my friends. My thoughts are that I want to be ON the water, not in it - and it looks to me like there ain't much in the way of freeboard in any kayak I've seen. Doesn't mean that I wouldn't have gotten involved earlier, but not now.

Fishyhands - Yes, I like EliasV's vids a lot, and I do recall his vids from his LI days. I particularly remember one in which he was attached to some kind of monster, just by the Marine Pkwy Bridge - I'm guessing a big-ass ray. Also the one in which he boats (umm, Kayaks?) a large Sheepshead or two, I'm thinking right near Floyd Bennet Field. Good stuff. His most current productions down in the Keys are really good as well. Some very large cudas in that area, as he demonstrated.

The fella that puts out that Fishing Accomplished channel is pretty good as well for the local stuff - he posted a bunch of vids fishing bass around the Throgs Neck Bridge - he took some real nice ones in those YTs. Plus, for the “Seltzer Enthusiast” ? he does a different seltzer review mid-way through every trip. I find that entertaining.

 

[Leprechaun]

. . . And Again - More Lessons to Consider

 

[pequa1]

There are other videos out there re wearing waders while kayaking. Most show that while they make it hard to swim that they also make it hard to drown. I would like to see whether anyone has used waist waders which i started using for surfcasting 3or 4 years back. They are much easier on the beach and since I rarely stand deeper than ankle deep unless the ocean is a lake, also much easier to answer the call of nature. I would think they would b easy to doff if dunked off a yak too. (As well as pealing down to answer the aforementioned “call.”). I won’t b a guinea pig as at my age i just yak the months that coincidentally align with fluke season, surfcasting and deer hunting the other months.

 

[Joser]

Hey Lep,

Appreciate the post with my video! It is a really embarrassing moment for me but I put the video together to hopefully help someone else out in the event that it happens to them. Fortunately for me the outcome wasn't bad but had I not been as prepared for the weather, the outcome could have been much different.


You are certainly correct that I stayed out longer than I should have. Fishing had been good that day so I pushed it too far. I do think that had I lowered my seat before moving this wouldn't have happened. Following seas in a kayak are the worst in terms of keeping control when the waves start pushing you.


Also I have been reading your posts since Noreast.com about 16 years ago when I worked on a head boat. It means alot to hear you watch all my videos. If there is anything you think I could be doing better, let me know.

 

[pequa1]

Any tips on kayaking that following sea?

 

[Joser]

To be honest, when its like that there aren't any great ways. Instinct tells me to go fast to shorten the timeframe it takes to get back to the launch but this is not the way to go. If you are going fast, you tend to surf longer and that's longer without steering. My best way of handling this is the slow it down and quarter the kayak to the sea. At least if you are quartering, you can see what is coming behind you better. I always secure my equipment before trying to travel a following sea to mitigate losses in the event of a flip.

 

[pequa1]

Thanks. I usually take the cabin cruiser wakes broadside. I need to rethink the “fun” of surfing the yak and just think “next drift.”

 

[Joser]

I got my Old Town Autopilot 120 to over 6knts on a way in surf. I don't want to see that ever again. That a scary number in a kayak that maxes out at 4.2 knts under power

 

[Leprechaun]

Joser - I'm flattered that you read my stuff. As far as "upping" your content, maybe a minor improvement would be to talk a bit about the specific outfits you use and in what conditions - and maybe smile a bit more, that's about it . . .

If you're ever on LI, look me up - we get some pretty decent fluke down here, particularly after the 4th of July, and you have an open invite on my boat. .

 

[Joser]

Joser - I'm flattered that you read my stuff. As far as "upping" your content, maybe a minor improvement would be to talk a bit about the specific outfits you use and in what conditions - and maybe smile a bit more, that's about it . . .

If you're ever on LI, look me up - we get some pretty decent fluke down here, particularly after the 4th of July, and you have an open invite on my boat. .

Thanks for the advice! I will certainly address it! It's winter and the ice isn't coming anytime soon so I may do some table talks for this stuff.


I may just take you up on that invite for summertime fluking! You guys have a great mid to late summer bite when the fishing up here goes to the wayside. Its really interesting to see how different you guys fish down there.

 

[fishyhands]

I tried waders but I quickly dropped that for a couple of reasons. First and foremost is belting them so if you do go in, they don't fill with water. When I surfcast I belt the waders and then use a surf top that has a second "belt" (waist closure) to keep water from getting in. But lying in the kayaks I have the belts creep and feel "loose" or I have little confidence in their ability to keep water out if i'm in a kayak as opposed to standing. Also, there's a tendency to get some wedgies after awhile. The air in the legs made it hard for me to get vertical and if I didn't have a pfd on it would've been worse as the bouyancy of the trapped air was pushing my torso and head down.

It was a big chunk of change but going to a drysuit was much better. I got one with a relief zipper, and it was much easier to take a squirt than with waders. And the bouyancy (for me) was better with a dry suit and I found it easier to get vertical so I could use my rope ladder to get back into the kayak. If it's too warm for the dry suit, then I'll use "paddling pants" or dry pants with my surf top. When it gets real warm I get lazy and just wear swim trunks and sun shirts, but I miss the dry top and dry pants combo when I'm in the mosquito zones, or that period in the Spring where you get the no-see-ums and horse flies, they have no problem drawing blood through a sun shirt.

Practice, I usually do it when the water warms up and before I head into the parking lot to see where I have leaks or how rusty I've gotten in trying to get back in. I usually do it in a cove out of sight because I'm one uncoordinated doof and also whip out a mask, you never know what's lurking in the water nearby.

 

[pequa1]

which drysuit did you get with the relief zipper? In my 70s and wishing to never get kidney stones again, I down a quart of water every two or three hours, sometimes more, and go out hydrated as well. Scupper between the legs is a Godsend. I admittedly should be more concerned re flipping.