Canoe Safety

[douG]

I was looking for info on our Zodiacs at Port Credit, and came across this link.

 

Have a look at it if you spend any time in a canoe. I'm interested in other opinions, so let 'er rip.

[pigeonfisher]

that is ineresting. Some things make to much sense to put into practice.

[snag]

He should be a millionairre!

 

Great accessory

[glen]

What about the sportspal canoe with the foam on the sides. Do they float?

[solopaddler]

Interesting idea, but personally I'd never use them....would be too embarassing. It would be akin to strapping a set of training wheels onto my mountain bike, or going swimming with water wings on.

[ccmtcanada]

I think it's great! Especially for younger inexperieced people. It's like making a child wear a helmet when riding a bike and the adult saying "No way, I'm not putting one on". All depends on your own preferences. Awesome idea...thanks for sharing the link.

[aplumma]

They make white water bags also that you tie in the front and back inside of the canoe that will also do the same thing. I think that it is a great idea if you have people who swim poorly or the water temp is really cold.

 

Art

[kennyman]

They make white water bags also that you tie in the front and back inside of the canoe that will also do the same thing. I think that it is a great idea if you have people who swim poorly or the water temp is really cold.

 

Art

I agree. Under "high risk" circumstances eg: whitewater, really cold water or unsupervised kids,these make sense. Personally,my kids will not be canoeing unsupervised,but I'm sure some wil be. For me, in normal,calm waters these seem like overkill. Have you ever actually tried to sink a canoe. It's pretty tough. They usually still float even if they're almost completely submerged. I think most people that drown while out canoe were somewhere they shouldn't have been. If you move up into more difficult waters as your experience allows, wear a proper fitting good quality PFD (especially in moving water) and stay sober you'll be fine. Now I'll admit that when I'm somewhere in calm water fishing or canoeing I won't wear a PFD, but I still make my kids wear one. Now,if I'm on the river I ALWAYS wear my PFD without exception. So,would I use these. Well,if I was using my canoe in conditions that warranted their use. For normal summertime canoeing,probably not.

[lunkerbasshunter]

you know how many lives it will save? i think it is a fantastic idea! GOod job!

 

Cheers!

[solopaddler]

Actually Kennyman, in moving water that thing would hinder your mobility to such an extent it would be dangerous.

Pretty doubtful it's being marketed for that use.

The way I see it, beyond being a great training aid for young kids it's a pretty useless piece of equipment. If someone needs to put inflatable outriggers on their canoe to be comfortable, then they shouldn't be in a canoe in the first place. They should be in a small tin boat, or perhaps a Zodiac.

[Castmaster]

I've flipped canoes on purpose and accidently and have never seen one sink? The bags look like they would help he canoe right itself but still never saw one sink. If I'm wrong... well then there's a first time for everything.

[Greencoachdog]

"Ontario is the world leader in Canoe and Kayak deaths"... is that what happens when you plunge into frigid waters?... you die???

[discophish]

I'm with Solopaddler on this one. It's like adding training wheels to a motorcycle/bicycle. Superman wouldn't be Superman if he wore a Disney backpack stuffed with a parachute every time he is "up up and away!". It takes away the true passion and the authenticity of thrill, freedom, sport, and finesse art. I paddle white water in a 6 foot playboat (freestyle kayak designed to surf waves and throw tricks in holes), and I could only image the danger if I strapped these things to the side of my boat, let alone the hindrance to performance. While considering the tradition flat water kayak, an inflated sponson would increase the bottom surface area of the boat, and if capsized, would make it too difficult to roll back upright. The sponsons will dramatically affect body position on the roll, and introduce dangerous paddle positioning during the initiation of the roll. I will agree it should work on flat water, but when white water is factored in, you need to rely on your brain to survive. No pontoons are going to save your life when your caught in a hydraulic hole. Who would paddle white water to only rely on these sponsons to get them down the river. Foam forms and float bags are installed in whitewater boats to decrease the inside volume in case water starts to fill. Not on the outside. But interesting read, and thanks for sharing! Definitely a good measure and practice for the kids ... but if they're too young to know any difference, and your not watching ... they shouldn't be doing what they are doing.

[kemper]

Interesting read...

[BITEME]

I like it!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks doug

[LeXXington]

I take my air bag withme all the time when kayaking..

 

Sorry Dear Yes, Dear I will be quiet now, No Dear. Right Dear

[Kirk]

I find common sense weighs less and is more practicable.

 

Who would let their little kids out unsupervised in a canoe?

 

Hypothermia would kill you even with those airbags...just makes your body easier to find.

 

In cold water, getting out of water is the priority for surviving (canoe over canoe rescue).

 

Sounds like a neat marketing scheme...buy my gizmo or be guilty of MURDER!!!!$!$^#

 

Waste of $$$ and wouldn't want it if it were free

[Northhunter]

I find common sense weighs less and is more practicable.

 

Who would let their little kids out unsupervised in a canoe?

 

Hypothermia would kill you even with those airbags...just makes your body easier to find.

 

In cold water, getting out of water is the priority for surviving (canoe over canoe rescue).

 

Sounds like a neat marketing scheme...buy my gizmo or be guilty of MURDER!!!!$!$^#

 

Waste of $$$ and wouldn't want it if it were free

 

Kirk - did you even read anything on the site or just look at the pics like everyone else? Canoe over canoe was mentioned. These things help you get out of the water without another canoe.

 

Everyone seems to have the macho response to these things - much like how PFD's and lifejackets were treated many years ago. Or they're hung-up on the kid thing. The girls in the pics are just to demonstrate that even an 80lb dweeb who eats PB&J samwiches and plays Warcraft 24/7 could paddle to shore if he found his azz in a capsized canoe with these things in effect. And they don't hang off the sides inflated like everyone seems worried about.

 

I like them. I agree with the fast water crew though - seems they would do more harm than good in that situtation.

[Kirk]

I see people in the water, with inflatable gizmos attached to the side of their canoe, and I don't believe they are useful or safer...my opinion.

 

Promo looks good though, its just not for me.

[glirw]

It's a great accessory , but nothing beats a simple life jacket .

 

If you've tipped your canoe , and you complain that your gear is gone , then you shouldn't be in a canoe or kayak in the first place , and your place is on the couch .

 

If you're paddling in waters so cold that hypothermia could hit you , it means A. you're crazy or B. hopefully you know that the risks are higher, and youve accepted them.

 

My 2 cents.

[aplumma]

IF THE WATER TEMPERATURE (F) IS: EXHAUSTION OR UNCONSCIOUSNESS TIME OF SURVIVAL IS:

32.5 Under15 Minutes Under 15 - 45 Minutes

32.5 - 40.0 15 - 30 Minutes 30 - 90 Minutes

40.0 - 50.0 30 - 60 Minutes 1 - 3 Hours

50.0 - 60.0 1 -2 Hours 1 - 6 Hours

60.0 - 70.0 2 -7 Hours 2 - 40 Hours

70.0 - 80.0 3 - 12 Hours 3Hours+Indefinitely

OVER 80.0 Indefinitely Indefinitely

 

The human body looses heat at a rate 26 times faster while submerged in water.

 

I have seen were people have packed in a canoe to an outback lake because it was lite to fish in water that is just above freezing in the spring. If a person can get back into the boat and get back to shore before he becomes unconscious then he has a good chance of telling his story. Having confidence in your abilities is a good thing but hedging the odds in your favor is even better. If you are a lake 9-5 weekender type canoer then you will never need one of these. If you press the boundaries of the craft or situation then go ahead and get one it might save your life or some one else's.

 

Art

[Roy]

I could see myself in a yak doing a power Eskimo roll when the things deployed. I betcha those things could hold you under JUST long enough.

 

 

They'd certainly be useful in some cases.

 

Art, dat's good info.

[tjsa]

Been there, done that. Not to make light of this scenario.

 

My dad made me practice getting the water out of a flipped canoe by myself, and getting back into it, alone. And when I was a junior ranger way back in '77, the camp leaders made us do it again before we went on a 4 day trip, along with the canoe over canoe method(first time I had heard of it)so we all knew how to do it by ourselves, or with help from others.

 

Those times were in summer though, but I got to experience it first hand while duck hunting on the last day of september, or first day of october, cannot remember which. We flipped, deep in the rice, not another boat in sight.

Fortunately, we held onto our guns, and our packs managed to float. We were wearing pfd's, with camo clothing over them, and chest waders.

Flipped the canoe back over, getting as much water as possible out of it, then my bud stabilized the front end by holding his arms over the front and swinging his feet up over the gunwales to stabilize the canoe, and I climbed in directly over the stern (not the side) of the canoe, and while laying flat down on the back end, put my legs up as high as possible to drain as much water out of my chest waders as possible.

 

Then, I got flat into the bottom of the canoe, and my bud crawled in over the bow of the canoe, taking the time to drain his waders also. It was simple and easy to do, even while cold, took us probably less than one minute. Then we retrieved our paddles, which couldn't go far in the rice, yanked our 3 dozen or so decoys into the canoe, and paddled like heck, Hawaii 5-0 style back to the landing which was 3 km. away.

Chucked everything we had into the back of the pickup as fast as possible, tied the canoe on top,(had started up the truck soon as we hit shore to get the heat on), then peeled off our wet clothes down to our long underwear and socks, and drove home(an hour and a bit away).

 

We sure were getting strange looks from people at the stop lights when they looked up at 2 teenagers driving through town with no shirts on in about 20F temps.

 

They must have thought we were from Alabama,

 

The very next weekend, 2 other buds had the same thing happen, on the same lake, a few hundred yards from where we flipped, but they tried to get back in over the side, and couldn't do it, but had their paddles, and waved them in the air, and a couple of American fishermen saw the paddles from over a mile away and came to their rescue. They did not know about the technique of crawling back in over the stern or bow.

 

Those water wings would be nice in summer for kids, or inexperienced canoeists, as a just in case safety item, but in my situation above, its much better to get as much water out of the canoe as possible with the flipping technique, so you can achieve more forward speed to get on shore a.s.a.p.

 

 

 

p.s. two weeks later, we went back to that spot, and retrieved a few items that sank, binoculars, decoy bags, shotgun shell bags, etc.

[fishindevil]

thats a very good idea, and makes perfect sense...i hope he does well in sales of his product...cheers