Kayak

[few degrees off]

Kayak; I am thinking about a Kayak instead of an inflatable heck if the waters rough I don’t think it would be a great time to go ashore anyway. I will be cruising either solo or with one crew member and one of the things I don’t have is a dingy. I thought if I changed to a kayak I could solve a few problems. I have no other gas powered engines on board so if I pass on an outboard I don’t have to worry about carrying gasoline. I see kayaks everywhere summer and winter. Have an open mind and tell me the pros and cons

G'day from Oz Keith,

The kayak idea may be fine in many places but a crocodile took a man from a kayak in Northern Australian waters this year and I had been advised previously that they are a buffet bench for the big ones in croc waters.

Just a thought!

Rod

[Auzzee]

And how much fun would it be trying to carry a couple of 20 litre jerry cans full of water out to the boat in anything buy glassy conditions. Dave

[JeanneP]

I think that kayaks are great, but too many places we've been a kayak would have been more trouble than it was worth. Particularly when lugging water back to the boat.

a 2-man kayak, suitable for carrying provisions or water jugs, is pretty big - more difficult to stow than an inflatable dinghy. It's tippy, so when the winter trades are blowing for weeks on end in the Caribbean or S. Pacific you could be boat bound for a long time. A rowboat would be better (inflatables don't row very well, as we all know), though I would still encourage you to carry an outboard - there are places where you should have one. (even a 4 hp outboard, as we had, can tow or maneuver a 40' sailboat in an emergency, provided it's calm).

[Jon D]

I would not carry I kayak as primary but I do carry a two person inflatable one from poking around neat areas for fun. Regular dink is a 9ft RIB with a 15.

[Swagman]

Towing jerry cans is the obvious way to carry water if in a canoe / kayak.

JOHN

John, I'm curious - jerry cans full of water I don't think would float but act more like a drogue. How does your system work? - my only possible solution would be to half fill the jerry cans so they float behind but I'm keen to know if there is another secret.

Rod

[LPsailor]

I have a single and double person kayak. As long as you have a skirt on it you stay amazingly dry and warm in cold conditions. They are a lot of fun to go places that you couldn't possibly take your sailboat into. Also, it is easy to paddle around without getting insanely tired unlike having an inflatable dinghy. I would say go for the kayak.

[Auzzee]

I hesitate to make further comment, but I feel the potential for danger would be greatly enhanced if you chose a kayak over a conventional dinghy for anything other than calm water recreational activities. Consider the difficulty in just boarding a kayak from your yacht (or v.v.) in a slight chop over swell. Moving provisions from the shore would simply be dangerous. In any circumstance where a prevailing wind faces an incoming tide, merely getting the kayak offshore for the return journey to the boat, even without provisions, water, visitors etc. would again be potentially dangerous. The dinghy is an integral part of your yacht's safety equipment. In the event of a genuine emergency a kayak would be about as much use a pocket in a sock! If your vessel is large enough, a kayak...sailboard or canoe makes great recreational sense: But as a practical alternative to a dinghy it is, in my opinion, dangerous, negligent and probably constitutes at least a dereliction of a skipper's duty to ensure the safety of his vessel and crew.

(I'm Kent Brockman...that's one man's opinion)

[Swagman]

Originally Posted by name='Converted Post'

Originally posted by rod hodgson

John, I'm curious - jerry cans full of water I don't think would float but act more like a drogue. How does your system work? - my only possible solution would be to half fill the jerry cans so they float behind but I'm keen to know if there is another secret.

Rod

Hi Rod,

Just to be clear - I don't use a kayak - nor would I consider choosing one as a tender.....but I have towed jerry cans filled with fresh water behind a small over-crowded dinghy.

To keep the jerry cans afloat we did ensure some air was trapped also - but you'd be suprised how little air space is needed to keep them on the surface of salt water.

Cheers

JOHN

[YachtVALHALLA]

I carried an inflatable two person kayak for years and enjoyed it when the conditions were right. Good exercise as the inflatables do not have much of a keel for forward stability. If you have room they are a lot of fun BUT NOT A SUTITABLE REPLACEMENT FOR A DINGHY!

For serious cruising (I've been cruising only since 1988) you want a stable dinghy that can be hauled up on a soft sand beach. These are contrary requirements but the world if full of trade offs.

Re: towing jerry jugs. As any SCUBA diver learns, fresh water has a lower density than salt water and a nearly full just (have to compensate only for the weight of the jug) will float fine. Same goes for fuel .. and the container should be airtight anyhow so don't worry about contamination. Much better to have a dinghy that can carry about four of them. BTW, a 55 gallon drum of diesel floats fine!

Terry

[few degrees off]

A closing note to this post I have purchased an inflatable and will purchase a gas engine. The posts here where quite helpful in my decision making which is all I can ask. I don’t like to think about caimans attacking me in any boat but I realize weather is the factor even when anchored. I do wish and strongly believe better solutions are around the corner. The electric engine is still to expensive and the Kayak is just too unstable for all conditions. My purchase was a 9 foot wood floor inflatable with 3.5 hp capacity.

Keith of the MORNING SUN