This is what happens when a bow hatch and cockpit gets flooded. ![]() Large float bags easily adapt to fit a wide variety of different kayaks.When only a few items are stowed in a hatch, a bag can be inflated to securely hold gear in place, preventing it from rattling around. Float bags can be inflated or deflated depending on cargo capacity requirements.It requires far more pressure to inflate than can be generated by mouth. Please note that trying to inflate a float bag in order to displace water from a flooded kayak does not work. Float bags can be transferred to another kayak if needed (a partner’s boat develops a significant leak miles from home).Keeping water out of the hatches, allows conventional (fast) rescues to be performed.By displacing water that would otherwise fill a compromised boat, float bags allow a kayaker to paddle to safety without the need for immediate repairs, wet exits or rescues.Float bags provide essential buoyancy, yet add very little additional weight.Preventing a damaged kayak’s cargo compartments from flooding allows the boat to retain its primary handling characteristics instead of wallowing horribly or even sinking to a vertical position.Float bags fitted to bow and stern compartments provide essential buoyancy by displacing water that would otherwise flood the kayak in the event of a hull breach, or hatch or bulkhead failure.I have not fitted a bag to my day hatch as I prefer to fill that volume with my regular supplies (and since these are contained in dry bags they effectively displace water anyway). ©Alex MatthewsĪlthough the bags are a little short in length, they still displace 80-90% of the water that would otherwise fill the hatch in the event of a breach. Flotation Bags used in kayak, showing locations. I’ve fitted the NRS “Split” floats in my stern compartment (two bags are required as they must fit either side of the skeg box) and th NRS “Large Standard” bag for the bow compartment. You can see them “torture testing” these bags in this article on their Infinity flotation bags. While a dedicated float bag system specifically designed for sea kayaks doesn’t seem to exist, NRS does offer a full selection of extremely durable kayak flotation bags. My solution to retaining flotation is to fit a set of float bags inside my boat’s hatches. And even poly boats are not completely immune to cracking.Īfloat, the real problems start very soon after you’ve created the hole in your boat-because it now has a distinct tendency to fill with water. If you paddle a composite kayak, a heavy enough blow will generate a hole. The rules of engagement are pretty simple: if you choose to paddle in breaking waves around rocks and reefs, it’s not so much a question of “if” you will eventually collide with something, but “when”. Over the last seven years, I’ve owned two composite play boats and smacked holes in both of them.Īll this kayak carnage isn’t wholly unexpected. The second kayak was a brand new composite boat that collided very heavily with a rock, mashing in its bow. Sadly, the boat was beyond repair (it was replaced by the manufacturer). The first was a brand new poly boat that was badly cracked in a high-speed collision in surf. Within a two-week period, two boats were severely damaged by two different paddlers. This winter has been a stormy one, offering up lots of play and a couple of seriously crunched sea kayaks. Because we elect to paddle in “more challenging” conditions, around rocks and other immovable objects, we sometimes damage boats-and yes, sometimes catastrophically. And I’m lucky enough to have a small network of like-minded friends who enjoy the same sort of outings. ![]() I love paddling in dynamic conditions and playing in wind, waves and current.
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