Home Tournaments Calendar Weather Merchandise Sponsors

Go Back   Spearboard.com - The World's Largest Spearfishing Diving Boating Social Media Forum > Boating > All About Kayak Diving

All About Kayak Diving Here is a place to discuss the growing travel mode of kayak diving.

 
 
Thread Tools Rating: Thread Rating: 2 votes, 5.00 average. Display Modes
Prev Previous Post   Next Post Next
Old 11-03-2015, 09:30 AM   #1
Chuuken
Mike Wilborn
 
Chuuken's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Southeast, MI
Posts: 466
Rough weather kayaking

Hey everyone

Anybody have any tips for kayaking in rough weather? I'm trying to increase my knowledge base. Obviously, there's no substitute for experience, but how does one best deal with rough weather in a kayak?

Or, to come at the question from a different angle; If you are in a self-bailing SOT with a full wetsuit, you're like a big cork bobbing around in the waves. What conditions would make you refuse to get on the water in your yak?

In my experience, the kayak is generally more capable than I am. Before my SOT, I had a sea kayak that would only dump me if I lost my head and leaned into or away from a wave. If I just trusted the boat, it'd handle quite a bit. I generally will shy away from waves I can't see over in my kayak (3'+), but the waves in Lake St Clair tend to have short wavelengths, so they really toss you around or wash the deck more than they would if they were 3' swells on one of the bigger lakes.

I know that paddling with the seas on my quarter, fore or aft, was the most comfortable ride. I know that trying to surf a long kayak is an invitation to slew beam on to the wave. (for me anyway).

In our little great lake, I stay within a mile of shore, so I can expect short, sharp, confused chop to show up if the wind is on-shore.
I will not go out if the wind is howling off-shore. I'll fight the wind to get out, not to come back.

And, of course, everything that isn't strapped down is a gift to the lake.

Any pointers from the more experienced crowd? Is my ignorance glaring through in anything I've written? Anybody have a general story about seamanship they want to share?

Last edited by Chuuken; 11-03-2015 at 09:30 AM. Reason: typos
Chuuken is offline   Reply With Quote
 

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:06 AM.


The World's Largest Spearfishing Diving Social Media Forum Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2002 - 2014 Spearboard.com