DRY GOODS

[catfish]

DON,T KNOW IF THIS QUESTION HAS EVER BEEN ASKED. DIDN,T REALLY SEE ANTHING ON IT UNDER CANOEING. I WAS BROWSING POST UNDER RECENT TRIPS. COME ACROSS ONE ON THE COLORADA RIVER. I KNOW PROBALLY SOME OF THIS MAY BE ROUGH OR WHITE WATER . I PROBALLY WILL PADDLE MORE FLAT WATER THAN ROUGH. IS IT BETTER TO LASH EVERYTHING IN YOUR CANOE IF YOU SWAMP OR LEAVE UNSECURED. I GUESS THINGS THAT SINK YOU NEED TO FOR SURE LASH THEM.

I GUESS MAYBE IF YOU LASH GOODS IN IT PROBALLY IS EASIER TO RETRIEVE ONE ITEM RATHER THAN TWENTY. DON,T KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE STORE BOUGHT CANOES , BUT I HAVE AN OLD TOWN GUIDE. IF SWAMPED WITH EVERYTHING INSIDE WILL IT SOME WHAT FLOAT. I,M NEW AT CANOEING BUT I PURCHASED A 20 LITER FOR SMALL STUFF & A 115 LITER FOR BIGER THINGS. THESE ARE SEAL LINES , THEY ARE WATERPROOF. IS THIS SUFFICIENT ON LIKE THE RIVERS & OKEE AROUND SOUTH GEORGIA OR DO I NEED ANOTHER BAG OR TWO & WHAT SIZE. THANKS FOR YOUR SUGGESTIONS. WITH YOU GEEZERS HELP I TOO MAY GROW UP TO BE LIKE JACK,CHUCK HAIRY. ( CATFISH)

 

[bearridge]

Friend catfish,

If ya dont lash it in good 'n ya turn bottom upwards, ya better hope it floats good 'n that the folks yer paddlin' with are Johnny on the Spot pickin' up after ya. However, the best rule iz "keep the water under the boat". :wink:

regards
bearridge
paddlin' geezer canoe clud

A gentleman is a man who can play the accordion but doesn't. Unknown

 

[Kayak Jack]

Catfish,

Hitch hiking on Br'r Bear's musings, I'd add this. The more "unitized" you can make your boat and load, the better off you'll be. The load should ride just like it's welded in.

My canoe has ventilated gunnels. (That's my term, I'm not sure what real canoeists call them.) I run a rope from the bow, zig zag across the boat over my gear, back to about where my feet rest. I glued in two small blocks of wood with a 1" hole in them on the floor of my canoe. This rope goes through them as cargo tie down points. I put an end on the zig zag rope box that contains my gear up front.

From the stern, I zig zag another rope up to my seat, and secure it there. I'm hoping that should the boat ever capsize or swamp, my gear will remain solidly inside the boat. I've never tested the rig. Bear's Buddy does most of my underwater testing for me.

In camp, those zig zag ropes become clotheslines. Or, maybe perimeter lines with grenades tied to them, so grenades slide out of a tin can with the pins already pulled.

 

[TheOtherHank]

Way back when I was a bitchen whitewater dude, our mantra was 'rig to flip' if you can't turn your boat upside down, give it a shake and not lose anything, then you're asking to lose your stuff.

- Hank

PS - What's the difference between a fairy tale and whitewater guide story?

A fairy tale starts off 'Once upon a time...' and a guide story starts off 'No, s**t there I was, thought I was going to die.

 

[Deer Slayer]

I like stuff lashed in and going no place. But, I lead trips with youth who tend to learn the hard way after hardly listening to my jawing.

My rule of thumbs (got two thumbs, so two rules of thumbs are easier to remember) are these for order of rescue....

In flat water, and big calm lakes; it's people, boat, gear

And, in white water....People, gear, boat (reason is, you may need the rescue bag to set up a z drag to pull a tacoed boat off of a boat eating rock).

And, in heavy wind driven swells, and rollers, I like staying in camp, and sipping the hot chocolate, and engaging in sloth....

 

[Kayak Jack]

Slayer,

Could you furnish a sketch or a reference on how to set up a Z-drag? I'm thinking you are referring to anchoring the rope on shore, running it through the boat, and pulling the loose end on shore. This would yield a theoretical 2:1 mechanical advantage.

It would be better if a guy could hook a pulley on the boat. But if you could do that, I'd anchor both the rope and the pulley there, with two loops running to shore, one through another pulley, for a 4:1 advantage.

I'm interested in both techniques and gear.

Thanks.

 

[bearridge]

Friend Jack,

Az I recall the Z drag goes 3:1 usin' carabineers, but we never set one up. It likely took longer our way, but we jest never used it. All the rescue schools teach it 'n all the whitewater stores sell kits, cards, books, carabineers, ropes, bells, whistles, etc. :wink:

regards
bearridge

Now it is true that I believe this country is following a dangerous trend when it permits too great a degree of centralization of governmental functions. Dwight D. Eisenhower

 

[Kayak Jack]

Thanks, Br'r Bear, I hadn't thought of carabiners.

Catfish, I have a couple dry bags that I made myself. Get some of the clear plastic used to cover windows in the fall. Lay out a piece, say, 3'X4'. (Dimensions aren't crucial, BUT - it should be long and thin rather than short and wide. A wide opening is difficult to impossible to seal tightly.) Lay it over double, and apply duct tape (handyman's secret weapon) up the side.

Load it no more than 3/4 full. Squeeze out excess air, tightly roll the end, bend it over into a goose neck, seal by tying with with stout cord. When it gets a hole, apply a piece of duct tape. These are cheap, as waterproof (read resistant) as the store bought stuff, and will last several seasons with decent handling.

On my dry bags and all other gear, I stuck on some small pieces of reflective tape of a distinctive color so I could (A) ID my gear, and (B) find it easily in the dark. Reflective tape blinks back when a flashlight is run across it.

 

[NeilJ]

"I GUESS MAYBE IF YOU LASH GOODS IN IT PROBALLY IS EASIER TO RETRIEVE ONE ITEM RATHER THAN TWENTY."[/quote]

I have a couple old Bill Mason "path of the paddle" Videos my wife bought me years ago. He tied his portage bags in loose with a 4 foot piece of rope. Then when he swamped his canoe he could coax it to shore, toss out the bags (which of course floated) tip his now unburdened red prospector bottom side up and lift it free of the river. The first time I saw the video it was a surprise to me but made sense. I have no idea if in later years he maintained that practice. I also "rigged to flip" when I guided on the Middle fork of the Salmon but we did not have to many rafts go over. When one does it is a lot bigger deal than uprighting a canoe.

 

[oldsparkey]

The greater majority of my stuff is in waterproof bags for the main reason when I go paddling it Rains if there is not a hurricane in the area but the rain wants to become one.

If a Hurricane knows I am going paddling then it forms , becomes a storm and locates me without fail , weather it is in Florida or hiking the A.T in the Carolinas and this has been going on since I was 13.

A good waterproof bag is of extrema value for me when I am out in the woods. Anyway now it is because after being wet out there for over half a century it is nice to have dry stuff.

The bags are nice in a canoe or pirogue.
You have the weather beat when in a kayak. Just put everything in the kayak , seal the hatches and paddle on. All your gear stays dry and with a spray skirt around you and a good floppy hat with a short rain coat (really short so it is not in the drink as you paddle ) , you stay dry. Been there and have done it for several days out on the water.

The only water that got in the kayak was when I got out of it at the campsite and the rain had a chance to get in there and that was darn little. I dried it up with a Kleenex.

What I am getting at is quite simple , like the boats we make , not everyone is in agreement , it boils down to the simple equation of what works for you.

To come to that answer it is a simple matter of getting out there , paddling , camping and then taking the mistakes and correcting them so it works for you. Trust me on this .... You will always make mistakes , no matter how hard you try not to . That is called the learning process which makes it so much fun and we never learn all of the answers , just a few which makes us go back out with the correct answer , just to find out we were not that smart.

It is not something you will do on a computer , or asking about this or that , YEP.. That helps but the proof in the pudding is when you recognize your short givens (Mistakes and have to live with them while camping ) and then correct them for yourself.

The experts are the ones who have done them before you and will do more in there life if they don't play it safe and just stay home watching TV and take the rest of there time telling someone how to do it , or wright a book telling you how it is or should be done.
My guess with todays advancements in camping and paddling goods they are like the dinosaurs.

Read , ask questions , decided and then do it and come to your own answers or conclusions. It has worked for me.

The best teacher is EXPERIENCE.

Chuck.

 

[Kayak Jack]

I've seen the "tether" method too. It might be OK for lakes rather than moving water. In moving water, you now have a tangle of webs out there catching on obstacles and tangling even more - or ripping something loose.

I'll opt for the "welded to the boat" technique. Easier in the first place, probably safer too.

 

[catfish]

THANKS GEEZERS . IF IT DON,T WORK I,LL BLAME SPARKY. (CATFISH)