Don't Let This Happen To You - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

dsafety · 04-21-2010, 06:40 PM

Let me jump on the bandwagon and express my sympathy for your loss while applauding your ability to not become a causality yourself. Survival when things go bad on the water takes the right mix of experience, common sense and good luck. It looks like you had all three.

Always the innovator, I started thinking about what kind of an accessory might have made this event less costly. I bet a simple device could be constructed that consists of an inflatable bladder that could be filled with air or CO2 by pulling a pin or pressing a button. This bladder, (probably two of them), could be installed in the unused spaces inside the yak in the bow and stern. Just like the air bags in cars, they would go unused for the life of most kayaks but when that emergency occurred, they could be inflated to keep the yak from visiting Davey Jones.

Another idea would be to fill these same unused areas in the bow and stern with lightweight foam making the kayak as unsinkable as a Boston Whaler.

If anyone decides to run with either of these ideas, please let me know and I tell you where to send the royalty checks.

Bob

04-21-2010, 06:40 PM	#23
dsafety Olivenhain Bob Join Date: May 2008 Location: Olivenhain, CA Posts: 1,122	Let me jump on the bandwagon and express my sympathy for your loss while applauding your ability to not become a causality yourself. Survival when things go bad on the water takes the right mix of experience, common sense and good luck. It looks like you had all three. Always the innovator, I started thinking about what kind of an accessory might have made this event less costly. I bet a simple device could be constructed that consists of an inflatable bladder that could be filled with air or CO2 by pulling a pin or pressing a button. This bladder, (probably two of them), could be installed in the unused spaces inside the yak in the bow and stern. Just like the air bags in cars, they would go unused for the life of most kayaks but when that emergency occurred, they could be inflated to keep the yak from visiting Davey Jones. Another idea would be to fill these same unused areas in the bow and stern with lightweight foam making the kayak as unsinkable as a Boston Whaler. If anyone decides to run with either of these ideas, please let me know and I tell you where to send the royalty checks. Bob