Hello. I hope these following questions dont appear to be rather silly,
but, I feel i need to ask them out of concern for my safety when
Kayaking on a lake . I just bought a new Sea Eagle 330 Inflatable Kayak
and am ready to take it out on some lakes . Theres one particular Island
that id like to paddle to which is perhaps a 1/4 mile from shore. There
are motorboats on this lake although it never appears too busy.
Questions are :

1. Will an 11' Kayak that is approx. 30" wide , off white and blue in
color, be readily seen if a boat and kayak are heading head-on toward
one another.?

2. What is a safe margin of distance i should expect a boater to take to
my kayak, when out on the lake ?

3. * Are there many Boat/Kayak accidents on lakes generally ?

4. What measures should i take if a Boat is coming fast toward me and
apparently doesnt see me ? Stand up and wave a paddle ?

Thanks, Dave

Hi Dave,
There are no silly questions seriously asked.

The problem with little motorboats is that the only thing required to
get one and drive it is a credit rating.

There are laws that include rules of the road and some standards for
courtesy and the safety of others. Many boaters carefully abide these,
and a few others scrupulously ignore all of the above.

The rest of the answers are in line (I don't like this - but it works)
and I will include both ends of the scale.

Dave in Lake Villa wrote:
Hello. I hope these following questions don't appear to be rather silly,
but, I feel i need to ask them out of concern for my safety when
Kayaking on a lake . I just bought a new Sea Eagle 330 Inflatable Kayak
and am ready to take it out on some lakes . Theres one particular Island
that id like to paddle to which is perhaps a 1/4 mile from shore. There
are motorboats on this lake although it never appears too busy.
Questions are :

1. Will an 11' Kayak that is approx. 30" wide , off white and blue in
color, be readily seen if a boat and kayak are heading head-on toward
one another?
Your kayak should be very visible. It is the responsibility of every
operator to know what is in his intended track. See below

2. What is a safe margin of distance i should expect a boater to take to
my kayak, when out on the lake ?
This will be largely dependent on his speed and wake. Don't expect
anything. Most will courteous and others will be AH. Operators are
responsible for the damage done by the wake they create (very old Law).
Law eforcement of this issue is lax at the very best.

3. Are there many Boat/Kayak accidents on lakes generally ?
In a word, NO. Do not count on that to protect you.
Wear a comfortable PFD.

4. What measures should i take if a Boat is coming fast toward me and
apparently doesn't see me ? Stand up and wave a paddle ?
Stand Up? - I don't think so...
Wave a paddle - Yes, but if he isn't watching or is OUI that won't make
much difference.

Be ready to spin the kayak to bow on. This is not to present a smaller
target, but to allow the boat to do its best to escape damage and
protect you.

You do know, that if motorboats had not been invented then there would
have been no reason to create canned beer. (IMHO)

Thanks, Dave

Enjoy the paddle.

Matt Colie

'Be ready to spin the kayak to bow on. This is not to present a smaller
target, but to allow the boat to do its best to escape damage and
protect you.'

REPLY: Thanks Matt. Dont i want to turn the kayak so the broadside is
toward the approaching boat so he can see it more readily and hopefully
turn (yet still be prepared to jump off ) ?

Hello

On Sun, 9 Sep 2007 14:53:44 -0500, (Dave in
Lake Villa) wrote:

'Be ready to spin the kayak to bow on. This is not to present a smaller
target, but to allow the boat to do its best to escape damage and
protect you.'

REPLY: Thanks Matt. Dont i want to turn the kayak so the broadside is
toward the approaching boat so he can see it more readily and hopefully
turn (yet still be prepared to jump off ) ?


I was thinking more of bows on, so that if he misses you the kayak can
ride over the wake more easily. Also think being bows on in a
collision would protect you more. :-)
My Website:
http://gannetweb.awardspace.com
Delete the You Know What to email me!

Ok ...then its bows on.

Dave in Lake Villa wrote:
'Be ready to spin the kayak to bow on. This is not to present a smaller
target, but to allow the boat to do its best to escape damage and
protect you.'

REPLY: Thanks Matt. Don't i want to turn the kayak so the broadside is
toward the approaching boat so he can see it more readily and hopefully
turn (yet still be prepared to jump off ) ?


Dave,

Jumping off is really not an option (just for grins - try it sometime -
you can't get very far).

If the motorboat is on a collision course and has shown no correction,
keep waving a paddle but assume he will not change course. Many of the
small boat operators do not have a very good understanding of what the
boats maneuvering capabilities actually are. Many strike things because
the literally don't know how to not. Be mindful of how long it will
take you to get bow on and how you can do it best. I found that
backwater on the close side with a sweeping stoke worked best for the
boats I have had, but find what you are most capable and comfortable at
completing. Practicing this is not stupid. My kayaks never had a rudder.

(There are some out there that actually take aim at small paddle and
sailboats with the intent of making the miss as close as possible.)

As Anthony said, bow on will allow the kayak to manage the wake best and
put more boat between you and the oncoming.

When the oncoming is close, it will be up to you to decide when is too
close. This is why you need to know how best to swing and how long it
will take. The motorboat operator will probably think you are over
reacting, but it is not his life he is risking.

Many jet-ski, PWC or whatever have very little understanding of anything
and many not be aware that if they shut the power down they then have no
directional control at all and it may take a good distance to slow or
stop the craft.

Remember that the number of people that was cause such problems is
small, just the problems that they create are large.

Enjoy,

Matt Colie
Lifelong Waterman, Licensed Mariner

"Dave in Lake Villa" wrote...

1. Will an 11' Kayak that is approx. 30" wide , off white and blue in
color, be readily seen if a boat and kayak are heading head-on toward
one another.?

In most cases, yes. However, sun angle, waves, and movement all play a part.
That is assuming the other boaters are LOOKING for other traffic...

The most visible part of a kayak is the moving paddle blades as you are
paddling normally. If your blades are not white or other bright/light color,
add some wide strips of white/silver reflective tape to them. They flash
nicely in the sun.


2. What is a safe margin of distance i should expect a boater to take to
my kayak, when out on the lake ?

If he's going slowly, maybe as little as a couple boat widths. If fast, maybe
50'.

Remember the rule: "Constant bearing, decreasing range" means you are on a
collision course. If the other boat is moving from side to side, you will
miss.


3. Are there many Boat/Kayak accidents on lakes generally ?

No. My "home waters" include seaplanes in addition to the usual mix of
jetskis, water skiers, fishermen, etc. There are very few actual collisions
(though I do have a close friend whose dinghy was literally cut in half by a
power cruiser a couple years ago -- the guy "just didn't see" him!).


4. What measures should i take if a Boat is coming fast toward me and
apparently doesnt see me ? Stand up and wave a paddle ?

Standing up is NOT a good idea. You may fall overboard and become even LESS
visible to him.

Waving the paddle is a reasonable first option (don't forget the reflective
tape if it's a dark color). Make sure you have a LOUD whistle attached to your
PFD, and it is readily available for use. In crowded waters, I often take mine
off the PFD and hold it in my lips, ready to blow IMMEDIATELY.

Finally, you must (by law) be predictable unless collision is imminent. When
you have the right of way, you are the "stand on" vessel in Coast Guard lingo.
Maintain your course and speed as much as possible. Watch for the other boat
to make an obvious move to avoid you (remember the "constant bearing,
decreasing range" rule).

If none of that works, and it looks like you will hit, paddle as quickly as
possible out of the way. Make the smallest possible target of yourself:
head-on or stern-to; that way, you may only get a glancing blow and capsize,
rather than a "T-bone" collision. I would prefer head-on, because the
visibility is better, and your additional speed will not make that much
difference in the end.

Thank you Matt and John. I am planning on carrying my .38 special
caliber Revolver with me when i Kayak, so, im wondering if gunshots
can be heard by the Boater over his boats noise (?) . My Kayak
Paddles are black so, ill add the reflective tape as suggested. Dave.

"Dave in Lake Villa" wrote...
I am planning on carrying my .38 special
caliber Revolver with me when i Kayak, so, im wondering if gunshots
can be heard by the Boater over his boats noise (?) .

Absolutely NOT!!!

What you need is under Paddle Craft, about half way down the left side of this
page -- http://www.tsca.net/Scottish.html -- in a very nice shade of baby blue.
It's also another reason for the head-on collision mitigation method...

I Love it.

John Weiss wrote:
"Dave in Lake Villa" wrote...
I am planning on carrying my .38 special
caliber Revolver with me when I Kayak, so, I'm wondering if gunshots
can be heard by the Boater over his boats noise (?) .

Absolutely NOT!!!

John,
Are saying that the .38 will not be heard or that it is not big enough?

What you need is under Paddle Craft, about half way down the left side of this
page -- http://www.tsca.net/Scottish.html -- in a very nice shade of baby blue.
It's also another reason for the head-on collision mitigation method...

I had heard of gun punts, but I was not aware of a surviving example.

Dave,
This is why all of my handguns are stainless.
remember that most of the small boats in use are fiberglass and all the
newer ones have floation. But, if you can get a couple of holes in the
bow, below the rest waterline, the boat won't sink until it stops. This
way, the passengers will not be at little risk but the boat will
probably be out of commission for a significant period.

(Gawd- aren't we mean...)

Matt Colie