capsizing the PA

hi, im new to the forum, been lurking for a while and im not new to kayaking. ive made up my mind id like to upgrade from my wilderness systems commander and get a pro angler. just one thing concerns me. i see people discussing being able to flip the PA back over? i will be using it on lake erie, i will still keep my commander for ponds and rivers, that brings me to my question, is it really that easy to capsize the PA? ive never even came close to capsizing my commander, flooding it yes, but never capsizing it. im assuming it would be easier to capsize the PA 12 than the PA 14 because the 14 is wider and heavier.

Ships and sail boats capsize and so will a PA....it takes some extra work to do it, but it will capsize.
Prior to purchasing my PA-14, I owned a Outback and early on found this simple device that really works.... http://www.kayakselfrescueladder.com/

When I sold my Outback, I retained the Waterbug for my PA-14, installed it on the side carrying rail adjacent to the seat.
The Waterbug makes turning over a capsized PA easy to accomplish.....IMHO, it's a good investment for your own peace of mind.

_________________
Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR

The ladder mentioned above looks like a good idea and at $20 probably the cheapest but most valuable addition to any kayak. Thanks for the link!

_________________
2012 PA-14 Dune; 2013 PA-14 Yellow.

Hey Ezbite, Is this the same Ezbite on OGF? I live in Cleveland and have a 2013 pa 14. If you ever want to try it out before you buy the 2015 let me know.

_________________
2013 Hobie Pro Angler 14

yep, im ezbite on OGF. thanks for the offer, but the ball is already rolling you ever do the night bite in your yak off cleveland. thats one of my main reasons for getting the PA 14. is kayakcle216 who you are on OGF?

It would take some effort or really bad water, but I'm sure you can capsize it if you try hard enough.

awesome! No I haven't done it yet but its on my radar! and yes sir I am kayakcle216 on OGF. Im looking forward to picking up the 2015 pa 14 this year as well!

_________________
2013 Hobie Pro Angler 14

If you are fishing Lk Erie, you should be prepared despite the inherent stability of the PA14. I fish Lk Michigan and have occasionally found myself in 4 ft whitecaps but have not had any serious issues with stability offshore. I have wiped out twice when coming in on a breaking surf, though. Since the break occurs relatively close to shore where I fish, I could ride it in rather than trying to right the PA in the surf. I'm sure the offshore ocean guys can tell you some better stories. I made something nearly identical to the waterbug out of a piece of PVC and 6 ft of poly braid-on-braid (probably $4 of materials) which is permanently attached to a siderail. Works great on my annual "fire drills", but have not had to use it in an emergency situation yet.

I am not very experienced, owning my PA14 for just over a year, but I think it is super stable. I never been surfing, maybe I tried a skateboard 20 years ago, and I can stand up in my PA with ease. I have tried other kayaks briefly and wouldn't be so confident. I can literally push myself up off the seat arms with little effort. while standing I can cast, retrieve crab pots, literally walk around on deck.

I fish near atlantic city inlets with huge commercial boats and yachts all around. 4 foot wakes are normal and no problem. I always try to take them on bow first, but I know eventually i'll be blindsided but I still think it will be ok. I did flip it once trying to land in rougher than normal surf with no experience; I got so close until a big wave turned me sideways and flipped me right onto the beach.

Ive had mine 4 yrs never flipped. Only time ive come close is surf break larger than 2ft. When in doubt float in backwWards taking waves in the bow. I keep a six foot knotted rope tied to the side rail. In the event i flip ill throw it over the hull and yank it to right my boat...

yep, ditto here. Best way to right er. Brace your feet against the hull, tug on the rope and she rights in 1 try. Most highly recommended. W/o a rope like that, you'd be in for rude awakening when trying to flip er back.

Personally, I flipped few times Funniest one came when I landed picture-perfect landing in rough surf. As I sat on the kayak, on what seemed terra firma, admiring the perfectness of my accomplishment, a wave came & flipped me in 2" of water

Moral - you land, you get off the yak PRONTO and you drag it out of the surf zone

I flipped in a lake while attempting to slam my 8' stake out pole in 7' depth only to learn it was a very soft bottom! Good times!! Will be setting up the rope trick for the future.

2X... I would guess the only place it might happen with the rider out of control would be the surf entry and launching times. but I have not experienced these situations.

I use short (4') old dog leashes instead of the knotted rope. I leave them clipped to the sides of the PA and Outback and they're just the right length to toss over the overturned hull. It's easy to slip your foot into the leash handles to assist in re-entry too!

We had a good re-entry discussion somewhere on this board about 2 years ago. Two ideas stood out:

1) Putting a foot loop (creating a "step") in your bowline and tieing the bowline to the opposite side handle. This is the DIY version of the $20 handle linked above.

Or...

2) Hooking your life jacket over your mirage drive pedal so that it hangs over the side, then using the jacket arm hole as your step. This works well.