Deep Water Self-Rescue with an Outback Mirage

I had studied the Hobie video that shows some young California gal slipping out of the deep water and into her OB in seconds. But when I repeatedly tried that video technic (I'm a 6' tall old guy) I discovered that I could not do it. I thought that the problem was with me (and that may be true).

BUT I also had some rather "buff" longtime traditional kayakers (who actually teach kayak safety such as self-rescues) try to remount my yak one day ...and both had a hard time getting back into my OB, even after I explained how the gal in the vid did it. Most traditional "sit-in" yakkers use float bags attached to overhanging kayak paddles to study their boats as they remount. These guys tried that and other technics as well on my boat, but failed (their crafts are not so "high-sided").

So now I'm thinking of unique ways to overcome the problem. As soon as the water gets warmer here (I'm in Nebraska) I am going to try a simple home-made stirrup type device made from rope that I'll be attaching to the cleat on the opposite side of the yak that I intend to mount. It will drape into the water wherein I'll then pull the stirrup end under the boat to my side. The idea is that the stirrup, attached to the opposite side of the boat, will hopefully counter-balance my body weight and lessen the tendency for the OB to roll over on top of me as I stick my foot into the stirrup and use both arms AND one leg to shimmy onboard.

SO HERE'S THE QUESTION: Has anyone here had a hard time mounting their OB in deep water? And had anyone come-up with some device or technic (other than shown in the video) to remount their OB?

Until I can prove to myself that I can self-rescue in deep water, I'll be staying fairly close to shore in big water (about a quarter of a mile or so). BTW, those of you that haven't actually tried to re-enter your yak in deep water should give it a try. Cuz if you find that you physically cannot, and you are far from land, you may be floating for a long time before reaching shore. Bummer!

Thomas

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Absolute kayaking corrupts absolutely.

G'Day Thomas,
I haven't tried an Outback but my wife and I used our Tandem Oasis as a snorkelling platform on a trip to the Great Barrier Reef. We slid in and climbed back on many times in deep water and had no problems. You will find some pics in this thread:
http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=8333
There is also a discussion on capsize recovery you might find relevant here:
http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=3990

Thanks Stringy! Loved your pics in the first link! Your second link was also useful. It demonstrates that Hobies' instructions do work for some.

In that second link Skymax makes a valid observation, that...

"If you are overweight and unfit it can be very difficult to do this.
Also some types of PFD will add to the difficulty of dragging yourself onto the craft."

...and that's what I figured was happening to me (I've lost 70 pounds but have about 30 more to go. I'm also 56 years old and have fairly poor upper body strength), yet my two yak friends were young, fit and "yak smart" -- they were very familiar with most methods of self-rescue. When they failed I knew this self-rescue exercise was going to get interesting.

I've even thought of the possibility of using some type of air mattress device to position my body closer to the water's surface in order to make the transfer to the boat more horizontal. Been wondering if a camper's self-inflating mattress might float me well enough to work. But I like the stirrup idea better (if it works) because it is compact and simpler to store on the boat than a rolled-up mat.

Any other ideas out there?

thomas

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Absolute kayaking corrupts absolutely.

Hi Thomas and welcome to the forum. If you find that your stirrup amidships doesn't pan out, there are a couple of other things you can try. As I remember, Aloha Dan used the stirrup arrangement successfully for mounting at the bow on his Adventure (before he got the Sidekick). This way, you could just ease your way back, temporarily drop your tethered Mirage Drive over the side as you go past it and then spin around in the cockpit.

If you carry a bow line (as all kayaks should) you could just quickly fashion it into a loop to serve as your stirrup. I've never tried it, but you might consider it.

An alternative that Skymax suggested is excellent. The Sidekick is not only rock solid for stability and an excellent aid for sailing, but its crossbar makes a valuable grab bar for remounting if you decide to take a swim. Again, Aloha Dan (who spends as much time in the water as on his boat) used it regularly for remounting. The amas are adjustable -- you can have them riding just above the water so there is not much drag.

Thomas -some other possible ideas:
-RR's strategically placed handles:
http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=9077
-get a less bulky pfd such as an inflatable
- carry a set of flippers within easy reach. We found flippers helped push us back in.

I have climbed back aboard my Adventure without problem but if I keep doing this for another 30 years it could develop into a challenge. I was thinking of your stirrup idea and that might work. I have a ram ball on the starboard side of the cockpit. I imagine that if you had a 4' +- length of light rope with a loop on each end you could put one loop around the ram ball, put your foot in the other loop and mount the yak from the opposite side of the ram ball. It seems that it would make the yak more stable. I might try that once the water in the pool warms up.

Thanks so much for tips, guys. These are interesting ideas.

Roadrunner ...the bow stirrup just might work in a crunch ...but even though I do tether my drive, I would have a hard time dumping $500 into the water, even if temporary! And I'm going to rule out the Side Kick because I tend to yak in the feeder streams to lakes where clearances can be tight.

Stringy ...the standard handle placement on an Outback couldn't be better (mid-ship on both sides) but those handle discussions have me thinking about other possible handles -- for carrying. Yes, my PDF is a little bulky and could be contributing to my problem. I LOVE the flipper idea! That's thinkin' out-of-the-box! Should be fun to explain to other yakkers as well. If my stirrup thing fails, flippers might be my next move.

Joe11 ...I am not sure what a "ram ball" is (am thinkin' boat or dock bumper?) but what you describe is pretty much my scheme, except that I plan to tether one end to the rope cleat that's already standard hardware on the Outback. Am also thinking of running the other end of the rope through a 8 inch length of garden hose to keep the stirrup loop wide enough to easily step into. BTW, the Adventure looks a lot easier to mount since it seems to have pretty low sides compared to the Outback.

Anymore thought?

Thomas

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Absolute kayaking corrupts absolutely.

Hey Thomas,
A hearty welcome to the site. RAM is the name of the company that produces the round ball bases for the many different accessories (rodholders, depth finders, cameras, GPS units, etc.) that attach to the common RAM ball base. I use these for attaching outriggers, and rod holders by a single hand screw. Here you see the round RAM ball base mount with the outrigger arm just to the left. A very simple, but extremely useful invention that a lot of us use.









P.S. Here's another one.

http://www.ram-mount.com/mount/ram_ball ... mounts.htm

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Thanks Apalach. I now recall something about RAM balls being mentioned in other site posts. That outrigger is especially neat. I'm curious ...how much pressure can that RAM ball outrigger take before collapsing? And is the white tube/float assembly something you hacked together? Looks like it was adapted from a tube type RAM fishing rod holder.

Thomas

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Absolute kayaking corrupts absolutely.

Correct. Here's a post showing how one goes about it. The outriggers work great, and the RAM ball allows multiple gear attachments. The clamp will hold pretty tightly, but will slip if overly stressed--which is good, because it prevents damage to either the boat or the gear. Mine has only slipped once due to a 40-50 knot microburst that hit me broadside and flipped me while sailing.

http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewt ... rs+outback

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Yes, self-rescue is not as easy as it looks in deep water. That is why it is important to practice self-rescues until you develop a quick and consistant procedure to get back in the kayak, even if it means using a paddle float.

Hey Rny,
Good to hear from you--are you still yaking and, if so, what are you pedaling/paddling?
Best,
Dick

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I had to deep water self rescue more than once. It can be done. My method is not graceful but I can climb aboard.

Hey Wannafish,
Welcome to the Hobie Forum! Lots of helpful folks and good info here. Where are you located, and what type of yak do you have, or plan to get?

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Hello,
I am located in the central valley near Fresno, Ca. My wife and I have two 06 Outbacks. We used them mostly in the Delta but last year was my first Ocean trip. Thank you for the welcome.