Rolled my kayak again today..

[rogerdodger]

but this time it was on purpose, part of getting an "Ocean Pass" from my wife so I can try beach launching and finally get out into the big'ol'blue....did about 7 rolls and re-entries, it was easy to sit on the edge and walk around on our Hobie Oasis, takes some effort to actually roll it over but not too difficult to roll upright without being able to touch bottom...cheers, roger

https://youtu.be/ptkT57KDIzs

 

[Seahawkfan]

Nice work. How was the water?

 

[knucklehead 61]

that kayak looks amazingly stable. very interesting to see how hard it looked to capsize, yet easy to turn back over.
thanks for sharing the video.

 

[billfisher]

Very impressive. Sure looks stable to me.

 

[rogerdodger]

Nice work. How was the water?

52F water, 52F air, very little wind which was nice...:thumb:

that kayak looks amazingly stable. very interesting to see how hard it looked to capsize, yet easy to turn back over. thanks for sharing the video.

there is one important thing about flipping it upright the way I was (pulling down on the far side and lifting on the close side)- if you lose your grip and get under it, the close side can drop down and conk you right on the head. our kayak has handles on both sides that I was using to roll it back over so I had a solid grip and also didn't feel like I was ever under that closer side, so no worries but not something to overlook...

 

[Stonefish]

Kudos to you for practicing, wearing the correct gear and being prepared for the unexpected.
After last weekends kayaking tragedy up here and some of the stuff I saw on the water, this is great to see.
SF

 

[flocaster]

Munsel lake, one of my favorites

 

[bass]

Roger, that is a great video!

I have always seen folks flipping their kayaks in the opposite way. Climbing on top to reach the far side and pulling it back over. You approach looks like it worked amazingly easily. I saw your post about the danger of having it fall back down on you, but it sure looks easy. Have you tried the more traditional way (climbing on top)? If so how would you compare the methods. If you had a bunch of gear tethered to the kayak and weighing it down do you think you would need to change your approach?

Thanks.

 

[rogerdodger]

Roger, that is a great video!

I have always seen folks flipping their kayaks in the opposite way. Climbing on top to reach the far side and pulling it back over. You approach looks like it worked amazingly easily. I saw your post about the danger of having it fall back down on you, but it sure looks easy. Have you tried the more traditional way (climbing on top)? If so how would you compare the methods. If you had a bunch of gear tethered to the kayak and weighing it down do you think you would need to change your approach?

Thanks.

It seemed that climbing over the top, with my PFD in the way, was much more difficult at least in fresh water, perhaps in the salt it might be easier due to buoyancy, I did not do any roll back overs that way. A 3' piece of rope would make this very easy, you could toss it over the kayak bottom, swim around and use it to pull and roll the kayak over towards you.

I am not sure leashes would be an issue, ~half would be on the side staying low in the water and the other ~half, on the side being pushed upwards, should be long enough that the stuff connected to them should still be in the water when the kayak passes peak and rolls upright.

I think a key item is not having a big wave or swell hit the back of the kayak while you are rolling it over, thus pushing it back on you, so doing this while correctly oriented with the waves is important. also having nice handles on the side of the kayak really helps...

 

[bass]

It seemed that climbing over the top, with my PFD in the way, was much more difficult at least in fresh water, perhaps in the salt it might be easier due to buoyancy, I did not do any roll back overs that way. A 3' piece of rope would make this very easy, you could toss it over the kayak bottom, swim around and use it to pull and roll the kayak over towards you.

I am not sure leashes would be an issue, ~half would be on the side staying low in the water and the other ~half, on the side being pushed upwards, should be long enough that the stuff connected to them should still be in the water when the kayak passes peak and rolls upright.

I think a key item is not having a big wave or swell hit the back of the kayak while you are rolling it over, thus pushing it back on you, so doing this while correctly oriented with the waves is important. also having nice handles on the side of the kayak really helps...

Thanks Roger, great stuff!

 

[Billamicasr]

Pretty spry for an old guy... I can get away with saying that 'cuz I'm an old guy too; though not quite as spry.

I understand the concern of too much gear in and on a PFD which hampers an easy reentry; this is exactly why one should test the prevailing setup.

Good video!

 

[rogerdodger]

Pretty spry for an old guy... I can get away with saying that 'cuz I'm an old guy too; though not quite as spry.

I understand the concern of too much gear in and on a PFD which hampers an easy reentry; this is exactly why one should test the prevailing setup.

Good video!

thanks Bill, leaving a perfectly good boat and splashing into deep cold water on a cold day, even when dressed properly, still feels a bit OFF and always gives me an adrenaline rush but the practice sure helps prepare you to keep a level head and not panic in a real situation...cheers, roger