Canoe floatation??

[yellowcanoe]

That's all true, but as you know, a swamped canoe on moving water is both a hazard for the paddler and a potential disaster for the boat. I think added flotation is worth whatever room is available, if those are likely concerns.

True..Moving water is different. But I suspect most of us in the East are dealing with lakes. I paddle far more on lakes than on rivers and pretty much portage rapids especially solo. In the West you have a different paddling ecosystem.. I think the original question was how to keep the boat from sinking.

Pinning potential on moving water requires a complete rethink.. how to you pack for a wilderness trip( dry bags do hold air with gear) supplememted with air bags..all caged in (or not-rescue being difficult with lashed in gear..but do you lose your gear if you swim?

 

[Steve in Idaho]

...but do you lose your gear if you swim?

Theoretically, only temporarily - if it floats. I haven't had the pleasure of doing any big whitewater with gear to lose yet (still doing only up to upper cl2, except for one supported trip down the Salmon in an IK), but I do notice that everything that floats seems to end up stuck in an eddy before long, on the rivers I haunt. Almost immediately, in my case so far. Bigger rivers or bigger flows may wash stuff down over bigger distances though, I presume - making the salvage effort time consuming and a matter of some luck. OTOH, I can see where it is possible that lost gear can eddy out before the boat is rescued - meaning either a trip back upstream, or leaving the gear for the next paddler who comes along.

Not a lot of whitewater canoe experience floating around my area to ask about it, but it seems to me that the decision between lashing gear or leaving it loose in a canoe is a mental balancing act considering the likelihood of a serious pin vs the likelihood of lost gear. Maybe more like a crapshoot.

 

[daveo4]

Kim,
The original query assumed the canoe would not sink but was difficult or near impossible to dewater /self rescue, and asked who uses extra floatation to make it easier to dewater the canoe. My solo canoe is wood and Dacron so I know it won't sink. I am putting small float bags in each end of my solo canoe to see if it helps. As they say, can't hurt and it might help! I appreciate that bagged gear in the canoe adds floatation but usually has to be removed to dewater. Are there any commercially made canoes that WILL sink when intact?? I hope not.
Dave

 

[yellowcanoe]

I have run into two Royalex that floated below water and one Kenduskeag race paddled over several Royalex that were on the bottom. Royalex is a foam core but perhaps nowadays it pays to check. The company that makes ABS sheets makes them to the specification of canoe makers. Royalex ain't like it used to be.

Reentry in my wood dacron solos is pretty easy when they are full. At some canoe Symposia we practice rescues. Coopers is not the most clear pond (its MUD on the bottom) but we can have fun.

Some composites are harder to shake out.. The tumblehome gets in the wave.

 

[daveo4]

Well, I am going to have this figured out in a couple of weeks. My local kayak club has a big safety training weekend the last weekend in Apr where the venue is a big lake that was created as a cooling source for a nuclear power plant. The water is 70 to 75 degrees F across from the outflow from the plant and is ideal for early season rescue practice. I've been teaching at this event for 9 years and I haven't started glowing yet! This year I'm bringing the canoe along with the kayak and figuring this all out.

 

[Ravenwolf]

Dave, are you in the river at Peach Bottom, for your class? Ravenwolf;

 

[daveo4]

No, It's at Lake Anna in VA south of D.C. Fresh warm water, no current, perfect for having newbies fall out of their boats and teaching them how to get back in. I actually teach a class on using a Greenland paddle in the AM and in the afternoon I teach rolling, preferably with a Greenland paddle. I switched to traditional Inuit paddles (Aleut and Greenland) about 11 years ago. Maybe that's why I love my Badger ottertail, long and narrow and feels good.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Dave do you teach the heel hook rescue for wet exit survivors? It works really well in a canoe too. This rescue technique, as usual, came from the sea kayaking world.
I'm primarily a canoeist, but kayaking has MUCH to each the paddler.
My other burning question for Dave..do you use your GP in your canoe? I sometimes do in my 14 foot wood dacron boat. Its a good way to force me to practice the sliding stroke.

And my RapidFire gets pushed to hull speed quickly with my Aleut paddle, made by Dave Niles in Connecticut.

 

[daveo4]

Hey Kim,
We do teach the heel hook. We started teaching that a long time before it was seen in magazines but called it the Tina Turner because the paddler starts face up and Turn(er)s face down, hopefully on the boat and there is a lot of leg action. We show stirrups and the old haul yourself up on the back(or pull the kayak under your chest) too. Some work better than others for different body types and PFDs. My GPs are 87" to 89" and are a bit short for the canoe but I do use my Aleut paddle. I need to make one a bit longer though . They are wet paddles which is no big deal in a skirted kayak, but I get drenched using it in the canoe as I need a higher angle to get enough blade in the water. I'll probably make a 100 or 102" (about 260 cm) Aleut and try that. I have found a 250cm Werner Little Dipper works well.
How long is your Aleut paddle? I know Dave Niles. Nice guy.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Hey Kim,
We do teach the heel hook. We started teaching that a long time before it was seen in magazines but called it the Tina Turner because the paddler starts face up and Turn(er)s face down, hopefully on the boat and there is a lot of leg action.

Can you come clean my monitor? There is a lack of video for canoe rescues.. That said.. I am LOL so hard. I've only heard the Heel Hook called " instant pain" by guys who paused on the gunwale. Probably not a lot different from Tina Turner effects.

 

[Guest]

robin turned me on to dunnage bags. mmm mmmm mmmmm dunnage bags. i now own about 2 dozen of them for my many boats. i use 6 36"x36" bags in my 15'3"mad river ME set up for whitewater. with the added foam this boat IS unsinkable and controllable when swamped. keeping all those cubic feet of water out is key. 67lbs.per sq.ft. with the added powerbilge sucking out what does get in i rarely have to stop in big water. water outside you inside works best while canoeing. http://youtu.be/0fKMEgugs-Q