Python FAQ Entry

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/PRE> 
As many of =
you kow, my two sons & I are planning a trip next summer wherein we =
will circumnavigate Isle Royale National Park in 
western Lake Superior. We plan to tow 3 Old Town Loon 138 =
sea kayaks behind Dynamic Equilibrium for the Lake Superior =
crossing.  =
We will use Dynamic Equilibrium as the mother ship & the =
sea kayaks as our means of exploring the island's rugged coastline.  
We will stay on =
board Dynamic Equilibrium sometimes as well as beach camp.  Isle Royale is the most =
remote, least visited national 
park =
in the lower 48 states.  =
The island lies about 22 nm offshore from Grand Portage, =
MN.

You =
don't just attempt a voyage like this without a certain amount of =
preparation.  This article is concerned with rigging the sea kayaks =
for
towing behind the mother =
ship.  The photo web site =
has a couple of pictures of the setup.  I started with the towing harness we've used for =
years to tow our 10 foot inflatable =
sport dingy behind Dynamic Equilibrium.  After some experimentation this summer, it turns out =
the most 
stable configuration for =
towing 3 kayaks is an inverted V-formation, with 2 kayaks in front & =
1 behind.  The kayaks are =
held in this inverted 
V-formation =
with a custom-made harness.  =
The custom inverted V-formation harness is made from 7 snap =
shackles, 4 pieces of 
1/2" dia scd =
40 X 36" long PCV pipe, eight 5/16" ID X 1" OD nylon washers, & =
about 50' of 1/4" dia nylon line.  The nylon line is threaded =
thru 
the 1/2" PVC pipe using the =
nylon washers & stopper knots at each end.  The PVC pipe functions in =
compression to keep the kayak hulls 
separated as waves roll thru the formation.  The 1st picture shows a =
close-up of the rear kayak's towing harness.  The 2nd picture shows the 
entire formation under tow at 5 knots.  This setup takes boat wakes =
& turns beautifully.  =
The 3 kayaks tow more easily than our 10' inflatable =
sport dingy.  The effect on sailing =
performance is negligible.

I am =
currently building a set of 3 "mooring covers" to seal off the kayak =
cockpits while they are under tow.  This will prevent Lake Superior =
waves
from filling & swamping =
the kayaks while they are under tow.  We have spray skirts, but of course, they have =
openings for the paddler's torso to 
fit thru.  We =
need to completely seal off the cockpits.  Having sealed cockpits will also allow us to store =
some of our paddling & beach camping 
gear inside the kayaks while we are sailing.  The Loon 138 kayak is rated =
at:

380 lbs payload X 3 kayaks =3D a lot of camping gear + =
supplies.

Roger =
Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic =
Equilibrium
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Boarding A Sea Kayak From =
A Rhodes 22=20
& Kayak Self-Rescue
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http://www.rhodes22.org/rhodes/pics/kayak_self-rescue.jpg=

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As regular =
readers of the Rhodes List are aware, my two sons & I =
are
planning a cruise to Isle Royale =
National Park in Western Lake Superior next summer.  
We are planning to =
sail our Rhodes 22 from Grand Portage, MN across 22 N.M. of =
Lake Superior to Windigo Ranger Station =
in Washington Harbor,Isle Royale.  
From Windigo, we will circumnavigate =
Isle Royale in a clockwise direction, 
ending up back at Windigo about a week later =96 give or take a =
few days, depending 
upon Lake =
Superior=92s moods.  We =
will be using 3 Old Town Loon 138 kayaks to help 
explore the island=92s rugged, rocky coastline.  Previous articles have =
described how 
we plan to tow the kayaks =
behind the mother ship (Rigging Sea Kayaks For Towing, 8/23/01) =
& how we will transport the kayaks =
while trailering our Rhodes 22 over the road 
(Carrying Kayaks On Vehicles or What I Did On Labor Day, 2001, =
9/8/01).

Our float =
plan intrinsically implies the ability to get into & out of the =
kayaks from 
the mother ship numerous =
times.  Lake Superior =
water is very  cold, even =
during the 
summer when we=92ll be =
there.  We don=92t want to =
have to 1st get into the water every time 
we want to use the kayaks.  Because of the difference in deck heights between the =
Rhodes 22 & the kayaks, getting =
into or out of the kayaks involves momentarily standing =
up in the kayak.  Now, kayaks are very stable =
craft when you=92re sitting down in them.  
But, have you ever tried standing up =
in one, especially a kayak loaded with beach 
camping gear & the only food available for 20 miles in any =
direction?  Just for good =
measure, imagine there=92s also a 2-4 =
Foot Lake Superior chop.  =
When you=92re sitting down 
in =
the kayak, you can attach the spray skirt to the rim of the =
cockpit.  With the spray =
skirt in place, a capsize is no big =
deal, the water stays outside, the precious gear 
stays inside, & you Eskimo Roll yourself back upright.  But, when you=92re standing =
up, 
the spray skirt can=92t =
be attached & you=92re vulnerable to whatever =
Lake Superior dishes 
out, just at the =
moment when your elevated center of gravity makes you the least =
stable.

This problem =
can=92t be entirely eliminated, but it can be minimized to the point =
where 
we feel the risks & =
consequences are acceptable.

The photo web =
site has 3 annotated pictures of how we mitigated =
this,
potentially show-stopping, =
issue.  The 1st picture is =
a close-up of the
cockpit & side =
decks on one of the kayaks.  =
Note the eyebolt & deck cleat 
with the coiled-up line on the port & starboard side =
decks.  The attachment =
points of these eyebolts & deck =
cleats are equally spaced fore & aft of the 
Center of Resistance (CR) on the kayak=92s hull when it is =
evenly loaded & 
floating on its =
designed waterline.  The =
coiled-up line would be led from the 
eyebolt, up around the stanchions on each side of the side =
gates on Dynamic 
Equilibrium=92s =
railings, & back down to the deck cleat.  When you stand up or 
sit down in the kayak, put a little more weight on the side =
closest to the mother 
ship.  This offset weight causes the =
kayak hull to heel slightly until the slack 
in the line is taken up & the kayak is supported.  As long as you keep your =
weight 
slightly off center towards the =
mother ship, the relative rolling motion is very 
small.  Having =
the line=92s attachment point centered on the kayak hull=92s CR means =
that wind, waves, & chop cause a =
minimum amount of relative yawing 
(side-to-side motion in the bow & stern).  Having the mother ship & =
kayak tied 
together in this manner =
causes them to rise & fall together in any =
sort of 
reasonable swell, thus =
minimizing the relative pitching 
(up =
& down motion in the bow & stern).  The 2nd picture shows my 15-year-old son, =
Gary, practicing this boarding maneuver =
off our dock on Sanford Lake.  =
Gary waits 
for a powerboat to go =
by & then uses the boat wake for practice.  Our dock height =
is about the same as the deck height on =
our Rhodes 22.  By moving =
around to each 
side as well as the end =
of the dock & using both port & starboard sides of the kayak, =
boarding practice with waves coming =
from various directions can be simulated.  Note 
that practicing =
off our stationary dock is actually somewhat more difficult than off =
the deck of our Rhodes 22 because the =
relative motion is greater with the fixed dock.  
Although it=92s MUCH =
easier than before, this boarding maneuver is by no means bulletproof =
even with the new system.  You don=92t want to stand up =
in the kayak any longer than you 
absolutely have to.  =
Proper wave timing & a certain amount of balance & =
coordination 
are still essential.  Standing up is more difficult =
than sitting down.  But, =
at least 
it=92s possible now as opposed =
to VERY difficult before & it gets easier with practice.  
These built-in dock =
lines & deck cleats will also be useful for tying up the =
kayaks anywhere.

Even with the =
new system, it is still possible there will be a kayak capsize =
during boarding at sometime during our =
cruise.  Isle Royale is =
the most remote; 
least visited National =
Park in the lower 48 states.  =
There will very likely be 
no =
help available nearby; so, we must be prepared for self-rescue.  In the 1st =
picture, there is a hand bilge pump =
under the gunnel on the port side of the 
cockpit.  All 3 =
kayak cockpits are set-up the same =96 P is for pump & port =
side.   =
The bilge pump is a Beckson Thirsty-Mate kayak bilge pump, =
Model No: 318P1/FPS3R.  =
Note the built-in orange floatation collar on the pump in =
case it is dropped 
overboard. Under the =
starboard side gunnel is a kayak paddle floatation bag.  
These safety devices =
are mounted in Beckson Clipper Clips.  They are held in =
place very securely & don=92t =
interfere with the paddler, but also simply snap =
in & out when needed.  The Beckson Clipper Clips =
are also functioning as the =
backing plates for the 10-24UNC oval =
head stainless steel thru bolts on the =
side deck eyebolts & deck =
cleats.  It turns out that =
the mounting hole spacing 
on a Beckson Clipper Clip & a Schaffer  Model No: N3200080, 3 inch =
nylon deck 
cleat are nearly the same, =
close enough to use them together with minor machining.  
To eliminate =
protruding threads & nuts inside the hull & out, the Schaffer =
deck cleats are mounted with, 10-24UNC =
X =BD=94, Beckson barrel nuts instead of 
conventional nuts.  =
The paddler=92s legs are right in the vicinity of the deck =
cleat mounting & I wanted to =
eliminate the possibility of chafing or cuts on 
exposed hardware.

In the event =
of a kayak capsize, the bilge pump would be employed by the person =
in the water to get as much water as =
possible out of the hull.
Kayaks have =
some built-in floatation, but not enough to support the hull, =
gear, & paddler when the hull is =
full of water.  Once the =
hull is pumped out, 
the kayak paddle =
floatation bag is manually inflated & secured to the blade on =
one end of the kayak paddle.  Kayak paddles float & each =
kayak will be equipped 
with a spare =
paddle in case a paddle is lost during the capsize.  The blade on =
the other end of the kayak paddle is =
secured under the bungee cords on the kayak=92s 
foredeck just in front of the cockpit.  The kayak paddle with the =
floatation bag 
will now function as an =
outrigger allowing the paddler to climb back into the =
cockpit without flipping the kayak =
again.  Once back inside, =
the paddler uses 
the bilge pump to =
remove any remaining water.  =
The 3rd picture shows Gary 
practicing this self-rescue maneuver in =
deep water just off our beach in 
Sanford Lake.

Finally, we =
will mitigate the consequences of a boarding capsize =
by
following certain =
procedures:

No one kayak =
will carry all the food, gear, & other consumable supplies such =
as water, stove fuel, =
etc.

We will load =
only the supplies & gear necessary for that particular beach camp =
into the kayaks, usually an overnighter =
+ a contingency day=92s supplies
in case =
we can=92t get back to the mother ship due to weather or some other =
reason.  The rest will be left on board Dynamic =
Equilibrium.

We will carry =
3 days extra supplies on board Dynamic =
Equilibrium.

Gear & =
supplies will be loaded into water tight =93Baja Bags=94 & secured =
inside the kayaks.  I will be adding some internal =
padeyes to all 3 kayaks 
to facilitate =
this.

We will =
always be wearing shorty wet suits & PFD=92s when we use the kayaks =
in
order to provide floatation & =
some protection against hypothermia if 
we end up in the water.

Based upon on =
our degree of boarding/kayak handling competence at the time =
of the trip next summer, we will =
establish go/no go weather criteria for use
of the kayaks & the Rhodes 22.  There may be some days when we have to stay =
on board Dynamic Equilibrium or in camp =
ashore waiting out the weather.

This boarding =
stability issue is a major reason why inflatables =
are
preferred as yacht tenders.  We have a 10 foot inflatable =
sport dingy.  =
It=92s rated to carry over 1000 lbs and nearly all the =
floatation is around 
the =
perimeter.  I weigh 230+ =
lbs & I can stand on the side tubes, walk 
around inside the boat, or climb in from the water anywhere =
around the boat 
without flipping =
it.   Inflatables are =
so stable that boarding stability is 
simply not an issue.

Those of you =
using small hard dinghies, folding boats, or canoes for your =
tender  may want to consider adding some side mooring lines =
similar to the 
ones discussed in this =
article.  If it works for =
something as squirrelly as 
a kayak, it =
can only work better on anything more beamy & =
stable.

Roger =
Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic =
Equilibrium
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Carrying Kayaks On Vehicles or What I Did On =
Labor Day, 2001
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> =
http://www.rhodes22.org/rhodes/pics/kayak_carrier.jpg=
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>
This is another installment about my preparations for =
a
cruise/circumnavigation =
of Isle Royale National Park in western =
Lake
Superior next =
summer.  The plan is to =
trailer our Rhodes 22 from Sanford, MI 
to Grand Portage, MN & make the 22 nm Lake Superior crossing =
out to the island.  =
Much of the Isle Royale coastline is rocky & =
inaccessible to a "large" boat.  =
We plan 
to tow 3 Old Town Loon =
138 kayaks behind the Dynamic Equilibrium for the =
Lake Superior crossing & as we travel =
from place to place around the island.  A previous 
article  (Rigging Sea Kayaks For Towing, =
8/23/01) discussed how we are going to tow 
the 3 little boats.  =
We will beach camp sometimes & stay on board the mother ship =
at 
times, using the kayaks as our means of =
getting ashore & exploring the island's rugged =
coastline.  However, somehow, the kayaks must be moved over the =
road while trailering.
>
The photo web site has =
an annotated picture of my 18 year old son Daniel standing by =
our Astro minivan loaded with kayaks & =
mountain bikes.  The =
mountain bikes & kayaks 
are riding on a =
Thule roof rack system.  =
We chose the Thule roof rack system because it =
offers such a wide range of interchangable =
carriers & racks.  The =
roof rack in the picture
is configured to =
carry 2 kayaks & 2 mountain bikes.  When we go on our Isle Royale 
cruise, the roof rack will have 3 kayaks loaded on it.  I like the model 835 =
Hull-A-Port 
kayak carriers because =
the kayaks are carried on their sides, so they don't collect water =
& it is possible fit 3 of them across =
the roof of a minivan.  =
Different Thule rack configurations 
can carry our 10 foot inflatable sport dingy, a 16' 4" long =
canoe, up to 6 bicycles, up to 12 
pair of skis or 4 tobaggans or 4 snowboards, up to 6 sheets of =
plywood or drywall, or a 
luggage pod (not =
all at the same time of course!).
>
By the way, in case you =
are wondering what's going on in the photo, Daniel & I went =
kayaking & mountain biking on Labor Day, =
2001.  In the picture, =
we're about to unload 
the kayaks & lock =
them to a tree under the M-55 bridge over the Rifle River about =
7-1/2 miles east of West Branch, MI.  Then, we drove the Astro =
minivan to a MDNR 
canoe launch site at the =
Maple Ridge Rd. bridge over the Rifle River about 5-1/5 miles =
west of Maple Ridge, MI.  Here, we parked the minivan, =
unloaded the mountain bikes, & 
rode them about 16 miles back to the kayaks.  Back at the M-55 bridge, we =
locked our 
mountain bikes to a =
tree, loaded our gear into the kayaks, & paddled about 14 river =
miles back to the Maple Ridge Rd. =
bridge.  This section of =
the Rifle River has several 
class I - II =
rapids, which are always fun.  =
At the Maple Ridge Rd. bridge, we loaded the =
kayaks back up onto the roof rack, & =
then drove back to the M-55 bridge to recover the =
mountain bikes.  All this represents roughly 9 hours of quality time =
with my son plus 
another 4 hours of =
travel time to & from our home in Sanford, MI.  Yes, it was a lot of =
frogging around, but the fun is in the =
journey & we had a good time!
>
Roger =
Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic =
Equilibrium

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Boarding A Sea Kayak From = A Rhodes 22=20 & Kayak Self-Rescue

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Carrying Kayaks On Vehicles or What I Did On = Labor Day, 2001

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Python FAQ Entry

1.2. Why is it called Python?

Rigging Sea = Kayaks For=20 Towing