I Almost Sank :0 - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

daperrin · 09-06-2022, 05:56 PM

Fishing out of Dana Point in my Outback my son and I paddled over to Salt Creek area. Swells were to big for my taste yesterday morning off Doheny so we had to switch it up and made the trip over to the kelp hoping to snag a few Sheephead. Well at some point I had not properly closed my rear hatch...ya thats bad. So over the course of the day I was taking on water. Not much at first but as thing got choppier (especially on the way back in the holiday boat traffic) I took on more and more water. At one point I'm thinking to myself, why is Josh so far ahead of me, why can't I catch up? Finally I opened my center hatch and I see several inches of water. Uggg. Well at that point I was about 1/2 mile from the harbor entrance. Luckily I was able to make it to the launch area where I drained some of the water and made it back to Baby Beach.

Friends, please think about this. If you don't have a manual bilge pump learn from my close call. I will be ordering mine tonight. It could have been disasterous. Anyway fishing sucked, we only got a small one. It was a beautiful day on the water though and it was my first time over at the kelp off Salt Creek. Very nice

Check out the video retracing my steps https://youtu.be/sEQnc8-leRI

kayakfisher · 09-07-2022, 09:52 AM

a sponge works well if you do not have a bilge pump

Mahigeer · 09-07-2022, 10:11 AM

Thanks for the heads up and the post.

Glad you are alright.

While reading I kept wondering, why your son was not asked to close the hatch properly. Once you discovered the issue?

daperrin · 09-07-2022, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mahigeer

Thanks for the heads up and the post.

Glad you are alright.

While reading I kept wondering, why your son was not asked to close the hatch properly. Once you discovered the issue?

When I realized I was taking on water it wasn't until I was about half way back to the harbor. I didn't know how it was getting in. It wasn't until I got the kayak on dry ground and started draining it that I noticed the rear hatch was loose (closed but loose so it was hard to spot). Anyway at the moment I felt it best to just high-tail it back into the harbor since I was pretty close.

monstahfish · 09-07-2022, 11:10 AM

Pro tip now that you'll have a bilge pump on board. I keep mine tied to a line to my center hatch lid. This way, if I ever need it I can pull it to me by the rope without having to move around much further destabilizing the boat. Always good to check your bilge throughout the day as you never know until it's pretty late in the game.

lowprofile · 09-15-2022, 12:01 AM

Put pool noodles in the hull. 6 should do. If it does take on water and “sink” it won’t go to the bottom and will be recoverable. I was able to help save a kayak because of this. We emptied it of all gear and manually bailed water until he was able to get back on and sit on it to finish the job.

09-06-2022, 05:56 PM	#1
daperrin www.TheKayakLaunch Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Orange County Posts: 237	I Almost Sank :0 Fishing out of Dana Point in my Outback my son and I paddled over to Salt Creek area. Swells were to big for my taste yesterday morning off Doheny so we had to switch it up and made the trip over to the kelp hoping to snag a few Sheephead. Well at some point I had not properly closed my rear hatch...ya thats bad. So over the course of the day I was taking on water. Not much at first but as thing got choppier (especially on the way back in the holiday boat traffic) I took on more and more water. At one point I'm thinking to myself, why is Josh so far ahead of me, why can't I catch up? Finally I opened my center hatch and I see several inches of water. Uggg. Well at that point I was about 1/2 mile from the harbor entrance. Luckily I was able to make it to the launch area where I drained some of the water and made it back to Baby Beach. Friends, please think about this. If you don't have a manual bilge pump learn from my close call. I will be ordering mine tonight. It could have been disasterous. Anyway fishing sucked, we only got a small one. It was a beautiful day on the water though and it was my first time over at the kelp off Salt Creek. Very nice Check out the video retracing my steps https://youtu.be/sEQnc8-leRI __________________ David P YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thekayaklaunch https://www.instagram.com/thekayaklaunch

09-15-2022, 12:01 AM	#6
lowprofile #1 on fishstick's hitlist Join Date: May 2011 Location: Sea level Posts: 1,478	Put pool noodles in the hull. 6 should do. If it does take on water and “sink” it won’t go to the bottom and will be recoverable. I was able to help save a kayak because of this. We emptied it of all gear and manually bailed water until he was able to get back on and sit on it to finish the job. __________________ MLPA- My Largest Poaching Area

09-07-2022, 09:52 AM	#2
kayakfisher Junior Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 18	a sponge works well if you do not have a bilge pump

09-07-2022, 10:11 AM	#3
Mahigeer Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 1,897	Thanks for the heads up and the post. Glad you are alright. While reading I kept wondering, why your son was not asked to close the hatch properly. Once you discovered the issue?

09-07-2022, 11:10 AM	#5
monstahfish Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 420	Pro tip now that you'll have a bilge pump on board. I keep mine tied to a line to my center hatch lid. This way, if I ever need it I can pull it to me by the rope without having to move around much further destabilizing the boat. Always good to check your bilge throughout the day as you never know until it's pretty late in the game.