respect the ocean 2. MY experience

[Gigafish]

Been saved by the bilge pump on my kayak on more than a couple of outings. A hand held bilge pump approx $15-$20 would've kept you out fishing.

Everything could've been lost. Stay safe.

[live2fishy]

I have a westmarine pump and I have had it maybe 5 years it still works great best 29$ I have spent. Buy one even if you think you'll never use it

[Ojos_raros]

That happened to me once. I striped down, jumped into the water, plugged it up and spent the next hour bailing water. I was bummed missing that fishin time!

[roadx]

smart keeping your cool. I know I will be budding up from now on. It just makes since. Hopefully you didn't loose any gear.

[William Novotny]

Originally Posted by roadx

smart keeping your cool. I know I will be budding up from now on. It just makes since. Hopefully you didn't loose any gear.

I lost a couple things. A plano box of irons. A teramar spinning combo and a gaff. The gaff I'm sure is floating somewhere along the kelp line. The Lost gear was of little concern at the time and is a small price for a valuable lesson. I have a new respect for our ocean and conditions and when this happens again I will know exactly what to do.

[dorado50]

I agree with the other poster about NOT removing the drain plug. Screw in, screw out, over time the plastic won't seal anymore thus causing leakage or worse. My drain plugs are sealed with 5200.

Time to reconsider about the importance of private boaters when you have a situation as described. Some guys really bash them....not me.

[William Novotny]

Originally Posted by dorado50

I agree with the other poster about NOT removing the drain plug. Screw in, screw out, over time the plastic won't seal anymore thus causing leakage or worse. My drain plugs are sealed with 5200.

Time to reconsider about the importance of private boaters when you have a situation as described. Some guys really bash them....not me.

seriously. I'm very grateful for their presence yesterday.

[blitzburgh]

Glad you're OK man!

[Raskal311]

Dang... I'm a bit iffy about heading out solo after these two post now On my check list the first thing is check drain plug and a bit future down is check radio battery.

[socal.beach.bum]

As tempting as it is at times, I NEVER NEVER go out alone for these exact reasons. Alone inside the harbor sure, outside in the open water NEVER.

[momo fish]

Yeah I know the feeling. Keep in mind I have been out alone plenty of times and in conditions almost as bad so never figured it would happen to me and it did. If I go solo it will only be if I see others out and will ask to join them or stay close to shore.

It's not worth it, even for a seabass.

Originally Posted by Raskal311

Dang... I'm a bit iffy about heading out solo after these two post now On my check list the first thing is check drain plug and a bit future down is check radio battery.

[octico]

Dude glad your ok! That should definitely be on your checklist.

[William Novotny]

Originally Posted by octico

Dude glad your ok! That should definitely be on your checklist.

I know, I know. Seriously it's getting sealed tonight.

[GregAndrew]

The dangerous irony with these situations is that instinct tells most people to stay on their yak when the smart thing may be to jump in the water. If you have taken on a noticeable amount of water in less than flat conditions. And it has made your yak unstable or very low to the water line. You should probably not open a hatch to pump the water out without getting off. Getting off does several good things for you. It makes your yak more stable by lowering its center of gravity. It raises it in the water line (hopefully above the chop). It allows you to access parts of your yak that you may not be able to reach atop it. And it allows you to position your body to block the swell/chop from washing into the hatch you are pumping out of. Complacency is probably the most dangerous thing for us kayakers. I am guilty of it big time. But having a plan for what to do when the stuff hits the fan can help greatly.

[CheapPelican]

If you keep your hand pump below deck, secure it so it dosent float back out of reach when your hull starts to fill up. Happened to me once. . I just run my ff battery cable through the handle.

[William Novotny]

Originally Posted by GregAndrew

The dangerous irony with these situations is that instinct tells most people to stay on their yak when the smart thing may be to jump in the water. If you have taken on a noticeable amount of water in less than flat conditions. And it has made your yak unstable or very low to the water line. You should probably not open a hatch to pump the water out without getting off. Getting off does several good things for you. It makes your yak more stable by lowering its center of gravity. It raises it in the water line (hopefully above the chop). It allows you to access parts of your yak that you may not be able to reach atop it. And it allows you to position your body to block the swell/chop from washing into the hatch you are pumping out of. Complacency is probably the most dangerous thing for us kayakers. I am guilty of it big time. But having a plan for what to do when the stuff hits the fan can help greatly.

Greg that makes perfect sense and at several times I considered it as I was telling jorge. I think you nailed it with mentioning complacency. I really did not want to get in the water. I thought getting to the boat was the best course. First thing I'm doing is gooping my drain plug shut. Then I'm buying a hand pump and mounting it to the underside of my rod pod hatch lid with industrial velcro.

[bluesquids]

You can bungie a hand pump inside your yak under the cockpit center consul. It will be out of the way and you can forget about it, until the day comes you need it.
I used deck loops for attachments inside, with matching ones backing them on the outside.

Also, it's likely you'd have to jump in the water to pump it out, because you might be riding so low that water will rush in the hatch when you open it.

[chxh8me]

Originally Posted by William Novotny

Then I'm buying a hand pump and mounting it to the underside of my rod pod hatch lid with industrial velcro.

This is what I did with my pump. Beauty of the mod pod is that there are all those structural supports running underneath it. You can drill through those to attach bungee rather than drilling through the hatch itself to attach bungee underneath. Less holes to worry about water entering.

[PAL]

Originally Posted by GregAndrew

The dangerous irony with these situations is that instinct tells most people to stay on their yak when the smart thing may be to jump in the water. If you have taken on a noticeable amount of water in less than flat conditions. And it has made your yak unstable or very low to the water line. You should probably not open a hatch to pump the water out without getting off. Getting off does several good things for you. It makes your yak more stable by lowering its center of gravity. It raises it in the water line (hopefully above the chop). It allows you to access parts of your yak that you may not be able to reach atop it. And it allows you to position your body to block the swell/chop from washing into the hatch you are pumping out of. Complacency is probably the most dangerous thing for us kayakers. I am guilty of it big time. But having a plan for what to do when the stuff hits the fan can help greatly.

It was windy, right? Few of us can swim quickly enough to catch up to a wind-blown 'yak. Just something to consider. A paddle leash or game clip can double as a safety tether in extreme situations (yes, entanglement hazard).

[William Novotny]

Originally Posted by PAL

It was windy, right? Few of us can swim quickly enough to catch up to a wind-blown 'yak. Just something to consider. A paddle leash or game clip can double as a safety tether in extreme situations (yes, entanglement hazard).

You make a very valid point. The way the wind current was ripping around the point, the kayak was drifting at a rate faster theni can paddle. I would not have liked trying to swim after it