Towing a sea Kayak, any commets?

[Dave H]

I'm planning to move "Puffin" to the Apostle Islands for 09. I am interested in towing a 17' sea kayak for going ashore and exploring the islands. I think a floating rope made in a Y shape will work. I will pass the junction of the Y under the kayak hull, come up on each side and tie to deck hardware. The main line of the Y goes to the aft deck cleat. I have a good "rain cover" for the kayak designed for keeping rainwater out while car topping. I know that canoes and kayaks can tow very badly, but I think the Y will lift the foreward end of the kayak slightly, and make it behave better. Any comments?
I've also seen some tiny kayaks recently. It's possible (?) that one of these could be lashed on deck should the need arise.
Dave

[Markst95]

Hi Dave- I'd be interested to know how the towing works out. My problem would be getting in and out of the sea kayak from the boat. I've had quite a bit of sea kayaking experience and still find it hard getting into the boat even from a floating dock. A sit on top would probably work well, or maybe a rec boat but with the small cockpit of a sea kayak it would be difficult hanging on to the gunnel while trying to stand up and sit down without flipping.

[GB]

Using an inflatable might be a good idea for your Senior. By the way, I sail out of the Apostle Islands. Great area.

[Bruce Bett]

Several years ago when my wife and I were getting ready to cruise the North Channel of Lake Huron on Sostenuto (CD 25 #496) we bought <A HREF="http://www.innovakayak.com/sunny.htm"> Innova Sunny kayak. </A> It's a very nice little boat. In terms of pure performance it's not quite up to a hard shell of course, but it's really pretty good. It comes in a back pack which fits in the cockpit locker of the CD 25. It can be inflated from the deck of the 25. Boarding is not a big problem as the tubes make it surprisingly stable. I definitely prefer it to either towing a dingy or carrying it on deck.

Bruce

[BillNH]

I often use a rec kayak as a dinghy when I'm singlehanding. Short hops I lash it inside the stanchions, but offshore or bad weather I just shove it down below. It makes the v-berth unusable underway, but I don't sleep in the v-berth underway anyways. The inconvenience of it sticking into the main cabin is worth the fun when I get to the destination...

I tried towing it once and it was a nightmare, all over the place, even when towing from the bow grab loop. Its only 12' long - I can't imagine towing a 17' sea kayak!

Even with a bridle underneath I suspect that to get much of an upwards pull on the tow line the kayak would have to be so close that it'd be bumping the transom, and if the attachment point is aft of the kayaks stem it will increase it's tendency to shear off to the side...

[Dave H]

Mark, you mentioned the problem of getting in and out of a kayak. I've done it, but in flat water. I can see that if the water got bumpy while you were away, it could be a problem.
Bruce, your Innova Sunny sounds easy to board with its openness and beam. And you like the way it paddles. I think the single or double aspect sounds good. Some problems I've heard with inflatables are hard to clean, and hard to repack into their carrying bag. How's your Sunny for putting away? Has it held up, or does it need patching from time to time?
Bill, your rec kayak sounds good. I can't see anything rigid going below on "Puffin". Space is limited below.
One marina I visited in the area had a rack of kayaks. I think there were sit upons, and smaller kayaks with larger cockpits. I'll have to find out if they tow them or carry them.
Thanks, your comments are very helpful.
Dave

[Bruce Bett]

Dave:

As for cleaning I hose her off when I get a chance. I should but rarely do sponge her down at the beginning of the season and give her a UV protection treatment. If it is hard to clean it is because sand gets down into the cracks between the tubes and is hard to get out. I don't find this a big problem. I don't remember exactly when I bought her but it was with the first of the Bush tax rebates (no one accuse me of being frugal with my rebates I blow the all on boats). That seven or eight years ago, she's faded a little but still looks good. She came with a patch kit, but I have never had cause to use it. She's pretty tough. The manufacturer say's that it can be set up and taken down in, I don't remember is it 12 minutes. I don't doubt that that's true with an experienced person under ideal conditions. From the deck of small sailboat it's going to take a little longer, but it's not too bad. Packed it the bag it's a tight fit getting through the opening of the cockpit locker on the 25, even harder on the 30, but it goes in with a little practice. I've never tried it on a typhoon. Good luck hope this helps.

Bruce

[Tod M]

several people I sail with who sail these 15' boats:

<img width=540 src=http://www.htmills.com/images/DougBeardropHarbour.jpg>

use these inflatable kayaks..

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/st ... assNum=804

I tried one out. They track amazingly well for an inflatable and seem to be quite durable. They can be towed in smooth water, strapped on deck, or stuffed below. An inflatable has the advantage of being easy on your topsides and, imho, easier to board/exit.

[Judith]

Our Dragonfly, usually stored in the quarterberth, whether we tow the hard dink or not. Very handy, no problem folding it back into carrying case.

We got ours at Great Outdoor Provision 'on sale' for slightly less than the one shown: I think it gets discounted several times a year. . . http://www.dmioutdoors.com/u101.html

Judith

[sgbernd]

I used to have a big Malibu Ocean 2-man sea kayak which we tried to tow with my Cal 25. It didn't work so well. If you kept the painter short, the kayak would surf down the following seas and ram the boat. If you kept the painter long, It would wander off in any old direction, then jerk back around and surf the following seas, trying to ram your boat, often successfully. Entering and exiting the slip and anchoring was also complicated with Kayak in tow. At night, it had to be hoisted over the life lines or it would pound against the hull all night.

When all was sorted out, the only proper means of transporting it was to haul it over the life lines and stow it along the lifelines of the foredeck, but that was very inconvenient when you needed to go forward to anchor, work with head sails, etc.

Had I a much larger boat, I might go back to a rigid, but with small boats, in my sailing region, it is just too much trouble even though they are superior to the inflatables in all other areas.

[Dave H]

Thanks to all of you for your help with this kayak question. I can see that my idea had a few holes in it. I'm dissappointed, because I love my kayak. But the inflatable kayak sounds better from the entry and exit point of view, as well as towing. Thanks again.
Dave