Kayaks for water rescue??

[Lemsteraak]

Our volunteer search and rescue group currently has a couple jetskis for water rescues. We are looking for something lighter, simpler and able to be deployed at night from the shore.

We are in coastal Oregon, water temps currently 47 degrees, swift running shallow tidal waters. Safety is our main concern. We are looking at acquiring a couple kayaks for rapid rescue but are concerned about stability in rescue situations and ability to handle challenging conditions. Training is also an issue.

Anyone in similar area have advice? We have lost three people in as many months.

Rich

[kerry]

If you're going to use solid bodied kayaks, whoever paddles them needs to have a reliable roll. They are stable and can handle very challenging conditions in the hands of a skilled paddler. If you don't have a skilled paddler and are unwilling to invest the time to get a skilled paddler, then they may not be a good choice.
Another option would be an inflatable self-bailing kayak or canoe. http://www.soar1.com/soar_12.htm No rolling skills required but it is still very manoeverable.

[DesertBoater]

Unless you have someone (preferably multiple someones) who is VERY competent and experienced in ocean rescues, I would definitely not recommend using a kayak as a rescue platform. As an instructor for both sea and whitewater paddling, as well as a relatively experienced guide, I would definitely stay away from paddle-operated boats in rescue situations. Only a couple of the myriad downsides to a kayak for rescue purposes like you're describing are:

They're relatively slow - you can only paddle around 5 kts at a full sprint...and that's really hard to maintain

To if you're going to be rescuing someone in the water, where will you put the victim once the paddler has reached them? in any sort of conditions, it can be hard enough just to keep yourself upright and mobile, nevermind paddling with someone sitting on your stern or hanging off your bow

As a rescuer in a kayak you can only do one thing at once, either maneuver, or perform a rescue, it's virtually impossible to do both

If you need to tow someone or something to shore, it takes a lot of time, and preferably multiple kayakers to pull something or someone any significant distance.

You mentioned easy, quick launching at night. This is definitely not something most experienced paddlers would look for especially if it's their first time at a given location, and especially if there are any sort of conditions...surf, currents, weather, etc...

In my opinion, you'd be way better off with an inflatable boat with an outboard motor. This would allow you to be very fast on the water, launch anywhere you could get a car/trailer down the beach (or carry the boat if it's small enough and you have enough people-power) They're proven in surf, whitewater, flooding, and other water-related scenarios. If they're flipped, they will still float, if one tube is punctured, they'll still float, you can have at least 2 rescuers in the boat, one to drive, one to deal with the people in the water. You'd be able to ferry supplies and materials from point A to point B, you could carry multiple victims. The boat could have lights for night operations. The list could go on and on...

If you're set on a people-powered boat, you could look into a whitewater raft, however if you've got any sort of wind you'd be pretty well screwed in terms of your maneuverability. You'd also need at least a couple people to paddle it...

Just my 2 cents. I hope it helps...

Cheers,
West

[Ed B]

Here is a video of Spokane County using a sit on top. It looks like he is having trouble paddling in this video. They might a resource as far as their experience.

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/former-tv...-into-a-river/

[Photomike]

If you are looking at a kayak I would go with something with a larger deck/opening than a traditional kayak. I would not want to try and get someone aboard a traditional kayak in a rescue situation, in rough water, at night. Just getting to them and thinking that you could pull them back would be VERY challenging in any water situation, more so in rough water.

A tandem kayak with a open deck would be the way to go, but would still have limitations, an inflatable has a lot more advantages as well.

I use an Advanced Elements tandem inflatable and love it for stability, tracking, maneuvering, etc. My concern would be that you would need to have it inflated at all times and I do not know how it would keep the pressure over a period of time. To inflate on a call would be a pain and way too time consuming.

On the good side they are VERY stable, lots of space, and are hard to sink even when full of water. We have used ours in many places and it always comes through, even when I have expected it to give up.

The biggest thing that I like with the inflatable kayak is that they work with you more than a standard kayak, so someone that is not in one all the time will find it easier to get in, easier to work with, and harder to tip.

If you go inflatable watch the load capacity, mine is 500lbs and works great for two guys or a husband and wife and a kid, etc. but going to a rescue with two 180+lb rescuers in it would cut down the rescue weight very fast. Using a tandem by one person would work but you would be loosing speed and power very quickly, especially on a return run with a patient on board. There are ones that can hold a lot more weight and I would look at them so you could have the two people doing the rescue.

[refried]

Have you thought about a paddle cat?

http://www.jpwinc.com/index.php?page...s&item_no=4313
Give Jack a call at Jacks Plastic Welding, he may have something you can use.
I agree, a kayak is a bad choice for a rescue boat, It's way too hard to paddle with someone hanging on the stern. An inflatable with a small outboard and a jet drive is another great option.

[Lemsteraak]

Thanks guys, good thoughts, I'll pass them on and see if we can come up with some ideas for the future.

The last rescue was really tough on the guys. Couldn't launch the jet skis because it was at night with poor visibility, and you can't see obstructions. Close enough to shore but couldn't see or find the victims. The guys finally went old school and borrowed a flat bottomed fishing boat but didn't get there in time and only saved one out of two. They were both fishing and got stuck in the mud like quicksand on an incoming tide. Don't know all the details yet as you can imagine.

We have great equipment but this one slipped through the cracks. Sheriff and Coasties were also on site but had similar problems with their high tech equipment so the thought is to explore low tech for when our shiny new toys will not cut it.

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-no...tarts_bay.html

[JK-Mg1212]

I've paddled sea kayaks for 13 years and I think the concept is OK but as others have mentioned please get some training. A traditional (think "sit in") kayak is not the best to rescue someone who is in a state of panic. I have done a fair amount of rescue training including towing boats and people and a SOT would be the most practical I think because you could drag someone up on the boat (maybe) but most importantly you have a much easier time getting back on (in) the boat if you do get dragged in. During my training (it's really a lot of fun) it was common to have the person doing the rescue to get flipped in if s/he was not careful for the first few times.

[kerry]

I agree with everyone else that a kayak in theory is not the best rescue craft. But that applies only if that's your only choice or main choice. There are some circumstances in which a kayak is a superior rescue craft. Whitewater rafting companies employ safety kayakers for good reason. If you want a human powered craft capable of swiftly chasing a conscious person being swept downstream in a fast river, it would be hard to beat a kayak. Rescuing an unconscious person from a single kayak is another matter.

[blupaddler]

I would stay away from the kayak for the reasons mentioned above...

I would also recommend an IRB. A well made 12' should be able to withstand a lot of abuse. Pair it with a short shaft outboard, and you can maneuver quite easily. Although I don't know if it necessarily solves the problem... You would still have the same issues as the incident with the PWCs: obstructions, visibility, etc.

A flat bottom aluminum boat is also a good option. They can take a pretty heavy beating and still function.














You didn't mention if you get surf or not with the tidal flows. In which case I would prefer the IRB.

Then again, maybe put some lighting system on the PWC?

Just thinking out loud.


Good luck and keep us posted.