: I appreciated all of the information I received on floatation a couple of
: weeks ago. It was recommended that I read the Sea-Kayaker Deep Trouble
: book and I am about halfway through it, but I have more questions.

Bravo on taking the initiative to become an informed paddler. Please help spread the word.

: First,
: I was getting ready to place a bid on e-bay for a paddle float, when I
: read that on one of the self rescues the float did't have enough
: floatation and just sunk when the kayaker tried to climb onto his kayak.
: So, do paddle floats come in different floatation sizes?

Yes and no. There doesn't seem to be much difference between inflatable floats and all of them I've tried (I own three different brands) have far more than enough floatation. It's possible that some of the foam block paddle floats may not have enough floatation for a large paddler with poor technique. However, if you use proper re-entry technique, you don't place that much weight on the paddle float.

One consideration in paddle float design is the number of air chambers. My first paddle float had a single compartment that wrapped around both sides of the blade. It was nearly impossible to completely deflate it after use and if it punctured, it would be useless. I now use only double chambered paddle floats. They inflate and deflate easier, and they provide some redundancy.

BTW, I'd be pretty hesitant about buying a paddle float on Ebay unless it was brand new. They aren't that expensive to begin with ($20-$30) and it's a piece of critical safety gear.

: Second, wouldn't
: a foam seat make a flooded kayak even more unstable when the kayaker
: climbs aboard, because the foam seat would be under the water and trying
: to turn the kayak over in an attempt to rise to the waters surface, and
: therefore a non floating seat should be used?

As long as the seat is firmly attached to the hull, it will provide floatation to the kayak. It shouldn't have any negative impact on stability with the boat upright. With the boat inverted, the air trapped in the cockpit would be a much more significant issue than a buoyant seat.

: Third, Why not put foam
: floatation all along the top inside deck sides (gunwhale I think it is
: called)for stability when the kayak is submerged, to help keep it from
: rolling? I think some canoes have this. Grummond perhaps.

By all means reduce the volume of your cockpit by adding foam in empty spaces. The lower the volume in the cockpit, the better the boat will float when swamped and the less water you have to pump out. Just be sure that you don't make it too difficult to enter and exit the boat. Check out the link below for some information on floatation, rescues and related issues. I found Pete's articles to be most enlightening.

: I am going back
: to thinking about using two part foam pored flotation in the stern and bow
: after reading about so many floation compartment flooding or float bags
: not staying put and comming out of the kayaks after a disaster.

I still would not recommend using expanding foam. Expanding foam can create a LOT of force and if you misjudge the amount to use, you're likely to split your boat open.

Properly installed and retained float bags will not come out of the boat inadvertently. Make sure you use tapered bags that fit the bow and stern properly, whether you have bulkheads and hatches or not. Since you're building the boat, you can add straps to retain the bags if the boat doesn't have bulkheads. Commercial boats don't typically have these, but your custom boat can be configured however you need it to be.

: Also, what is a sea sock and how does it work?

A sea sock is a waterproof bag that fits into the cockpit and seals around the coaming It's shaped essentially like a low-cut sock, hence the name. The paddler sits in the sock and attaches his spray skirt in the normal manner. The function of the sea sock is to minimise the amount of water than can enter the boat by sealing the cockpit from the rest of the hull. A sea sock should never be used without floatation bags as a backup, since the bag is prone to wear at points of contact, such as the seat, foot pegs, heels and knees. Sea socks are also slippery and can increase the temperature in the cockpit somewhat. Personally, I think the combination of bulkheads, hatches and float bags is superior to a sea sock. If you're not going to put bulkheads in your boat, perhaps a sea sock would be worthwhile.

Mariner Kayaks (http://www.marinerkayaks.com/) has a discussion of various floatation schemes on their web site. They're biased in favor of float bags and sea socks, rather than bulkheads and hatches. I don't agree with them, but they do raise some interesting points.