: Hi,

: I am (finally) finishing off my Yost Sea Cruiser (wood-framed). I was going
: to make floatation bags, but needed extra materials and time, and the
: $100+ for 2 bags locally seemed a bit steep for a first SOF boat that will
: primarily be used for rolling practice.

: So, with a goal of keeping water volume down and good floatation for those
: initial wet exits, I used polystyrene foam in the stern and bow (which I
: had lying around) - large bits cut for each end so I've probably reduced
: water volume space by 1/2 or so. (Oh, and I couldn't be bothered/don't
: have time for making a sea sock at this stage).

: Anyway, it got me thinking about the amount of floatation in a kayak.

: Is there a point when you can have too much floatation? Does it cause the
: kayak to float up too high or affect performance in any way (apart from
: when swamped)?

: Just curious :-)

: Thanks,
: Darren

Hi Darren,
As long as you have space to fit inside the cockpit, there is no such thing as too much floatation. It won't have any effect on the overall buoyancy of the kayak in use. Until you fill the kayak with water.

You don't have to buy kayak specific buoyancy bags, I went for whatever would take up as much space as possible when inflated, a mix of dinghy and kayak airbags. Fully inflated, they exceed the end volumes of my kayaks by a good margin. This means the bags fit/wrap around the frames enough to belly the skin if I over-inflate the bags and minimise the amount of water held if I bail out.

General marine chandleries can be less expensive than dedicated kayak shops for buoyancy bags or other bits and pieces.

Hope this helps,
Mike Savage
South West Cork