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Sea Kayaks Techniques Bulletin Board
Re: Sit On Top vs. Standard & Safety
Posted By: David In Response To: Sit On Top vs. Standard & Safety (Craig Bumgarner)
Date: Friday, 13 October 2000, at 12:45 a.m.
: I would be interested in comments on Sit On Top kayaks vs. the Standard
: Cockpit that requires a skirt to prevent flooding in open water.: Much of the danger in kayaking seems to revolve around the Standard Cockpit.
: Following a capsize, if the captain can't perform a successful roll, he or
: she is out of the boat in the water and the cockpit at least partially
: flooded. This exposes the captain to a wide variety of dangers. Getting
: back in is difficult without lots of practice in rescue techniques. Even
: when the captain is back aboard, there is the water to be gotten out and
: the skirt to be reattached, both difficult jobs in rough conditions. There
: are techniques and equipment for dealing with all of the above, but it
: seems like there are still a lot of places for things to go wrong.
: Magazines like Sea Kayaker are full of articles where conditions made it
: next to impossible to perform these techniques. The answer always seems to
: be "more practice"!: Sit On Top (SOT) kayaks, on the other hand would SEEM to possibly have
: answers for much of the above. I have no experience, however, in actually
: using them. I would like to hear from anyone who has experience with SOT
: kayaks in the size and configuration of a standard sea kayak or
: 16'-20'surf ski. Questions I am pondering are: - What are the upsides and
: downsides of the SOT configuration?: - What is the technique for getting back in if you come out in open water?
: Can you just climb back in?: - Are these boats rolled or do you simply bail out and climb back in?
: - Do you end up sitting in a puddle of water all the time?
: - Is the lack of protection on the lower body an issue or do you just wear
: protective gear such as a wet suit?: - Why is the SOT configuration so popular on surf skis? (Because they are
: easier to get back into?): I don't know the answer to these questions and am hoping some of you have
: experience and can steer me straight.: Thanks!
Craig
I've been watching this thread. Very interesting. I have some experience with sit on tops, but not as much as most of these folks. The up sides have been discussed. There really is no down side, but it depends upon your use. For going on anything longer than a day trip, they are out of the question. No storage, no protection from wind and waves, even with a dry suit you will eventually get sick of being exposed to bad conditions. In heavy seas, getting back on the boat can be a challenge, as can paddling the boat. Big waves and currents still affect you. As an investment, if you have no other kayak, it will provided very limited possibilities, ie., only day paddles. In pouring rain, they are just a drag. You sit on them, not in them, and the whole body English aspect of kayaking is lost.
That having been said, if you only intend to day paddle in good weather, they are alot of fun, and do encourage surf play. But they aren't cheap, and if it is to be the only boat you purchase, don't bother. For $1,000 you can get a decent plastic sea kayak which will give you many options. As far as self rescue is concerned, if you are careful about your conditions, you won't have to self rescue at all. And most rescues are pretty painless in reasonable seas. I don't really take them seriously, but I had alot of fun doing some lake paddling on some rentals a couple years ago.
So it all boils down to your intended use, touring or day paddling.
Hope this helps, along with the other great advice others have given.
Cheers,
David
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