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Sea Kayaks Techniques Bulletin Board
Industry Safety? I don't think so.
Posted By: Brian Nystrom In Response To: Re: Industry Safety (Ray)
Date: Tuesday, 2 January 2001, at 5:56 p.m.
: Sorry for taking so long to reply, winter has set in and I've almost
: forgotten how nice paddling is. The skis have come out, got silicone
: sprayed, release bindings tested, snowy road car driving skills practiced
: (intentional skids in a parking lot) etc. etc.: Most of us take pride in our knowledge, experience(s), paddle skills, etc.
: that are our own personal safety cushion, but how about the new consumer
: investigating the fastest growing watercraft category ( next to PWC's)?
: Many new kayak consumers today are well educated, environmentally aware,
: safety oriented, and have $$$$$. What does the industry offer them when
: they venture into the retail environment?Everything they need from an equipment standpoint is available to them. All the information that they could possibly want is available to them in books and videos. Unfortunately, as the saying goes, "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink". Sadly, the industry cannot provide experience or good judgement, which are more important to safety than any piece of equipment.
: My real concern is that very useful safety devices such as larger
: paddlefloats, solid, tried and bulletproof deck paddle attachment systems
: ( not bungies ), sponsons, and other self rescue systems are not available
: for the consumer to choose from, off the rack.See above paragragh.
What do you mean by "larger" paddle floats? Every inflatable float that I've seen is much larger than it needs to be already. Have you ever tried to submerge one when it's fully inflated? It's damn near impossible. When mounted on the end of a paddle, every float I've tried will work when only half inflated. The only complaint I have is that some floats (Voyageur, in particular) have only a single chamber and valve, which makes them vulnerable to puncture and abrasion, and they're difficult to deflate after use.
What's wrong with bungees for paddle float rescues? Every paddle float rescue I've done has been on a bungee equipped boat and I haven't had any problems with them at all. They're nearly foolproof, with no buckles to jam or clog with sand or salt and don't require any particular dexerity to operate (very important in cold water). The only caveat is that they need to be tightened once they have stretched out a bit and should be replaced once every year or so.
Sponsons have potential, but they are not a universal rescue device. The only commercially available sponsons that I've heard of require special fittings on the boat and careful adjustments in order to work properly. As such, they cannot be readily interchanged among boats, unless the boats are identical. I would never buy them anyway, as the owner of the company is and anti-industry psycho who preys on people's grief in order to make buck.
: The reasons are
: unimportant, the fact remains that its basically up to the neophyte
: paddler to research these, call around, try them out, find out what works
: and what doesn't, and fix it if possible.Agreed, but this is typical of a lot of activities. For example, you can buy all the rock climbing gear that your credit card limit will allow, without having to get any safety training. It is imcumbent upon the participant in any outdoor activity to learn safe practices for that activity. The fact that many people don't bother is more a reflection of the general laziness and the pervasive "instant gratification" ethic within our society than it is of a lack of industry concern. "We have met the enemy and he is us."
The only exception to the "fend for yourself" rule in outdoor sports that I can think of is scuba diving. However, they have an advantage in that most divers cannot afford or justify the equipment required to pressurize a scuba tank to 3000+ psi. Therefore they have to rely on dive shops for this service. Shops simply refuse to fill tanks for anyone who is not a certified diver. The system isn't perfect, but it works reasonably.
Paddling, on the other hand, does not have anything like this. Anyone can buy a boat and use it in any manner they wish. Personally, I tend to think of this as a simple extension of the process of natural selection. Darwin was right.
: No common standards exist for kayak flotation
Such a standard would be a good idea, but there are several ways to create acceptable floatation. One company, Dagger, includes either bulkheads and hatches, or floatation bags in their touring boats. Both methods work, but they also both assume that the owner of the boat will use them correctly. Short of filling the boat with passive floatation such as foam, there is no way a manufacturer can guarantee that a kayak will float under any conditions. The user will always bear the ultimate responsibility for having adequate floatation on board.
: or a much more difficult area..flotation device enhanced
: reentry stability.. to enable consumers to assess the relative level of
: risk they are assuming in their choice of paddlecraft. Granted some WW
: boats are clearly marked Expert Only, but thats an extreme case.: A modest proposal might be that a kayak rating system would go from A to C,
: where an A rated boat would have as standard equipment a large paddlefloat
: or sponsons with strong, proper deck/hull fittings or straps installed, a
: minimum flooded cockpit buoyancy reserve of say 200 lbs, hull impact
: resistance of X, completely leakproof hatches, a towline system, and a
: signal kit properly attached inside the cockpit, etc. etc. A "C"
: rated boat would have none of these, and be designed for experts only who
: would outfit themselves. The inexpensive plastic kayaks sold without
: flotation or safety equipment might fit into this category as well. Many
: excellent kayaks sold today could be made up into an A package by the
: retailer.While I understand what you're trying to do with this system, it's basically unworkable. When a typical would-be recreational paddler is looking for an entry level kayak, they invariably buy the least expensive package that they can. In your scenario, that would be the "expert" rated boat. This is very counterintuitive, since in most activities, "expert" generally implies "expensive". The natural tendency would be for someone to look and all the tacked on gear and the high price tag on the "beginner" boat and assume that "I don't need all that stuff for paddling the local pond." They will never understand that because they're not "experts", they have to spend more money. Besides, what guarantee is there that they will even take the time to learn how to use any of the safety gear if they do purchase it? We've had seatbelts in cars for decades - and in some cases, laws mandating their use - but what is the compliance rate? How many people ride motorcycles without helmets? With all the warnings on the pack, why would anyone consider smoking? How many people actually read the warning labels and instructions for the products they buy? For that matter, how many people do you see paddling with their Coast Guard mandated PFD tucked into the bungees behind the cockpit or sliding around between their legs. Like it or not, it's human nature to take risks if it's perceived as expedient. It's the "It always happens to the other guy." mentality.
For better or worse, it's up to the dealers to educate the public. The unfortunate fact is that you can buy a kayak at a department store or wholesale club where it's entirely likely that no one employed there will have any idea how to use it or what safety gear should be used with it. Even in a specialty retailer, there are no guarantees that the customer will receive adequate safety advice. Perhaps that's an issue that could be addressed. A simple standardized safety checklist attached to the boat might do the job:
BASICS
- Safety instructions (written or video)
- PFD
- Floatation installed in the kayak
- Re-enty aid
- Bailing deviceOPEN WATER
- Spray Skirt
- Signalling devices
- Exposure Clothing
- Towing gear
- VHF radio...etc.
Now the consumer can make informed choices. Don't hold your breath waiting for them to stampede to the accessory section of the store, though.
: Granted testing is a tough area, witness the idiocy of Canadian vs. US CG
: approval ratings and consequent local rules for required PFD's. Many
: excellent products are not submitted for dual certification due simply to
: the costs involved. I'm speaking from a CDN perspective of course.Agreed. Can you imagine how much more complicated testing boats would be? Perhaps an organizations such as UL (Underwriters Labratories) could be tapped for such testing, but I don't know if that would be workable either.
: Thus the consumer would be offered more choices right at the initial point of
: purchase, and our sport might benefit.The consumer is already offered more choices than they can handle. What they need is guidance.
: Instruction is still the best
: route, and nothing replaces commomn sense and judgement,Absolutely!
: but if the retail
: product itself were safety enhanced ( with all the great stuff thats
: available right now) it would be a step in the right direction I think.That's assuming that anyone would buy them. Without an understanding of why the equipment is necessary, it won't sell. Without the knowledge of how to use it, it's worthless.
: Most other risk sports have some sort of uniform standards (eg. helmets,
: climbing ropes, etc.) and it may be time for kayaking as well.Standards exist for the functionality of the equipment and I agree that's good. However, there are no standards that mandate that the consumer actually be able to use the equipment as intended. Every piece of climbing paraphernalia comes with a warning tag stating bluntly that climbing is a dangerous activity that can result in serious injury or death. It also states that the instructions that come with the gear are no substitute for adequate safety training. Go to a store and check it out for yourself. This appears to be the only workable approach, flawed though it may be.
: If it saves only one life, thats worth it.
Oh please! Don't even get me started on that tired old saw. Save a life at all costs! Punish the many for the sins of the few! Sure, that'll work.
: Just some ideas, and a very happy and safe holiday season to all!!
Same to you.
Sorry if I sound a bit harsh, but I spent many years in retail and I know what the public is like. The capacity for stupidity among the general populace is absolutely staggering. It's nice to think that people will do the right thing, given the choice, and that the government can protect every fool from themself, but it simply doesn't work that way (at least not in the US). If individuals want the freedom to engage in the leisure activities of their choice, they have to be willing to assume responsibility for their actions and their own safety. It seems to me that Canadians (in general) are more willing to give up their individual freedom for the perception of safety than Americans are. You also seem to trust your government more. Hopefully, those tendencies won't come back to bite you in the end. Personally, I'd rather have personal freedom with the responsibilty it demands, and less government intrusion into my life.
: Only four months to go now.
I guess you must have only fresh water nearby. Hang in there, spring is coming!
regards
Brian
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