My wife would like to go to Santa Cruz and go kayaking. This is fine and My neigbor Has one he would lend. Our boat is a catalina 30 and a two person ocean kayak is a little big to put on a rail. I have never towed a kayak and was wondering if they track the same. I have floating dingy rope but is there anything I should be careful about? There is not alot to tie to on it just a handle with an 1/8 cord on the front. Thanks for your reply, John
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towkay
Dear John, I have been solo kayaking the SF bay for more than 4 years in a yellow 17 feet kayak and also have a Catalina 30. I keep the kayak attached along the starboard side lifeline tied with two loops or lines. The kayak hull design make it to move on straight line on the water, so it will be jolt from one side to the other and it might capsize when towing it on the open sea. One idea is to add some load on the stern hatch to raise the bow, this way will be "dragging" the tail and keep the nose out of diving. This decrease the length of keel on the water. If you are going to try, do not put too much weight, structurally they are not designed to be tow. I cracked one along both sides... but it was tow with a jet ski, and I was inside
. Note: A seat-on-top pr a wider boat might behave different. Good luck and good sailing, ae
Dear John, I have been solo kayaking the SF bay for more than 4 years in a yellow 17 feet kayak and also have a Catalina 30. I keep the kayak attached along the starboard side lifeline tied with two loops or lines. The kayak hull design make it to move on straight line on the water, so it will be jolt from one side to the other and it might capsize when towing it on the open sea. One idea is to add some load on the stern hatch to raise the bow, this way will be "dragging" the tail and keep the nose out of diving. This decrease the length of keel on the water. If you are going to try, do not put too much weight, structurally they are not designed to be tow. I cracked one along both sides... but it was tow with a jet ski, and I was inside
. Note: A seat-on-top pr a wider boat might behave different. Good luck and good sailing, ae
kayak towing -experience
I dragged a 13 foot kayak on a trip to Lake Michigan on my Hunter 240. Towing behind did not work the way I did it. I used a single line to tow. When we'd get any speed up the kayak would slide down a wave/get sideways and roll over. Mine is a sit on top model. As I would drag the upsde down kayak to the stern and roll it over I kept thinking "Perhaps a bridle set up would work better". I think if you tied off the corners of the bridle high up and kept the bow of the kayak from burying it might work. Please report back. Ken
I dragged a 13 foot kayak on a trip to Lake Michigan on my Hunter 240. Towing behind did not work the way I did it. I used a single line to tow. When we'd get any speed up the kayak would slide down a wave/get sideways and roll over. Mine is a sit on top model. As I would drag the upsde down kayak to the stern and roll it over I kept thinking "Perhaps a bridle set up would work better". I think if you tied off the corners of the bridle high up and kept the bow of the kayak from burying it might work. Please report back. Ken
Kayak Sailboat Rack
See the link for a lifeline stanchion mount for kayaks. It works very well for our one person SOT kayak. The rack carries the kayak outside of the lifelines and can be easily folded against the lifelines when its not being used. Be aware that it will only hold a kayak that is a maximum 14" thick. I'm not sure if it will carry a long two man kayak.
See the link for a lifeline stanchion mount for kayaks. It works very well for our one person SOT kayak. The rack carries the kayak outside of the lifelines and can be easily folded against the lifelines when its not being used. Be aware that it will only hold a kayak that is a maximum 14" thick. I'm not sure if it will carry a long two man kayak.
kayak towing
If time permits, you might try it out first on a short trip outside the harbor and experiment with bridles. Preferably when there is a bit of a swell. I assume you'd be going to Scorpion. Great cave exploring there.
If time permits, you might try it out first on a short trip outside the harbor and experiment with bridles. Preferably when there is a bit of a swell. I assume you'd be going to Scorpion. Great cave exploring there.
Towing my kayak
I tow an Malibu 2 Ocean Kayak, 12' long, almost 3' wide, behind our Hunter 35.5 fairly regularly. We use it as our dinghy. I generally use a single line off of a stern cleat and it does quite well. You'll want to play with the length of the painter to get the kayak sitting in the right spot in your wake. Only once, in rolling 2-4 footers, have I had it roll over. With the sit-on-top design, taking on water is not an issue, but upside down it's like a submarine - dive, dive, dive. Felt like someone hit the brakes. We pulled it in, flipped it over and were back on our way. Inherently, the ocean kayaks are built wider and more stable and are less likely to roll. Hope this helps. T J
I tow an Malibu 2 Ocean Kayak, 12' long, almost 3' wide, behind our Hunter 35.5 fairly regularly. We use it as our dinghy. I generally use a single line off of a stern cleat and it does quite well. You'll want to play with the length of the painter to get the kayak sitting in the right spot in your wake. Only once, in rolling 2-4 footers, have I had it roll over. With the sit-on-top design, taking on water is not an issue, but upside down it's like a submarine - dive, dive, dive. Felt like someone hit the brakes. We pulled it in, flipped it over and were back on our way. Inherently, the ocean kayaks are built wider and more stable and are less likely to roll. Hope this helps. T J
But but but ......
... and you will find out from sad experience that once you exceed the hull speed of the kayak and when the kayiak comes surfing down the face of a wave and begins to 'dig-in' on the bow that its 'trajectory' will become extremely unstable, can completly turn over in its attempt to regain hydrodynamic stability, and even become an instant 'sea anchor'. 'Ain't fun'. The hull speed of a 17 ft. kayak is about 5.5kts. Not a problem when its 'planing' but when it momentarily 'digs in' and behaves like a displacmeent hull .... prepare to "strain the towing gear". I 'used' to tow my kayaks .... but no more as its not fun to try to 'reclaim' a flooded kayak in large waves. To prevent the kayak from losing its track and digging-in/tripping, I attach a warp of 'rope' from the stern of the kayak, so that the drag of the kayak towed warp will attempt to 'keep it straight', especially when the kayak begins to get 'squirrely' when towed. Yeah, yeah ... keep the kayak behind a wave and in time with the stern wave of the mother-boat is nicely theoretical ... except when in a confused sea state or when a large wake from another boat overtakes/crosses you. My kayaks are now always on deck, lahsed outside the rail, on the coach roof, or even across the top of the dinghy davits. You will not believe how heavy a kayak gets when its full of water and your are trying and trying to pull/lift it up on deck.
... and you will find out from sad experience that once you exceed the hull speed of the kayak and when the kayiak comes surfing down the face of a wave and begins to 'dig-in' on the bow that its 'trajectory' will become extremely unstable, can completly turn over in its attempt to regain hydrodynamic stability, and even become an instant 'sea anchor'. 'Ain't fun'. The hull speed of a 17 ft. kayak is about 5.5kts. Not a problem when its 'planing' but when it momentarily 'digs in' and behaves like a displacmeent hull .... prepare to "strain the towing gear". I 'used' to tow my kayaks .... but no more as its not fun to try to 'reclaim' a flooded kayak in large waves. To prevent the kayak from losing its track and digging-in/tripping, I attach a warp of 'rope' from the stern of the kayak, so that the drag of the kayak towed warp will attempt to 'keep it straight', especially when the kayak begins to get 'squirrely' when towed. Yeah, yeah ... keep the kayak behind a wave and in time with the stern wave of the mother-boat is nicely theoretical ... except when in a confused sea state or when a large wake from another boat overtakes/crosses you. My kayaks are now always on deck, lahsed outside the rail, on the coach roof, or even across the top of the dinghy davits. You will not believe how heavy a kayak gets when its full of water and your are trying and trying to pull/lift it up on deck.
Kayak , Seals
When you get to Santa Cruz or Monterey bay Be careful of the Seals as they tend to jump onto your Kayaks or sea skiffs, this will give you a real wakeup if not readyfor it. Good sailing AL
When you get to Santa Cruz or Monterey bay Be careful of the Seals as they tend to jump onto your Kayaks or sea skiffs, this will give you a real wakeup if not readyfor it. Good sailing AL
Thanks again, everyone
Thanks to everone that replied, I thought it might be a little different from towing a dingy. Well we leave in the morning so I will try the bridle to the center with a ring around the two and to the nose and see how it works. I will let ya know John Oh we will either be at scorpion or prisoner so if you if you see us we are Prime Interest on 16. Happy sailing!!!!!!!
Thanks to everone that replied, I thought it might be a little different from towing a dingy. Well we leave in the morning so I will try the bridle to the center with a ring around the two and to the nose and see how it works. I will let ya know
John Oh we will either be at scorpion or prisoner so if you if you see us we are Prime Interest on 16. Happy sailing!!!!!!!- Status