Towing a kayak
There are various techniques of recovering and towing a kayak in case they capsize. The techniques are not always perfect. In some instances, it might be difficult to empty all the water from the kayak. If that happens, you will have to do that once you get to the shore.
It is important to know how to tow a kayak. It is actually part of the measures to ensure safety in the water. If by some reasons some people cannot paddle back to the show, then towing becomes a necessity to rescue the situation. In some instances, it might be you who cannot paddle back thus be ready to accept a tow. You don’t have to be embarrassed when being towed for various reasons leading to it. You could become injured or just tired and not asking for help put you at risk of capsizing and drowning.
What to do before towing a kayak
One important thing to do before towing another kayak is talking to the individual in it. you should first determine the actual reason they have stopped paddling. After determining the reason, you might be in a position to offer more help beyond just towing. For example, someone might have grown hungry or dehydrated. You can thus provide water or food before towing.
Towing options
There are different options for towing. If you are the only person able to tow the kayak, you can use a towline and tow it. if there are other people who can help, you can either use an inline or a V tow. The V tow is the most appropriate option to take if there are two of you. Both kayaks are attached to the one that needs to be towed in a V pattern. In situations where there are more than two people, you can take the inline tow option. To adopt this system, the kayaks are linked in a straight pattern. All the kayaks except the first one will be towed a little distributing the effort.
How to perform the tow
Once you have identified the reason to tow another kayak, explain to the other party how it is going to work. Get the person to sit upright in a balanced position in their kayak. Pull out the carabiner end of the tow line and clip it to the static deck line of the boat to be towed.
You might, however, need to be creative depending on the set-up of their boat. Paddle forward until the rope has tension. Then start paddling at a steady pace until you get to the show.
Sometimes you can tow a kayak on a tow dolly. For more information on the dolly check out our other article here.
