Category: Safety Tips

Whether you are embarking on your first canoe or kayak outing or are an experienced boater, please read through the following safety tips on how to handle a rental boat. Amid the excitement and pleasure of getting out for a paddle it can be easy to forget that a canoe, kayak or paddleboard can be the cause of serious injury or death in and out of the water. Taking the time to consider these precautions and share your knowledge with others has the potential to save lives.

Transport Your Canoe the Right Way

Strong forces are created when transporting an 18-foot canoe at 100 km/h. Next time you’re on the highway, stick your arm out the window and then imagine it is 18 feet long – you’ll get a sense of what we are talking about, unless, of course, yours was an inflatable canoe. Therefore, Always tie the ends of the canoe tightly to all four corners of the car. Also, note that the support you require comes from diagonal ropes – straight down ropes don’t offer even a slight amount of side support in a crosswind.

It is essential that you have two strap that passes completely inside the vehicle and out over the boat – (or a good quality roof rack. The roof racks they put on some minivans and cars were never intended to haul canoes travelling at 100km/h into a 30km headwind. It’s always good to have two straps pass through the interior of the car as well.

Bring the Safety Gears

Be sure to try everything so you know how to use it all. Some of these items are simple to use, others are a little more complicated:

• PFD: Your personal flotation device should fit snugly and always be on—and there’s never a kayak outing where you can forgo the PFD.
• Whistle: Attach it to your PFD. One blast is for attention; three blasts is “help.” If you forget how many, just keep blasting away until a rescuer arrives.
• Communication Device: If you’ll ever be out of whistle range of someone on shore, you need another way to call for help. If cell coverage is stellar everywhere, you can bring a cellphone in a waterproof case. Otherwise, you need a VHF radio.
• Bilge Pump: Handy when your bottom side is in a puddle; vital if you capsize and have a boatful of H20 to purge.
• Spare Paddle: One per paddler is best, though a group can also share one or two spares.
• Paddle Float: This self-rescue gear requires training to use. (If the group’s rescuer can’t help you, you’ll have to rescue yourself.)
• Towline: in case someone can’t get to shore on their own.
• Headlamp: in case you’re out longer than you anticipated.

Don’t Go Alone, Or at least Notify a Friend/Relative

You can go it alone if you’re an experienced kayaker, but you’ll still be decreasing your margin for error if you take along a friend. A buddy rescue is faster than a self-rescue and there’s no such thing as a self tow if you’re hurt. Besides, it’s more fun to share the adventure.

Keep Your Group Close: It’s not helpful to have buddies if the group stretches out into a series of solo paddlers. Everyone should be within earshot (or a whistle blast) of another paddler at all times.…