Paddling Safety | Cape Falcon Kayak

On YouTube: Skin on frame outrigger self-rescue

March 2024July 2024Leave a comment

Here’s the skin on frame outrigger self rescue video that we just put up on YouTube. (Watch to the end for bonus footage of our campsite getting attacked by cows!) ___This post was originally featured on our Instagram feed.See the original post and discussion here. Follow Cape Falcon Kayak on Instagram »...

Video: Self-rescue practice in the pedal drive solo canoe

October 2023July 2024Leave a comment

I still don’t understand if it’s really possible to self rescue a solo canoe? Here I’m doing some self rescue practice with the smaller of the two pedal drive prototypes. It’s not really much different than doing the same thing without the pedal drive, although it is a little more dicey because it’s hard...

Thinking about spine safety

July 2023July 2023Leave a comment

I spent the last 48 hours flat on my back as part of a medical test to try to figure out exactly what’s wrong with my back, which has me thinking a lot about spine safety. To be clear my back injury doesn’t have anything to do with my time as a paddler, but...

Video: Solo canoe self rescue with paddle float

June 2023July 2023Leave a comment

Here’s a variation on the solo canoe self rescue, this time with a paddle float. I have to be honest that whether it’s a sea kayak or canoe I find the paddle float to be much less effective than just using the paddle without it. Without the float the paddle stays buried in the...

Video: Self-rescue tests with the pedal drive canoe

June 2023July 2024Leave a comment

When I was developing our pack canoes I really wanted them to be self rescue-able in the same way as a kayak so I incorporated self rescue loops that would later become the foundation for our catamaran system. This technique is dependent on the right kind of flotation, a kayak paddle, a canoe there...

Video: Self rescue in the F1

October 2021July 2023Leave a comment

I want to take a quick break from the Greenland kayak to put up this self rescue video for a couple customers who just picked up brand new F1’s (hey Nick and David!). I’ll start with the caveat that I’m not a big fan of any kayak rescue, because people vastly overestimate their reliability...

Video: Developing a reflexive brace

September 2021September 2022Leave a comment

No skill will take you farther faster in kayaking than developing a reflexive brace. It’s not just about preventing capsize, it creates comfort at the balance point which is essential for getting the most out of your maneuvering strokes AND dissolving the fear-induced muscle tension that CAUSES most accidental capsizes in the first place....

Video: A couple more solo canoe self rescue clips

June 2021September 2022Leave a comment

Here’s a couple more solo Canoe self rescue clips. Both of these are the same rescue from different vantages. Just like last time I also did the same rescue with a 40 pound camping gear load, with similar results. This is my second time trying this and things are getting a little bit smoother....

Video: Capsize + self rescue testing in the solo canoe

June 2021September 2022Leave a comment

AFTER my short run on the river I decided that it was probably a good idea to get some sense of what would happen if I accidentally capsized. If you turn the sound on you can hear me taking a moment to speak with the Lord during my first attempt here. Honestly, the number...

My latest cockpit arrangement for the new canoes

October 2018September 2022Leave a comment

Pictured above is my latest cockpit arrangement for the new canoes. 4 inch diameter pool noodles lashed to either side makes this canoe self dumping when turned on its side in a rescue scenario. The Thermarest RidgeRest pad becomes a $20 seat that can be folded or moved in lots of different configurations but...

On YouTube: Adding perimeter lines to a skin-on-frame kayak

August 2018September 2022Leave a comment

New video on the YouTube channel: adding perimeter lines to a skin-on-frame kayak. Perimeter lines can mean the difference between losing your kayak or not in a windy rescue situation....