Know Your Neighbours: Attention All Yachties

June-July 2004

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
To download a pdf copy of the magazine click here: > DOWNLOAD

by Bryan Nichols

Attention all yachties—you might have noticed there are more and more kayaks appearing on the decks of bigger boats. From modest cruisers to megayachts, from sleek sailboats to boxy houseboats, mariners are discovering the advantages of having a kayak or two along with them.

Why bring a kayak? What’s wrong with your dinghy? If you’ve done much kayaking you already know the answer, but if not, I’ll be happy to enlighten you.

BEYOND OIL & OARS

First of all, traveling by internal combustion engine, even little outboards, is nothing like paddling. You might use your dinghy to transport yourself to shore and back, but you’ll use a kayak for the sheer joy of exploring—and if you do it more than occasionally, you’ll tone your upper body in the process.

While there might be some interesting correlations between level of fitness and engine size, you don’t have to be lean and mean to paddle a kayak. You don’t have to be highly skilled, either. For the purposes of roaming about in calm anchorages, kayaks are easy to learn and more efficient than canoes. They’re also more fun than rowing—it’s nice to see where you’re going and to slip through narrow gaps.

Better still, kayaks don’t leave exhaust fumes, gas leaks, propeller scars and oil slicks in pristine places. You don’t have to yank their chains or tweak their plugs to get them moving on cold mornings. You curse at them less. Really, everybody wins.

BUT...

But not all kayaks are good for mothershipping. Many are just awful in fact—you have to know what to look for. Kayaks come in a wide range of sizes,designs, materials and prices, but if you’re thinking of mothershipping there are four characteristics that are especially important.

Length

Needless to say, a six meter touring kayak just won’t fit on smaller yachts, and will be awkward on larger ones. Recreational kayaks, which can be half that length, are a more appropriate choice. They have to fit somewhere on your deck after all, and the easier they are to launch and retrieve, the more you’ll use them.

Stability

A speedy, narrow kayak is great fun but not ideal for mothershipping. You’ll be wanting to get in and out of it a lot, especially if you’re using it like a dinghy. Your boat’s freeboard might make that awkward, so you’re going to want a kayak that has a lot of primary stability. This doesn’t mean longer—it means wider. Believe me, the sacrifice of speed will be worth it.

Cockpit

Some paddlers like small cockpits—they’re quicker to pump out and spray skirts work better. For mothershipping though, a large cockpit will make things a lot easier. Wider and longer are great, especially if you’re stepping down into it from a ladder or climbing up onto a dock or float.

Seaworthiness

I add this one because unfortunately many of the short, wide, stable kayaks with large cockpits that seem ideal for mothershipping are decidedly not ideal for any real kayaking—they simply aren’t seaworthy. I don’t think it’s wise to paddle them under any conditions, but certainly if you’re hoping to do a little ‘out of the bay’ exploring with your kayak, you’ll want to get a boat that won’t sink underneath you if it gets choppy. Some require airbags to be seaworthy, but the bags are offered as options. So be sure to discuss seaworthiness with your kayak dealer.

On a related note, if you’re going to venture out of the bays you’ll want to learn some skills as well. Good sea kayaks can be very seaworthy, but only if they’re properly equipped and skillfully paddled. If you find yourself yearning to explore farther, look into lessons.

GOODBYE DINGHY

On a smaller boat, you might be able to replace your dinghy entirely with a kayak or two. I use a small but wide kayak on my 8 meter sailboat—I’ve never even owned a dinghy. Getting to shore with two people is tricky but do-able, one of the reasons I try to sail with petite women. Other boaters bring along two small kayaks to replace their dinghy. Of course, larger boats have room for both.

If you’re considering buying one, this month’s checklist will give you a dozen things to try with your mothership kayak. If you’ve got one already, make sure you’ve gone through the list! The first five are skills that will let you know you’ve got the right kayak for the job. The last seven will give you a taste of how great it is to have a kayak along with you.

Checklist 37 - 12 Things To Do With Your Mothership Kayak

THE ESSENTIALS

Start on shore—or the floor - Is it easy to get in and out? Now go to the beach for a tryout. How stable does it feel when you enter in knee deep water? Compare it to another kayak. Paddle over to a floating dock. That’s more challenging still—you may need the help of a ladder to get out. All these ins and outs are a great way to test the stability and cockpit size of a variety of kayaks.
Store it on deck - Or on top of your wheelhouse. Or alongside the rails. Find somewhere it’s least in the way but still reasonably accessible. Make sure the kayak you want will fit the boat you have—it’ll seem a lot bigger when you try to squeeze it between stuff on deck.
Into the water—back on the boat - Now it’s on your boat, take it off. Can you launch over the side? Do you need to wrestle it to the stern? Always launch with a bow line firmly in hand so it doesn’t get away—then you can probably walk it around to the swim grid or ladder. Haul it aboard. Does your back protest? Does it crash against precious trim? There are ways to make the process easier, including simple practice, but now’s when you might find you’d prefer a smaller, lighter kayak.
Climb in and out - How easy this is depends on your kayak, your balance and your big boat. Low swim grids and ladders make it a snap—high freeboard sailboats can be decidedly more interesting. With care I can stand in my little kayak, so getting in and out isn’t too difficult, if I’m wide awake and sober. I wear a PFD every time and tie the kayak to the boat before I step in or out—having it shoot away from underneath me would be chilly, embarrassing and potentially expensive.
Use it to ‘stern tie’ - Once you think you’re good, you might even find yourself using the kayak to stern tie. As you approach, ready the lines and the kayak on deck, then drop the anchor and idle back in reverse. When you pull tight, launch the kayak with the boat still in reverse, paddle smoothly to shore with your line paying out of a bag in your lap, hop out onto the rocks or beach, tie off and return. How ‘bout that? You and your pair of vessels are all working together smoothly.

THE FUN PART

Socialize - Dinghies are utilitarian to most boaters—they don’t inspire much conversation. But kayaks come in so many makes, models and colors, you might find yourself wandering through anchorages, chatting with other boaters about the pros and cons of paddling your particular little boat.
Scout an anchorage - Ever wonder about that bay around the corner from your familiar anchorage? The one that looked too rocky or narrow to check out with your big boat? Well, kayaks are perfect for scouting those anchorages. Go in at low tide and you’ll likely see every rock your big boat needs to avoid. If the weather’s right and you have amenable crew, you can even do a “wet launch” of your kayak to scout an anchorage, having someone else hold off in the mothership until you’ve sussed out the area.
Gather oysters - If you time the tides right, oysters will be right beside you in a kayak—what could be easier? With a valid license and awareness of ‘red tide’, you can paddle to rocky islands in cleaner water outside of the anchorage and nab some appetizers.
Take photographs - If you’re not used to the low perspective a kayak affords, you’ll be surprised by the photos you take from your kayak. The scenery, including your own boat, will look bigger. The wildlife will let you get a bit closer, and all that colorful intertidal life will be right below.
Explore a lagoon - Lagoons can be fascinating—small bays mostly cut off by narrow rock entrances or shallow bars. Often the tides make for small (or large) rapids going in and out. Either way, you don’t see big boats in them. Naturally you’ll want to explore those lagoons in your kayak—many open up to become surprisingly large, with beautiful steep walls and few signs of people. They’re perfect for exploring with a kayak, as long as you know what the tides are doing.
Explore an estuary - With a careful look at a tide chart, those shallow, muddy estuaries can become new territory to explore as well. Ride in with a rising tide and you’ll find abundant wildlife—salmon, bears, birds—estuaries are remarkably productive. Also meandering channels and often rotting bits of history. Be sure to drift back out before the tide falls and leaves you stranded on a mud bank.
Circumnavigate an island - A favorite habit of mine, while the sailboat is at anchor, is to paddle out of the bay and circumnavigate an island or two. It’s a great way to explore the coast and see wildlife, and if you’re like me you’ll also appreciate getting away from noisy anchorages—it’s great to be out on the water in such a quiet, simple boat.