Upside down Maiden Viking offshore voyage

[Tagdog]

I took my new Viking out to Bob Hall standpipe on Friday. First off, I love the Viking kayak! There were a couple of nasty sets going out but went thru with no problem. Just before I got to the Standpipe, I stopped to put on a Ribbon Fish. I pulled a dozen out of my fish bag, took one out and turned to put the rest back behind me in my bag. That was it! I was in the water and my beautiful Viking was upside down. Wow! That happened fast! I guess I have been so very use to years of going out in my super stable Wilderness Ride, that I was not being conscience, of not being in it. My Viking is fast, light and maneuverable, but it is not as stable as a Ride. Oh well, I flipped it back over and crawled on board. I pulled my rods up, but oh no, I lost all my bait! That's okay I thought, I'll just use my Sabiki rig and catch some bait, but Oh no again, I lost my reading glasses along with my spare water bottle and Cobia beat down stick. Cannot see a thing without the readers. No way am I going to tie a line. So I'll just cast my Halco. Three cast in and I get a wind knot. I guess the fishing gods are trying to tell me something. I head back to shore.

I practiced out in the bay shifting my weight in a way that that will not happen again. I would like to hear from some comments other Vikings. Have you ever shifted wrong and thought you would tip? I think I was just too use to the extreme stability of my old Ride.

Also, how many people use high end paddles? I have a 130 cm paddle and I am 5' 8" I found myself wanting something a little longer, lighter and with a little flex. Do the high dollar paddles make a difference. Any suggestions as to brand?

[Longliner]

That's funny, I have a ride 13.5 and diddn't think it was all that stable so I bought a PA and it feels very stable. I can only imagine what that viking would be like out there. I'm not the average size kayaker either.
I thought the ride was slow but after paddling the PA around, the ride seems lighting fast.

[Fishtolive]

Every kayak has some good and bad in its design.
I think you need to spend enough paddle times to get familiar in your new kayak before going offshore.
My friend has a Viking but never heard he complains about it.
I believe Prof Salt used to have one I think.
The fast kayak < less stable
My Revo13 felt the same way but I spent enough paddle/pedal time to take full advantage of its positive design and memorized the remedies of its negative design.

[Prof. Salt]

Sorry to hear about the loss of all that gear; most of us have been there and it's not fun.

By working several demo-days events over the years I've had the opportunity to paddle many kayak models, and I believe it all boils down to getting used to each kayak on the water, especially those common fishing movements we make like turning around and moving forward or back to reach gear, and kayak re-entry in deep water. Get to know your boat and spend time going through all those motions on the water. You'll get comfortable with it pretty quickly and that will give you confidence in the kayak and how it will react. I think what Tagdog experienced caught him by surprise because that same movement in his previous kayak was never a problem. I've paddled Reloads almost 2,000 miles and feel very comfortable on them, but I too have managed to fall off a couple of times in similar situations to what was described at the beginning of this post.

If you're going to paddle quite a bit, a high end paddle is always a good idea. They weigh less, make you less fatigued, and allow you to enjoy the time on the water more. I cringed when I had to pay for a Werner Kalliste, but have been smiling ever since!

[Kalait]

Pro. Salt thanks for your advice.

In addition to securing my gear, knowing I will be missing something, I am rethinking how all my gear is secured and stored while on the water. Also, I am trying to get me in better shape while I am saving to get needed gear and travel money.

[rockportkayak]

Anytime you turn to get in the back of a kayak , you shift your center of gravity. That makes it far more likely to tip in any kayak. The Reload is a very stable boat, I stand in mine regularly, due to the hull design. As Prof. Salt stated, you should really go out and practice when ever you change kayaks. There are subtle differences in each make and model. If you love it leash it. Tie down or secure everything you need whether you are BTB or even inshore. I had to help a guy find his glasses and rods in 3 feet of water on the flats. The turtling is not an "if" but a "when". I use an Accent Fit paddle, I think with your height and the width of the Reload, a 230cm is a good length. Flex is something you don't want. It reduce efficiency. You don't have to go ultra $$, there are good paddles in the $200 range.

[LOOKN4REDS]

IT HAPPENS. An old salt gave me a very succinct tip for kayak stability that I adhere to. KEEP YOUR NOSE INSIDE THE COCKPIT AT ALL TIMES. You will be just fine.

[LOOKN4REDS]

IT HAPPENS. An old salt gave me a very succinct tip for kayak stability that I adhere to. KEEP YOUR NOSE INSIDE THE COCKPIT AT ALL TIMES. You will be just fine.

[Kalait]

Any suggestions on how to pack rods and reels while going out through the surf? I can turtle my Ocean Prowler way too easily, rebalancing gear.

[Heatstroke]

I'm about 5'8" and use 230cm and 220cm paddles. While I prefer the length and slightly smaller blades of the 220, the bent shaft of the 230 wins out. You can't go wrong with Werner paddles.

[Heatstroke]

Any suggestions on how to pack rods and reels while going out through the surf? I can turtle my Ocean Prowler way too easily, rebalancing gear.

Going out the rods are in the rod holders sticking up but if it's looking rough coming in, I take my reels off, put them in a dry bag (along with the fish finder) and store them in the tackle pod. The rod tips go under a bungee on the bow of the yak with the handles bungeed down on top of the tackle pod.

[Tagdog]

Thanks for the responses. If all goes right I will get lots of good practice his year in that Viking! Thanks for the paddle advice too. I'll have to go to Roy's and check out how some different ones feel.

[Tagdog]

I've never "Turtled" going out, just coming in. When coming in I use to take off my reels, store them inside and lay my rods down. Sometimes I would use a small drift anchor. It's slow but works awesome! The other day, I came straight in. I got sideways and jumped off. This is another method I have used. Get sideways, jump off and ride the back of the kayak in. Water feels good anyway.

[Ron Mc]

Different boats also like different paddles.
My T160 will take everything a Werner Coryvecken can dish out - it's a high-angle charging paddle, and the largest blade area offered on any kayak paddle.
I have a fairly unstable boat in my 14' Kestrel (26" wide). Stationary, the only way to keep your balance in this fast little boat is using thigh straps. It's a bit puckering with the power of the Coryvecken - hard strokes with it will try to turn the boat, and even affect your balance, while light paddling effort makes this boat move even into wind.
The Kestrel takes much better to my Werner Camano, mid-sized touring paddle - it's as fast as it needs to go, and helps it to track straighter, which is also efficiency.
The Kalliste that Doc likes is the largest touring paddle that Werner makes.
You really can't go wrong with a Werner - their blade design goes in and out of the water more efficiently than any other, which turns effort into distance.
I bought my Camano after I first bought my daughter a Werner Shuna (she charges at everything) - I couldn't keep up with her then using my top-line A/T paddle. Got my edge back with the Werner.

You also don't have to go all carbon - the straight-shaft Werners with fiberglass blades are close-enough to the same weight as bent-shaft all-carbon, and $200 cheaper.

What you gain with bent shaft is always getting your hands in the best position. I duplicate that on my straight-shaft glass-blade Coreyvecken simply by placing yak-grips in the right place.
Of course using gloves, yak grips are too much, so you need to learn correct hand position by rote.