Make Your Canoe Easier to Rescue
Equip It With Painters, End Loops and Extra Flotation
Adding painter lines, end loops, and extra flotation will make your canoe easier to retrieve in the event of a capsize or spill.
Once you depart unexpectedly from your canoe, it will soon be apparent that grabbing a hold on it in swift water can be difficult at best. Successful self-rescue will depend your ability to handle a loose craft, ensure it remains floating and re-board it. You can accomplish these tasks through the addition of painter lines fore and aft, heavy-duty end loops, and extra floatation. Together with these modifications, at least one canoe in a group should carry a readily accessible throw rope bag. In the interest of safety, paddlers need to have a river knife handy anytime there are boats and lines together in the water.
Painter or End Lines - Painters are short lines attached to each end of the canoe that can serve several purposes. You can use them as tie downs for a car top carrier, a shore tie up line or for towing by another craft. The American Canoe Association (ACA) recommends that lines should be 4.5 meters (15 feet) long, 9.5 millimeters (3/8 inch) in diameter, and made of a floating material like polypropylene. Painter lines should not allowed to dangle free while canoeing were they could entangle a person in the water. Keep the stowed at each end of the canoe. A bungee cord works well to secure them to the tops of the bow and stern, ready to use, but out of the way for normal activities. Be sure the line is securely fastened to the canoe and free of any knots that could hang up on objects in the water or cause entanglement.
End Loops - These 15 centimeter (6 inch) diameter loops of line work best if passed through holes in the top of the bow and stern. Avoid attaching end loops to deck plates or brackets, they aren't strong enough to withstand a hard pull. The line used to make to loop need to be at least 11 millimeters (7/16 inch) in diameter and have a high tensile strength. Loops should be formed to hang just above the water were a swimmer can grab one. Compared to a smooth line, a loop is much easier to grab. You can also attach your painter line to the end loop, providing the additional option of pulling it free of the bungee cord while in the water.
Extra Flotation - Several manufacturers have foam and inflatable flotation devices that fit into the bow and stern sections of the canoe. There are even larger floats that can be placed in the center of the canoe. Flotation needs to be securely fastened to the canoe and inflated for it to be effective. Adding extra flotation reduces the chance of swamping or capsize, and reduces the amount of water a canoe can take on after a spill. A well secured dry bag can provide some flotation value.
These are just a few ideas for making your canoe easier to rescue in a spill. Making the canoe easier to retrieve makes it easier to get you out of the water as well. Watch and learn how other paddlers rig their craft. Take swiftwater rescue or river safety clinic to learn more about water rescue techniques.
