Any opinions on transporting either strip or s&g kayaks during these severe temps? Add 65 mph wind chill, and it almost sounds like a recipe for disaster.
i have been doing rolling classes in the north east so have had to be transporting my boat to the pool and back during some pretty cold temps (below freezing).
a couple thoughts specific to the boats/boat handling without addressing general driving hazards in very cold weather.
- wind, not really an issue in the cold anymore that during the warm weather. its important to properly secure your boat with a good rack, straps and bow and stern safety lines. if the total wind (car speed plus wind) is getting crazy and pushing the car around, you need to slow down or potentially stop and pullover. but again, it not really a temperature related point.
- cold, absolutely make sure the boat is dry. freezing water in the boat can break things/damage the boat. for a dry boat, not really an issue.
- certain car rack systems (those that depend on rubber, foam or anything that is supposed to be soft, can get hard...loose their natural flexibiltiy. so it's important to test the boat is secure prior to getting underway and i also usually pull over after a 15 to 30 minutes at high speed to re-confirm everything is still tight.
- if precipitation is at all expected, make sure to have a cockpit cover or transport your boat upside down. if top side up and gets snowed on, brush off the snow.
those are my top of mind points.....i am sure the community will chime in with their thoughts as well.
RSS
RE: Transporting in zero degrees
» Submitted by hspira - Sat, 1/25/14 » 9:25 AM
david,
i have been doing rolling classes in the north east so have had to be transporting my boat to the pool and back during some pretty cold temps (below freezing).
a couple thoughts specific to the boats/boat handling without addressing general driving hazards in very cold weather.
- wind, not really an issue in the cold anymore that during the warm weather. its important to properly secure your boat with a good rack, straps and bow and stern safety lines. if the total wind (car speed plus wind) is getting crazy and pushing the car around, you need to slow down or potentially stop and pullover. but again, it not really a temperature related point.
- cold, absolutely make sure the boat is dry. freezing water in the boat can break things/damage the boat. for a dry boat, not really an issue.
- certain car rack systems (those that depend on rubber, foam or anything that is supposed to be soft, can get hard...loose their natural flexibiltiy. so it's important to test the boat is secure prior to getting underway and i also usually pull over after a 15 to 30 minutes at high speed to re-confirm everything is still tight.
- if precipitation is at all expected, make sure to have a cockpit cover or transport your boat upside down. if top side up and gets snowed on, brush off the snow.
those are my top of mind points.....i am sure the community will chime in with their thoughts as well.
howard