AS I lifted onto the deck, the paddle shaft snapped. I was practicing in warm water. The would be successful re entry would be my first with new diver's belt riggging aft coaming.

Material on re entry lacks information on destructive forces generated at deck and now shaft.

First attempts saw destrcutive force at the deck on shock cords and paddle blade. Now, with diver's belt holding force on deck, we're SHAFTED !

?

They all do it ?

I've been teaching this for years and have done it myself in rough conditions without ever breaking a paddle shaft. My 1st guess, sight unseen, is that you're climbing on the paddle. there is no point in this maneuver that you should have all of your weight on the shaft of the paddle, it goes on the deck of the kayak.

I also discourage the systems that attach it to your boat, this almost guarantees ripping hardware out of it. Hold the paddle to the coaming with the hand that is closest to your coaming when you are aft, with the paddle shaft between yo u and the coaming

I had all my weight on the shaft, ankle and left hand with right hand on coaming. When I rose to lay atop the deck, shaft snapped in middle where the shaft is plastic not aluminum.

I use USK videos. I watched BRACES before the water session but re entry info is on CAPSIZE RECOVERIES/\. H sez do not place pressure on shaft.

Diver's belt rigging from Seattle Fabrics appears solid in the Solstice layup with #10 screws, nylocks.

Aquabound's paddle has a plastic joining insert for the two shaft halves. Looks repairable with a dowel.

So, in previous posts, you say that you paddled around in the SJIs and now your saying that you did it without proficiency in this technique? That is, to say the least, concerning as this is the LAST DITCH method for solo reentry.

The reason that I advocate not fixing the paddle to your boat using straps or rigging is that if the water is lumpy it can damage your boat or paddle. Try holding it to the aft part of the coaming with your hand that is closest to the coaming. You should be positioned aft of the coaming with your paddle between you and the coaming. Extend the paddle out as far as you can and swim onto the back deck of your boat and then place an ankle onto the shaft. most, if not all, of your weight should be on the boat. As you rotate around always keep contact with the shft of the paddle and keep your eyes glued to the paddle float, the idea being that you'll lean where you look, thereby preventing the yellow rainbow (leaning way from the float causing the paddle float to arc over your head as you capsize again).

Valuable instruction description.

If the deck cracks, we can repair. Yet learning takes place in calm water first with aids not necessary when the movements become fluid and successful.

I have full equipment, dry suit/ACR/VHF/CELL and a Coast Guard sticker for this AND a BackUp suggested by friends Yoder and Horodowich. I'm seaworthy but not technically proficient.

25 years in Florida changed my temperature responses from comfortably coated in ice from spring white water. I'm here practicing in warm water for a Keys to Mississippi tour looking for conversational dolphin. Unlike SJI, the area is not kayaked but is covered by the Coast Guard.

Approaching SJI water WITH equipment was psychologically daunting.

Mark, if you're here which re entry is best in 2-3 chop ? Paddle float or submerged with paddle float roll ? I practiced submerged but in quiet water. The Back Up balloon works ( cross your what, right ? ) providing wide entertainment for shore barnacles who inevitably call THE RANGER.

The Aquabound was bought FOR the aluminum shaft as a practice/spare paddle.

There's a dowel on the bench. I'll test that joint with a full shaft paddle float re entry, again as with the first try on the diver's belt rig, I had considerable altitude for a deck landing.

So high a video may be in order where I miss the deck n go back in on the south side.

I'll check the deck before and after. Maybe a reinforcement is required. Your suggestion, correct ?

To reiterate; the paddlefloat reentry is a last ditch option, not the first.

While I've practiced the paddlefloat reentry in rough water with big chop, it's dicey, but should be able to be executed in less than a minute once the paddlefloat is inflated and fixed to the blade. You can do it in sizeable chop but it does have it's limitations and I recommend practicing this in the biggest conditions that you expect to paddle in...with assistance available in the form of another paddler who is practiced in assisted rescues.

As far as the order of reentries when solo - in my mind, at least; roll, reenter and roll, cowboy or paddlefloat reenter and roll, paddlfloat without stirrup, paddlefloat with a stirrup. The stirrup will lash the paddle around the boat and provide a stirrup to get you up onto the boat but will also require some practice before you really need it.

The key, as with anything, is good practice. Also, practice doing it without using rigging to fix the blade to the boat.

Love the rigging ! from Seattle Fabrics with cam buckle. The AquaBound blade curves onto the rear deck curve.

There's a thread at Kayakforums.com: paddle shaft strength.

The wrong method I sprang into tried again with a dowel Gflexed into a center joint on the broken AquaBound. Jumped in, turned around onto seat/pedals 2nd try.

With a higher grade aluminum shaft at AB's thickness AND a solid center joint, my safety spare concept moves forward BUT ! how to fabricate a solid center joint ? without Gflex. What percentage of success here is from the glue bound ?

Produced coordinated flowing paddlefloat snap rolls first time...its the water ! 75 degrees.

Useful list. Suggest a training exercise schedule ? As: start with ass over tea kettle reentry, somersault re entry, cowboy under Golden Gate in chop re entry...

then advance to Greenland No Hands Roll....

and those MSR bags are immovable thru the practices.

EUREKA ! take the paddle shaft(s) over to MACHINE SHOP. Ask how much for 2 aluminum tubes 0f say 5" to SLIP fit into CF or Al shafts already attached to your blades. If you have the $$, bring your mail order hardwood dowel for an ID 5" fit.

Chop a hole into dowel for the stock spring/button latch. Gflex and screw into dowel. Epox the dowel end grains, prophylactic bothe dowel ends, Gflex ID 5" tube and dowel then fit together