Kayak for supporting swims

2old4dacold

Perhaps this belongs on the kayaking board, but I am considering getting a kayak so as to be able to take a turn volunteering as safety crew for an odd swim

I don't need to be able to do tricks, play polo, or white-water in it, but I suppose I might paddle a bit in the sea or river at other times if I did invest one

Anybody have any advice in relation to type, cost etc.?

promethius

fair play to you for doing this
things i'd consider would be

stability - you will be moving relatively slow when tracking a swimmer, need something stable at low speeds

comfort - even for a short swim you will be a good while out. if getting a sit on top, highly recommended to get a back support for the seat

storage - you may have to store food/drinks for swimmers plus your own, so some nice webbing or a dry compartment would be good.

a sit on top bic or something along those lines. don't forget a lifejacket/personal floatation device and tie in with some experienced kayakers or a club to get to know the basics.

a sit on top is nice in that you can't get stuck inside if you roll over, they are generally very stable too

okane1

This is something I have also considered. In my experience, most kayaks I see in OW races/events are sit on top with back supports. I reckon these are pretty easy to use as safety cover.

On some off shore swim I swam in, we have "proper" sea kayaks with spray decks and the kayakers knew what they were doing.

You could look at donedeal.ie or adverts.ie for 2nd hand sit on tops. Bear in mind a buoyancy aid, paddle, wetsuit.

Lifeguard Dublin

Hi 2old4dacold

I volunteer with the crew at sthoee lifeguards. (sthoee.com) and have a lot of experience with different types of board

The choice of kayak \ ski is a trade off between speed, manoeuvrability and, to a degree, comfort. There's also conditions to consider, some gear is rubbish in surf some is brilliant.

Rescue tend to lean towards sit on ski as they allow you direct access to a casualty. We primarily use ski patrols, cobra, surf and paddle boards , and ,most recently Rescue SUP.

Your choice will be tempered by what you will be using it with, are you primary rescue or are you supporting boats?, will you be in the swim pack or not?, Are you carrying gear (torp, radio etc)?

If you are stabilising a casualty waiting for a boat its very different to taking them in yourself.

As with most lifeguards i have a strong prefernce for a rescue board, they are fast , light, and a great rescue tool. Tend not to love plastic sit ons.

Have not linked to pictures of different kayaks/ski as dont want to spam (root through the blog on sthoee.com theres loads of pics)

would be happy to hook you up with one of our paddler lifeguard trainers who'll go though kit and let you see the stuff if you want.

Open invite, happy to share

2old4dacold

thanks for advice everyone.

I picked up a second-hand sit-on-top (9' Frenzy) with paddle, back support and buoyancy aid, at a reasonable price.