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2 kayaks = diving platform ?

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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ragman

Well-Known Member
Jan 26, 2005
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3
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Hello to all,

I am Klaus from Austria and after some years of absence back again to freediving :)

In the warmer season I want to dive on a near Lake and we (me wife and I) will go out on the water with two stillwater-kayaks we own already. They are from gfk and 4.50 Meter long. Both have "airbags" so they will not sink even when they turn around.

My idea was to build some simple diving-platform and do some training on the rope.

Do you have some tips or infos, links or pics? Or am I the first one to try such? I read here about some people who use one kayak but I think with two I can build some relatively stable construction.

I made up some thoughts how to realize but I am not sure which will be the best.

pic1.gif
pic2.gif


First i thought about using the paddles to connect but I am not sure if this will be a good idea (e.g if one breaks).

What do you think about this relative to security, transport, .... ?

Sorry for my english - it's a little bit "rusty".
 
  • Like
Reactions: DeepThought
How about having them closer together and making a metal brace that will fit onto each cockpit and then have the rope from the centre of the brace ?
I dont think the kayaks need to be very far apart.
A weight on the end should keep you from moving - or if you are in a lake with no tides then take out a concrete block with an eye loop and each time you go just swim down with the rope and clip it to the permanent anchor on the bottom.
Making sure that the depth is within your limits ....

Hope that helps - Ed
 
hmm ... for diving only this will be ok but do you think, this will be stable enough to get from the water into the kayaks? These are no sit-on-tops, they are closed and wobbly.

The whole cunstruction should be easy to transport on water, stable enough, to get in/out the water, to rest between the attempts and I also want to try Immersion so it will have to carry sometimes more weight.

The easiest way will be for sure the triangle - but can I put the rope in the middle of the bar or should the rope hang down from the middle of the triangle (which means another bar)? ... or even at the frontends?

I have made a new sketch:

pic3.gif
 
Hi Ragman,

If you have one person, still sitting in one of the kayaks then getting in out of the water should be OK. Needs practice but is a recognised rescue technique, you can even recover both of you from the water. Try looking for X-rescue or sea kayaking/canoeing skills for deep water rescues.

Rather than a triangle shape I suggest the two kayaks are brought close parallel to each other in a 'H' shape with the rope to one side, extend the cross bar of the 'H' so your dive can be seen from the kayak seat. Some deck fittings to allow you to secure the paddles to the decks and a bar to attach the diving rope, tie on with elastic rope to allow some movement. If you are worried about tipping over add a float to the bar like an outrigger canoe.

If you are carrying a weight for the rope check how it affects the kayak - best place is between your knees but can make it hard to get out of the kayak.

Lammy
 
Hi again,

after all (i was surprised, that this thread is already three years old )... two weeks ago, I started freediving again and with much fun.

The plan with the kayaks was never realized (winter here lasts long ...) but also I did not forget it.

I have now another solution ... a boogieboard, towed behind my kayak and carrying also the monofin which has no place inside the kayak (next year I want to buy an open canoe instead of the two kayaks ... will also transport scuba-gear and fishing-gear if needed).

When i get to the diving place, I tie the kayak to a tree and take the boogieboard, attached to a diving-flag-buoy, from wich a rope with a lead-endweight goes down.

Fortunately the favourite lakes around have no big flatwater-areas ... I swim 20 meters far and have 15 meters depth (but it's fu...ing cold down there ... have to see if my scuba-suit is ok for freediving ... my other suits are ... to small :D ), so I can stay in the near of the kayak.

First day on 'Weissensee' I took some pics: Apnoetauchen am Weissensee/Ktn.

Today I went to an smaller local lake and had some dynamic tries with a marked rope in the water ... and i made almost easily a personal best of 80 meters with the monofin :) (no contractions)

It is interesting, that the years of non-freediving took only some tech skills, espacially fin-movement, but not the knowledge how it feels and works :)

This weekend, my wife will be with me and then i will try some static and deep diving.

Greetings from Austria,

Klaus
 
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