The Cowboy Scramble Kayak Self Rescue

Brinestorm presents The Cowboy Scramble.
"The Fastest Kayak Self-Recovery In The West"
The good, the bad, and the ugly.
Shoot/edit/post - Nathan Moody
Additional footage - Morris Ho
Cowgirl - Krista Fechner
Brinestomr.com
@brinestorm

[@blipperUT]

Seeing the mistakes -- which most of us can remember making -- is even more helpful than seeing the right way.

[@BiLatKnee]

Purposely blowing all those rescues = hard work!! I bet she slept like a baby that night. Great job!!

[@HEKOT77]

To know, how To DO is just 20% of success. The other 80% is know how NOT to do. Great video! Thank you!

[@MsDefenestration]

Another tip to add to the "how to screw it up" section...having too much crap on your rear deck! Makes sliding forward much harder.

[@nektariosvasilopoulos3841]

Just realised my mistake(s). Great video. Thanks.

[@TheRealGrandadNo1]

Great video, especially the easy mistakes that can be made, but I would like to see that self recovery done in the sea with a few waves to cope with!

[@joethi4981]

Exactly, in winds and waves and cold - very different.

[@midclasdude]

Good job on the video! I especially liked the troubleshooting section.

[@GITMachine]

Thumbs up for the eyeroll :) Great video thanks for posting.

[@user-hg3zl6bx7p]

Very good video and many helpful tips for me (how not to try it 😂). Many thanks!

[@bluesharmonicateacher]

Thanks for putting this together

[@jchambers1191]

Very well explained - great job! Thank you!

[@ScottWConvid19]

A very useful and practical physics lesson, thanks for making this video👍👍👍

[@mattevans5812]

I've practiced this trick a few times because I had to demonstrate it for kayak guide certification. Challenging enough in a pool I would call it impossible in water turbulent enough to capsize you to begin with. Rolling is much easier and it's quick but can be hard to learn and not many can say they've mastered rolling to the point it works in rough water even 50% of the time. Even after learning to roll and getting kayak guide certification I paddle a surf ski unless I'm going to fill my "winnebago" up with camping gear. A surf ski is a fast, open cockpit kayak. After significant use of both I believe surf ski's are safer because the cockpits hold less water and they self bail the water out and are quick and easy to reboard in addition to handling rough water better than a sea kayak that isn't loaded with supplies like it was designed to be. Being able to paddle faster away from danger is another plus.

[@francoisherrault2277]

It is of course possible to master rolling so that you go up again 99% of the time with a sea kayak. No problem at all, even in waves of 2 meters. Surf ski are not an option for me because ... it is not possible to roll with them, and rolling is a great feeling. Also, with a sea kayak, you use your knees and heap and manage your kayak in a much sexier way than a surf ski, using a rodder. Edging the kayak, using low braces and high brace is what makes sea kayaking so awesome. But surf skis are quicker, of course

[@kristafechner6451]

After mastering this technique on flat water, it's important to practice it in progressively rougher conditions (it helps if you live in an area where wind waves build up, or where there's a tidal race with turbulent water). Appropriately, it's kinda like riding a bucking bronco! It's not impossible if you practice, but it takes good balance and flexibility, and the type of kayak can make a difference.

[@charleschandler6669]

Excellent video!

[@kopteechuronline447]

What kind of PFD is that? It looks like a great fit and doesn't seem to ride up.

[@charles-mr4oz]

I had my first unscheduled swim in four years last week. I used to be quite proficient at the cowboy scramble but I hadn't practiced for a year and made some of the mistakes highlighted hereand failed to re-enter until my mate helped me do a very messy heel hook. More practice needed.

[@Retread268]

Old vid, but figured I would comment anyway. Great vid. I look like the last half of the video. I can’t cowboy rescue. At 240 lbs 6ft 1. 30 lbs overweight, I just fit in the key hole for a valley argonaut. There is no bending your legs and sliding them in. Best case I have to come in leg in from the side. In conditions it’s hell. Have to improve my roll cuz I don’t want to battle getting back in when solo.

[@RealDocJames]

At 6'4", 250 I can relate. There's a reason I've been avoiding snug fit cockpit, proper sea kayaks all these years.

[@wangy01]

This is so cool! No need for a float bag.

[@DaFireman33]

Thank you...very informative

[@sunseekerhenry]

If a kayak has high back deck like my Delta 17, it would be very hard to do Cowboy rescue. Paddle float rescue is much easier and more stable in choppy water, though a little slower as you have to inflate and tie the float to your paddle, but other than that, it's a much more stable method for high volume kayaks. Of course, a roll or re-entry roll is always better/faster rescue, and fun as well.

[@garciedarling]

Hi Henry, I have a Delta 12-10 as does my boyfriend. I am unable to do the cowboy scramble bc of the high rear deck, however my bf c(former gymnast), can do this with no problems and spin 360's on the back deck without tipping. We are both learning to roll, another challenge in the Delta as the cockpit is so large..we added foam to brace our thighs,, seems some better..ultimately need better fitting actual sea kayaks..happy paddling

[@Chris-vw3yc]

I find my biggest problem with this is getting my skirt out from under my bum when I sit down. I usually end of sitting on my rear part of my spray skirt and I have a really hard time sliding it out from under me and my seat. Any solutions to this? I try to pull it up before I plop down but its a pain the arse still to remember that.

[@owlstead]

I don't think so. However, the most important is to get fully into your seat and you may need to get the water out of your cockpit anyway using a pump. The front of your skirt can be clicked onto your vest (using your tow line hook, for instance) but the back is a bit more tricky as you can usually not tie it down anywhere. This is not a trick you want to do in overly rough water anyway - too unstable. First swim away to open water or let somebody rescue you. Or you could even do a re-entry using a roll if you're really confident in your skills.

[@DOCWHOK9]

Add a small hook to your skirt's front pull-ring. Hook your skirt up high on your PFD before re-entry. This also tends to pull the skirt ring at your back, upwards for a no seat catch entry.

[@Rocstoneau]

Great video

[@sharpuslf]

I prefer the method of side entry with a paddle and paddle float....except I don't use a paddle or a float.

[@johnymingle]

Great in a swimming pool, but in a choppy sea its different and that's when you're likely to exit your boat.

[@kristafechner6451]

As I said in a response above, after mastering this technique on flat water, it's important to practice it in progressively rougher conditions (it helps if you live in an area where wind waves build up, or where there's a tidal race with turbulent water). Appropriately, it's kinda like riding a bucking bronco! It's not impossible if you practice, but it takes good balance and flexibility, and the type of kayak can make a difference.

[@sharpuslf]

HAHA No one every shows the wrong way....thanks!

[@H2Octayo]

Use the paddle as a support in the water instead of adding weight to what you are lifting.

[@SilverShadow2LWB]

excellent video. Wouldn't it be easier to float to the edge of the pool and climb up the pool ladder? What she is doing to that kayak looks obscene. It would help if she trimmed down a little. If all else fails, get a sit on top kayak. Thanks.

[@kristafechner6451]

We recorded this video at a pool to show what's going on above and below the water, to help people learn the technique. Although it's helpful to know how to scramble when you are at a pool for rolling practice, the whole point of this is to be able to do it in conditions where you might capsize when paddling in open water such as a bay or on the ocean. As for a sit-on-top kayak, no thanks! They are slow and get blown around too much by the wind. And you generally can't roll them, which is the best thing about a sea kayak!

[@19irving]

Silver--doesn't sound like you've encountered too any white caps from the cockpit of a self-propelled, 20-something inch wide kayak in 40-degree water. You want to get back in as quickly as possible to avoid freezing.

[@nickyl9040]

Wouldn't it make more sense NOT to empty the cockpit to make getting back into it easier..? When you return to your flooded cockpit you will of course displace most of the water that was in it

[@kristafechner6451]

It's usually best to get as much water out of the cockpit as possible. Many kayaks are less stable with water sloshing around in the cockpit, especially if you're in the type of rough conditions that caused you to capsize in the first place. When I teach the scramble to others, after a student masters scrambling onto a dry boat, I progress to having water in the cockpit. Having said that, it can be exhausting to drain the cockpit by lifting the bow, especially if you attempt it multiple times, and it can even be risky in rough water. It's important to leave yourself enough energy to scramble back in. You can do the quick flip at the cockpit, but you'll likely end up with more water to pump out once you're back in your seat. But not as much as you'd have with after doing a re-enter and roll recovery.

[@martin.feuchtwanger]

1. Flooded kayaks are less stable than empty ones. 2. Sitting in a flooded cockpit will never displace any water.

[@yakinsea]

Not necessarily, the fastest ocean kayaks in the world are SOT's...surfskis. My main ride these days is a 19 ft X 21 in kayak that has been released with a surfski style deck option. I took this on 350 mile Northern BC trip (outside passage) with a solid month's supply of food, a two person tent, hammock for beach challenged landings, and two tarps...no deck load! It took two weeks. Did 50 miles one day. Definitely not a slow boat. Super easy to remount, even in surf. And it has a venturi valve to suck the water out that invariably builds up around the legs.

[@Expandacraftboats]

Get an Expandacraft and you will never have this problem in the first place