i just hit me like a ton of bricks. i need a small auto life raft for long bay trips, so just incase you go down and cant get back up. Pop it out of your backpack and pull the chord...you saved.

the only ones i can find are like 1500 bucks, any one know of better deals???

you can get one of the inflatable life jackets that inflate with CO2. I have seen a couple of people use them and they work great. when not deployed they are pretty small and look more comfortable than a larger life jacket. I personally would wear a regular wake board style or impact vest. Maybe I misunderstood what you are talking about though

i want a raft for crossing our bay here in galveston texas its only a few miles wide so if i did go down and couldnt get back up because of popped kite or broken line ect...

i could just hop in my raft instead of bobbin around as oversized shark bait. hahaa and jelly fish target.

i could carry it in a backback. i think i know what im going to do. Academy sells those red 2 person rafts for like 25 bucks. So all i need to find is a C02 inflator for a regular valve. same size valve as an LEI valve.

self inflate rafts are usually pretty hefty. They are all made to safety codes, otherwise their consumer market plummets. So the price of testing, certification, materials possible etc are all pretty nasty. I would think a good safety jacket would be great, but if your really looking to make it happen, take a look at small 8oz co2 canisters for paintball guns. Maybe you could find a way to patch an assembly like that into a pool raft:puzzled:

exactly fly boy im searching all over the net for one. i think im going to have to rig up a valve for one my self but do you think a large canister would do it?


http://www.amazon.com/Intex-58329EP-Exlporer-100-Boat/dp/B00...

i found a raft, its not a super duty one just one that will float for a few hours.

all i need to do is figure out how much volume of air will come out of a large paintball co2 canister. like a 20oz canister

So I was looking at a website of a guy who posted here and when you mentioned the valve and CO2 I thought of it. brplatz is the guy and he just posted something about a harness. You should maybe ask him as he seems to have some experience with compressed air and valves. Good luck

alright i did the math. you might want to double check though.

1 pound of c02 will make about 8.75 cubic feet of gas expansion. so a 16 oz tank, i cant remember if there is such a thing, would give you 8.75 feet cubed of fill power. However that would be to outside atmospheric pressure, not to internal raft pressure, so knock off a little (i would guess less than a cubic foot) to pressurize the raft. If you could figure out exactly how much air it takes to fill that raft, we would be golden

O and 20 oz tanks as well as many others have an option for a valve right in the threads and nipple of the bottle. Just need a female threaded connector, a few inches of braided gas line or something, and a way to get it to fit on the mouth inflator of the raft...

I started reading this thread thinking it was a joke, but I guess you're serious? If so, what you're talking about sounds like a US Navy Pilot's ditch life raft. It's self inflating and just big enough for one person to sit in and float. But even pilots don't strap these to their bodies, they wear self inflating lifejackets. West Marine sells a bunch of different styles. The problem with self inflating life jackets (and life rafts) are that they are not designed for continuous immersion in salt water. Salt spray, yes but require continuous rinsing, cleaning and testing, but not continuous full immersion. After a couple weeks / months the inflation mechanism will corrode to the point of failure and you'll be back to treading water with an anchor strapped to your back. I'm not just a kitesurfer, but also a licensed, professional mariner with decades of experience in this area. Trust me, this may sound like a good idea, but it isn't.

Get a good neoprene covered PFD that fits you well and don't kite any further from land than you're prepared to swim. Shark attacks are rare. If you are miles from the coast, you're not wearing a PFD and have a heavy liferaft strapped to your back that won't inflate you have bigger issues at hand than sharks.

If your crossing the bay would be easier to have a friend follow you in boat. Or just dont go that far out when your alone.

Two questions!
Where are you going to keep the paddle?
Have you ever tried to paddle a raft upwind?
:dunno::dunno::dunno::dunno::dunno:

Quote:

Originally posted by snobdr If your crossing the bay would be easier to have a friend follow you in boat...

Best idea yet, imo.
There were a bunch of guys here in DC that talked about doing an event crossing the Chesapeake bay near the Bay Bridge where highway 50 crosses. They had organized at least two different people to come out and follow folks just in case something went wrong. They also required that everyone wear a life jacket of some kind. It didnt end up happening because of scheduling conflicts, but sounded like a good idea at the time.

no paddle just the little boat and co2 for inflation. just somthing to keep my out of the water instead of bobbin around galveston bay in a life jacket. i would still wear my life jacket just take off my back pack and insert end of cannister into boat valve and inflate

i would allow me to wrap up my lines grap my kite and wait for help to come , heck i could even use the kite to cach some wind back to shore.

Quote:

... and wait for help to come

Sorry to be so blunt, but you're being reckless and irresponsible. You are putting yourself in danger and expecting other people to pay the price of rescuing your a** when the sh*t hits the fan. If anything does go wrong, your escapade will likely make the newspapers and the kiting community in general will also pay a price for your recklessness.

Sorry bud, but you're thinking in the wrong direction. Be responsible for your own actions, be an adult or pick up a different sport.

Quote:

just somthing to keep my out of the water instead of bobbin around galveston bay in a life jacket

If you dont want to be in the water you probably shouldnt be kiteboarding.

Quote:

wrap up my lines grap my kite heck i could even use the kite to cach some wind back to shore.

Ah yea, its called self rescue, something you should already be proficient at.

Sounds like you could be dangerous. You might want to do yourself a favor and rethink what you are doing.

Quote:

Originally posted by Houston AirHead it just hit me like a ton of bricks.

Sounds like your going to cause problems for the crew down there! I am going to forward this to Phil at the xl. Maybe he can knock some more sense into you than those bricks. Plus you are going to get into some nasty danger kiting in the pass by the bridge. Just look up how many drown there each yr! The most deadly spot on the entire Texas coast! Good luck!..........aj

dang its like then huh. yeah action we try and stay away from the bridge area. yeah i dont really like getting into the water here on the texas coast in he first place but the pass was where i had my first real good session. we kite on the north bay side. the current isnt to bad your kite keeps you stabalized when you do go down.

lol i guess waiting for help to come isnt cool lol i didnt really stop and think but yeah wasnt really planning on waiting.
thats the good thing about landboarding, you dont have to worry about the hazard of water

just understand this, i wasnt implying that i was planning on messing up on purpose or anything, just brainstorming emergency options. thats all. nothing to get anyones panties all twisted up over bigkahunkook jaboona jook doodle bird banana ram jam ba damn damn damn .

phil just sold a friend of mine a 20 meter c kite for 50 bucks
lol

Hey guys,

Thanks for mentioning my name, and I am all for homemade stuff. Just make sure its foolproof before you put yourself on it.

One thing about CO2 is its temperature when compressed, which it is quite cold. HPA might be better, but field tests would be needed.

Let Me know if i can help with pressure related stuff. Oh and check out the website haha.

Thanks,
Brian

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6682412.htm... see what happens!...............aj

if its only a few miles . i confused . the wait for help is a little unsettling.

its your junk, its YOUR LIFE. you need to be ready to save it. and shouldn't be doing it if you can't.

haul a life raft , u gotta be kidding. that alone would be a hindrance a vest at the most and SWIM!

food chain issues, come on. maybe rethink the water if those issues aren't resolved.

a belt style back if you like back up like at west marine.

Can you post a pic of a map of the area you're riding at and the typical wind direction you're riding as well?

I'm guessing it's around here?: http://tinyurl.com/yj3hs5f

If you're going to kite that area, why not kite where the wind direction would be onshore or side-on? I think that would be the safest bet for you. If you're concerned about onshore winds, walk out in to the water until it *starts* to get too deep to stand and start there. The waves can get annoying but once you get up, you should be fine. We launch like that at North Beach in Corpus all the time (typical wind direction is ESE which is on or side on).

Why not just ride at the Texas City Levee until you've got your upwind ability and self rescue skills down? The typical direction is side on, the water's flat, and the whole area is shallow enough to walk back to shore.

yeah, again i was just brainstorming ideas about life rafts. thanks for all the postive input though.

breaking the cardinal rules just isnt smart......as a professional rescuer if you or anyoneanyone has off shore and the scene isnt safe you SOL.............never go out any further than you can swim back

sir yes sir'

just trying to help...and FYI Im not a sir I worked for a living for 26 yrs...................... you can refer to me as CMSgt or Chief.....................:duh::duh:

YES DRILL SGT!@!

no problem Private Snowball.........................seriously reconsider your idea. Safety is paramount................as I understand it Galveston is a great spot with little or no restrictions. Last thing you want to see are bans or restrictions.......................

Truidude is modest, but he served in the Air Force Special Forces. Among other things, they jump (literally) into some very bad places to rescue downed airmen. His advice, and those of others here, is sound....

hey, no problem. Have a great day!

If you are not wanting to wait a long time for rescue a strobe light might be a good idea. They are cheap and lots lighter than a life raft.
S