my inflatable kayak has a self bailing drain valve. it says to close the valve in lakes and streams to stay completely dry and open it in oceans or mild whitewaters.whats the point of this valve? i WANT water to come in??
If you're out in rough water, such as in whitewater, water is going to splash up over the sides of the boat. If the valve is closed, then the water that comes in has nowhere to drain. Soon the boat will fill with water and get sluggish and possibly unstable. So you leave the valve open. But the problem with having the valve open is you will have a little bit of water coming up through the valve and into the boat. You won't have a lot of water come in because the inflatable floor of the kayak keeps you somewhat above the level of the water. But on calm water where you won't have water splashing into the kayak, you can close the valve to keep that tiny bit of water out too.
This Site Might Help You. RE: Kayak-self bailing drain valve? my inflatable kayak has a self bailing drain valve. it says to close the valve in lakes and streams to stay completely dry and open it in oceans or mild whitewaters. whats the point of this valve? i WANT water to come in?
