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PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 6:29 pm 
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Joined: Fri Sep 23, 2011 8:37 am
Posts: 118
Today a buddy and I sailed in Lake Michigan to a place called Pyramid Point. It was amazing. It was BLOWING and we had 4 to 5 foot swells. It was great.

I bought an ACR Aqualink PLB and a Cobra VHF radio and had it with us. The swells were nuts and it was a dead beat to our destination.

Here's the rub. I also had a Lexan Otter Box that I brought my iPhone in. We stuffed my iPhone and my buddies droid into the otter box and clipped it into the cockpit. I was running a GPS app. We were getting absolutely slammed with swells over the bow for about three hours. When I finally checked in on the GPS, the Otter box was FILLED with water. Somehow it failed. This was a HEAVY DUTY otter box. I think the swells slammed it against the hull opening one of the clasps. Both phones were fried.

When we beached below Pyramid point after four hours, I checked our tramps, because I noticed about an hour earlier that the lee aka was bent backwards (in relationship to the windward aka). When I noticed the aka was "bent backwards" we were in the middle of the Manitou Passage at least 4 miles offshore. We were hauling A$s, up and over 3/4/5 foot swells, so there was nothing that I could really do. We could'nt just stop. The swells would have rolled us if I had collapsed the AMA.

When we finally beached below the massive Pyramid Point bluffs (massive Sandune cliffs in Sleeping Bear National Park), I unhooked the tramp and saw that the Aka was not locked into the boat fixture. It would just slide in and out with no "sticking." We fooled around with it for a few minutes and finally it "clicked" into place. We got back in the TI, shoved off and surfed the swells directly down wind back to our starting point 8.2 miles away in 45 minutes to an hour.

My iPhone is toast.


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PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 6:46 pm 
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Joined: Tue May 18, 2010 2:31 pm
Posts: 3068
Location: Kailua 96734
Livin Large Lee. Way to go! :lol: Good thing the tramps help "glue" things together but in rough swells, I would prefer to be without them.

Those are our kind of conditions, so I put my phone in an Aquapak and then put that IN a drybag and put that IN the center hull. I will just wear it around my neck if I need to check chart information using Navionics, but this makes me nervous cuz things get rough and hiking from side to side all day involves a lot of movement and potential damage.

The radio stays high and relatively dry on my shoulder. Anything in the splash zone is soon history, including my first 2 VHF's.

We started using spectra line to tie the Akas to the cleats under the crossbar. Or you could just tie them together.

How much water did you take on?


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PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 6:56 pm 
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Joined: Fri Sep 23, 2011 8:37 am
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Nohuhu,

My VHF and my PLB will be toast? Even though it's like a sea, Lake Michigan is fresh water. Is it the Salt or the water? I feel like I need to have the PLB actually on me. Actually, I feel the same way about the VHF, won't do me any good in the hold.

This time I carefully checked all seals before flight. And we got SLAMMED for 4 to 5 hours. When we got back I opened the hold and it was maybe a quart or two of water. The bow was routinely underwater. It was crazy. :shock:

:| :mrgreen:


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PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 7:09 pm 
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I'm new to sailing, so on the deadbeat out my buddy did the sailing, while I was human ballast on the tramps. He's an experienced sailor. I had the Yakass tramp mods and that made a BIG difference!


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PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 7:29 pm 
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Joined: Fri Dec 05, 2008 2:32 am
Posts: 1807
Location: Terrigal NSW, Australia
You could try leaving your phone in uncooked rice for a couple of days. It's been known to work.

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PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 7:49 pm 
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Joined: Fri Jan 05, 2007 9:21 pm
Posts: 2498
Location: Central Florida
Sounds like a great sail! But equipment problems are not fun.

My experience here in Hawaii is to try to double protect everything. I buy a good waterproof Marine Radio and then place them into waterproof bags that I mount to my PFD and can use them while in it. On a long or difficult trip, I carry a spare.

Get a good GPS, then seal every unused port or opening with silicon adhesive and fill ports I want to use with dielectric grease. Or, bag it.

Leash EVERYTHING! Inside and outside the boat. Inside, anything you put in a hatch probably won't be where you can reach it when you need it. Outside, anything can and will wash away when conditions turn bad. Even as you found, leash parts that may want to disconnect and leave at just the wrong time. I'm even a fan of captains (surfboard) leash.

If you NEED a paddle, bring two. Same with anything you rely on to get back safely. I carry a second Mirage drive, especially when we go miles off shore.

It's a lot more fun, even when conditions turn marginal, when you have less to worry about beyond the conditions at hand.

Keep up the good work. Maybe next time some pictures or video :)

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PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 9:42 pm 
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Joined: Tue May 18, 2010 2:31 pm
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Location: Kailua 96734
Salt will do it faster, but any water penetration is all it takes, even humidity..

I'm going to listen to Kayaking Bob. He and I just went out for a pretty wild sail and we both have the same radio. His was in a drypak on his shoulder, mine was not.

Mine took on moisture and is toast. (That's #3 :roll: )

Your PLB should be fine, but it's your last resort. If you have a way to bag it - even better.

The radio I would not trust for long in any splash zone. If you go overboard with one, it's good for 30 min - if you are lucky. (And how lucky are you if you're in the water? ;-) )

Bags and leashes, bags and leashes, bags and leashes...

Great story! How did you stay warm and dry?


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PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 10:25 pm 
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Joined: Fri Jan 05, 2007 9:21 pm
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Location: Central Florida
Something like your PLB, I would consider sealing inside of a vacuum seal bag (like FoodSaver), as long as you can get into it if you ever need it with what's on your person. I carry a dive knife, since I like so many leashes, but have never yet had need to use it beyond kayak fishing.

My cell phone goes into a waterproof bag (Aquapac, DryPac, etc.) and then into a Lock&LocK mounted to an aka xbar.

Check out what others do, and try your own ideas, then keep what works for you. And of course share it here with us. 8)

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PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 10:30 pm 
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Joined: Tue May 18, 2010 2:31 pm
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Location: Kailua 96734
Hang in there Lee. The new iPhone 5 is going to rock,..


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PostPosted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 4:54 am 
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Joined: Tue Jul 19, 2005 6:29 pm
Posts: 2763
Location: High Point, NC
The iCom VHF radios seem to be able to weather any amount of water, even being submerged. Mine has been going strong for 5 years now.

I have two Cobra VHF units ($50 model) and so far the're okay. One got so wet on a fishing trip that it temporarily began beeping for some reason and wouldn't transmit for about 10 minutes. Then it returned to normal.

For years we used the FRS radios and none of those are water proof, nor even water resistant. We'd put them in a ziplock plastic bag and hang them that way. You can talk and receive through the bag. That's the only way we were able to keep them for more than a single trip.


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PostPosted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 10:00 am 
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Joined: Sun May 08, 2011 6:36 am
Posts: 59
Location: CT
To All TI owners,

I have only had my AKA crossbar unclip from the AKA pipe during a windy day and caught in the midst of large wavefield (1-2ft)

Was this due to the hull flexing so much due to being unsupported in the wave trough along with the forces on the AMA due to the strong winds???? I noticed the hull flexing when forced on the bow/stern or amidships as the large waves passed over /thru the hull.

Luckily I was able to lean into the good AMA while releasing the mainsail sheet and turning into the wind, just in time to catch the AMA as it slammed into the hull, rotating forward. I am now looking at how to attach the AMA pipes to crossbar (Large 18" electrical zipties???) Thanks for all of your great ideas and help!


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PostPosted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 10:03 am 
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Joined: Fri Jan 05, 2007 9:21 pm
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Location: Central Florida
Here's how some of us leash the aka so they do not leave.
http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=69&t=41340&

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PostPosted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 8:34 pm 
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Joined: Sun Apr 17, 2011 3:57 am
Posts: 244
Location: Fairfax, CA USA
Vacuum sealing!!!

That is brilliant kayakingbob. Brilliant.


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PostPosted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 8:33 am 
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Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2010 10:43 am
Posts: 483
Location: Long Island NY
The worst thing you can do is power on a soaked piece of electronics. If its off and gets wet, leave it off ... then when on dry land pop it open and leave it with the open side facing the sun and let it cook the water out. May take a few days ... If you are able to, run a fan blowing into it.

... I've NEVER been able to recover a piece of electronics from a salt water bath, and I've tried several times over the years. I just lost a video camera because of a flooded housing this past winter on a dive trip. I spent about 20 hrs trying to get it to work with primitive tools in the middle of no-where.

What I do - is POWER OFF my phone, etc and put it in a Pelican Case along with my wallet, car keys (with remote key fob) spare knife, etc and that is leashed to the boat and sits on the tramp near me. On top of everything in the case I put a microfibre towel so the first thing that greets me when I open the case is a dry towel to wipe my hands with. If I need to use the phone/pgs/whatever, I furl the sail

It is also convenient when I stop somewheres that has some sort of civilization as I can easily carry all my personal essentials in the case by the handle

... and in the uneventful happens it floats. This is about the size I use - mine is bright yellow.

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I've been diving for over 20 years and have been using Pelican cases as long as I can remember for my camera and electronic gear and never had a failure due to the case. Like everything else, you need to maintain the seals and make sure they are clean and greased with silicone.

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Papaya AI2 to replace my well worn V1
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.. and a Hobie Outback SUV


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