TexasKayakFisherman.com

Has anyone heard about this? Saw it on a Facebook page.

https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/l ... dde7f.html



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Thanks for sharing , I haven’t heard anything about it.

A little
More info is on the PINS & FINS II Facebook page. Coast guard has been searching. Someone claimed the kayak to be theirs, but was proven fraudulent.



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This reminds me... We are all probably about to have to get our kayaks registered. We have the fine responsible kayakers like whoever owns that one to thank.

TrailChaser wrote:This reminds me... We are all probably about to have to get our kayaks registered. We have the fine responsible kayakers like whoever owns that one to thank.

Agree I think it's coming. Probably has more to do with dollar signs but officials will use this as an example for sure.

If you have your boat (+ radio) with a registered MMSI and have the MMSI certificate number marked in your boat, the Coast Guard already has you and your boat in their database -
- along with whatever contact information you registered.
I'm pretty sure you register a free MMSI even without a radio.

Ron Mc wrote:If you have your boat (+ radio) with a registered MMSI and have the MMSI certificate number marked in your boat, the Coast Guard already has you and your boat in their database -
- along with whatever contact information you registered.
I'm pretty sure you register a free MMSI even without a radio.

My Dad used to tell me IF is a big word- IF a frog had wings he wouldn't bump his a** every time he hopped.

If I had to guess I'd say the percentage of radios that are registered or even boaters that have a MMSI number is in the single digits. This is no doubt a great way to provide identification. I think a simple waterproof ID tag or sticker on the kayak would go a long way in terms of providing ID for the kayak(er).

again, you don't need a radio - you can register for a free MMSI and the Coast Guard has you in their database.
You do need a cell phone number to register for an MMSI.
Kayak dealers could offer it as a gratis option, and provide you an MMSI certificate with your new boat.
(It's just if you ever assign an MMSI number to your DSC radio, it has to match your hull).

It's also really easy to scan your certificate, print the number, and epoxy it to the inside of a hatch cover - the first place they would look for identification if they were searching for a missing kayaker and abandoned boat.

Corpus Noon News said the owner came forward to authorities. His yak was tied up and came loose. The news reiterated that we all need to put contact info on our kayaks. TexasJim

SWFinatic wrote:

TrailChaser wrote:This reminds me... We are all probably about to have to get our kayaks registered. We have the fine responsible kayakers like whoever owns that one to thank.

Agree I think it's coming. Probably has more to do with dollar signs but officials will use this as an example for sure.

I can't fathom the cluster-f of paperwork that would be required if TPWD actually went through with registering kayaks. The follow up question would be what about canoes? SUPs? Surf boards? Windsurf boards? Intertubes? Where's the line going to be drawn?

That will never happen - only 7 states register paddlecraft.
But the MMSI makes a lot of sense - all you need to obtain one is a cell phone number.

Without the MMSI, if your boat blows away, you send the Coast Guard on a search-and-rescue Sortie.
With the MMSI, they call you on your cell phone.

Of course you won't make the news and internet chatter.

Ron Mc wrote:That will never happen - only 7 states register paddlecraft.

I hope so. I'm sure not in favor of having to register my kayaks. But never is a long time.

I'm honestly surprised MMSI registration is not required by Federal law to operate a paddlecraft within USCG jurisdiction.
It is such a simple safeguard.

I know one thing from experience - as soon as a power boat or kayak enters Brazos Santiago Pass, they are subject to USCG spot safety inspections.

I don't see any problems with MMSI registration (or any other government service for that matter). I am having a problem with making it mandatory. It is obviously not required for most kayakers, why burden everyone to benefit a few? (lol, sounds like kayaking Omabacare) Make it optional and those who need it will get it.

I am grown adult and can make sensible decisions for myself. And for that case when I fatally slip -- I have insurance to provide for my family (and no, I do not value my life so much that I want to make my living miserable by preparing for every possible way I could die). I don't need anyone to tell me I should waste my time because it is "better for everyone" (from someone else's point of view).

of course I'm talking about requiring those paddling in passes and offshore, where USCG may have to look for you - plus it's Free and the mechanism long-established
(it costs 150 b of computer storage and 10 min of your time).
Do the math, that's a small percentage of kayakers, and a pretty small effort for the improved responsibility.
For everyone, though, helps you with theft, helps USCG with negligence and real emergencies.

The entire subject of this thread is a wasted USCG search and rescue sortie, where the irresponsible party was home posting on facebook (he so stated on another forum) while the Coast Guard sortied to search for him.

Your fee in that sortie may have been very small, but it still cost.

Ron Mc wrote:of course I'm talking about requiring those paddling in passes and offshore, where USCG may have to look for you - plus it's Free and the mechanism long-established
(it costs 150 b of computer storage and 10 min of your time).

Ah, got it. Yes, it makes sense to make it mandatory for those going BTB/etc. If coast guards are forced (lets say by law) to perform a costly search in every such case -- you either stop doing that (change the law, kinda cold) or force everyone to make USCG life easier.

If you go into harm's way, you have to do all you can to prepare for disaster, and be able to survive on your own. You can't expect the Coast Guard to rescue you. You should do what you can to be able to contact them.

A friend had a Ham Radio buddy crossing the Pacific, solo on a trimaran. He had solar panels, and a wind generator to keep batteries up, for radio and autopilot. My friend didn't hear from him for weeks. Finally, a call from Tahiti. His wind generator flung a blade off and it went through his solar panels! He had to hand steer for over 1000 miles! So much for preparation.

When I left Galveston on my sailboat in '83 and '87, crossing the Gulf, my friends said, "If anything goes wrong, you can just call the Coast Guard". WRONG! The ocean makes no allowances for amateurs and weak parts. It's not the Coast Guard's job to find and save the unprepared!

As "responsible" boaters, we should do all we can to reduce the burden on the government. If you go offshore, carry a radio. If you fish inshore, put a sticker on your kayak with contact info. If you kayak in the dark, have approved lighting.
Don't be a "user" of the public safety folks by short-cutting safety rules. When you cheat on safety, you only cheat yourself.

This kayaker was irresponsible for not contacting the authorities, causing them to do a search for more than a day.

TexasJim, stepping off soapbox.

but still, this is very simple.
If he had an MMSI certificate for his kayak and marked in the boat, the Coast Guard would have called Him.
I agree there are other ways to attach your contact information to your boat (which you'd find if you opened my dry box), but the MMSI is a bonus because it's a permanent registration for the boat, and doesn't require permanently putting your name in the boat, which might affect its desirability to someone else, if you decide to sell it. The MMSI stays with the hull and transfers to the new owner.

I have these on the inside of the front hatch on all my kayaks with my info and my wifes...you never know

Did anyone ever hear any updated info on this situation?

FlyWilde wrote:Did anyone ever hear any updated info on this situation?

This has been solved. Here is a article on this:

https://www.kristv.com/news/local-news/ ... -is-solved