Whetman Equipment Sea Contact Line MK11

A short tow line is standard equipment when going sea kayaking. Everyone in our team carries one on the front deck. There are a lot of possible setups when it comes to choosing a short tow line. We mostly see DIY tow lines, and that is what we used ourselves during the last decade. As with all of our equipment and training techniques, we always keep on searching for better solutions. We were looking to build ourselves a short tow line with webbing and an emergency release when we almost by coincidence stumbled upon the Whetman Equipment Sea Contact Line MK11.

WHAT?

Whetman Equipment produces and sells a limited but exciting range of kayak safety equipment. You find all kinds of towing equipment on the website, both for white water and sea kayak purpose. When looking further, we notice that the company keeps improving their equipment by field testing and listening to other paddler’s input. We ordered the Sea Contact Line MK11.

We had swift communications and even swifter delivery of the Sea Contact Line. When opening the package upon delivery we found ourselves a very professional and sturdy looking piece of equipment. Both carabiners and the emergency or quick-release buckle looked of a high standard and user-friendly. The stitching of the webbing looks clean, the same for the logo of the company. We found no sharp edges where one can hurt themselves, or that can damage the boats.

WHY?

A good working short tow line is attached to the deck lines just in front of the cockpit and should be easily accessible on both sides of your kayak. You need to release it on one side so you can clip it onto another kayak’s deck lines. The tow line needs to be sturdy enough so you can tow an empty kayak back to the swimmer after a capsize, but also to tow a kayak with the kayaker still in it. It has to be so snag-free as possible (so preferably no knots in it).

The Sea Contact Line is made of webbing instead of rope or elastics. Because of the stitching of the webbing around the carabiners, the line has no knots or unevenness, which can cause the line to snag under deck lines. The carabiners are one of a kind; they are a Whetman Equipment specific design and easy to clip and unclip, even when wearing neoprene gloves. They are user friendly, no-snag hazard and no sharp edges. During testing, we had no unwanted releases when towing other kayaks.

The Sea Contact Line is adjustable in length so that you can fit the line onto any kayak. The remaining webbing can be folded up and secured with a neat Velcro strap. So when not in use, the Sea Contact Tow looks sharp on your front deck. When deploying the Sea Contact Line, the Velcro releases the extra webbing to the length you want. So, about the emergency release: the buckle can also be used to adjust the length of the webbing to your specific needs. It is the only short tow line we found that has such an emergency release.

FIELD TESTING!

This is our favourite part! I have used the Sea Contact Line on my P&H Cetus sea kayak for the past couple of months. We took our time field testing because we want to try different things in different conditions. We used the Sea Contact Line during (rescue) training on flat calm up to rough water. As a short tow line, it is perfect! No flaws in the design when it comes to that. User friendly and operatable with thick gloves. Same counts for the emergency/quick release. We encountered zero snags when towing, clipping and unclipping. After use and to see how ‘stainless’ the components are, we never rinsed it with fresh water. I must say, I haven’t found any marks of oxidation yet.

The Velcro that holds the folded webbing release swiftly under tension, but it holds on to the extra webbing when not in use. The only thing that needs a bit of training is refitting the extra webbing after use, so there is no extra webbing rolling around on your front deck. When doing this a few times, it’s even possible to refit the setup in rough conditions (of course, not in the surf zone).

We keep an open mind for things, so we took the liberty of trying out other things with the Sea Contact Line. We are an advocate of tethering yourself onto your sea kayak (on open water, but never in the surf or during rock hopping). After a capsize, and a failed roll, you will never lose your kayak in the very first and critical moments. The best way of tethering for us is with a short tow line. We always tether the short tow line onto the loop of our spray deck with one of the carabiners. Tests with that kind of setup, in general, have proven very successful.

However, during testing with that kind of setup, with the Sea Contact Line, the carabiner came loose from the loop of our spray deck – twice! We checked, and the snag-free carabiners have one downside, the webbing from the loop of the spray deck slips under the carabiner clip. Dangerous, so not advisable.

So we looked if there was any other way we can use the Sea Contact Line as a tether. And yes! We came up with two solutions! Put the whole Sea Contact Line through the loop of the spray deck, and attach the carabiners onto the deck lines as you normally do. It works perfect, and in case of emergency, there is still a quick-release – no hindrance at all when pulling your spray deck to a wet exit. The second option is to attach one of our carabiners onto the Sea Contact Line (with a recessed clipped carabiner). Both options work well.

Since the Sea Contact Line is adjustable – we used and tested it a few times to raft up two sea kayaks. We even did a few scenarios with it: suggest your kayak buddy cannot paddle any further, and there is a risk that he/she will capsize (sea sickness, exhaustion). Primarily you will stabilise your buddy yourself, leaving you with limited options to call for help (operate VHF radio, activate PLB).

When deploying the Sea Contact Line through the deck lines of both rescuer’s and casualty’s kayak, and then adjust and fasten the webbing with the quick release, you can make a very solid raft! No way the casualty will drop in between the two kayaks, nor will he/she fall to the outside. And the rescuer can keep his/her hands-free to do other things. And if the need arises, the raft can be undone by simply using the emergency release.

We have got some tips from other sea kayakers as well; the Sea Contact Tow can be used to carry an expedition laden sea kayak with a few people (as you would use a standard sling underneath the hull). In an emergency, the Sea Contact Line can be used as an arm sling since it is fully adjustable.

Conclusion?

We did not find any other short tow line (DIY or not) that matches the quality and possibilities of the Whetman Equipment Sea Contact Line MK11. Except for the unwanted release of the loop (webbing) during tethering ourselves, we found no flaws in design and no flaws in build quality. The Sea Contact Line is not cheap but worth every penny. If you know the price of separate, marine-grade carabiners and emergency releases, you will understand that the price of the Sea Contact Line is fair. Even a blind man can see that there has been put a lot of thought into the design and upgrading it to the limit (hence the MK11).

Have fun, and take care of each other on the water!