New to kayak. Scupper holes?

[Fred Allen]

I have a SOT kayak and will be trying it for the first time soon. What do I do with the scupper holes do I need to buy plugs for them? Can I use the kayak with the holes all open and not sink from water coming inside?

[michaelb]

Yes leave them open and have fun. They drain water off the boat. 

[BBuck]

you can make your own cheap scupper plugs out of those foam practice golf balls and some nylon rope. I used them in my SOT kayak for years and it only costs a few bucks vs $20 or more.

[Fred Allen]

Thanks. I will probably just leave them open but look into the golf balls. Hopefully tuesday I will be able to hit the water for the first time. I just gotta buy a milk creat and some bungie cords to hold my tackle boxes. I got a car top carrier today. 

 

Do I need an anchor for a small lake with no real current? Kayak is 90 pounds and I am 265 pounds so will that be enough weight to keep me from drifting all over? wind says 2-4mph that day. If I do need anchor I have my old intex raft one I can use its just a 8 pound dumbell on a rope.

[GTN-NY]

8lb dumbbell is more than enough. I use a 3 lb mushroom anchor. I also use a 18” wind sock to slow down my drift when the wind kicks up. 
Have fun and always wear a good PFD 

[JustJames]

I only plug the holes in the rear storage area o. I normally just carry backpack so it doesn’t get wet when riding on waves. In case of flipping, the rest of the holes should be able to drain water out. I use anchor sometimes, it is really help when windy or fishing in a cove. You might want anchor trolley if you use anchor a lot.

[Bankc]

I use some rubber plugs with multiple lips.  They do a good job of keeping water from splashing up through the bottom, but still allow water to drain out.  

[Dens228]

I don't plug any of the scupper holes. 

Haven't sunk yet.

[Darth-Baiter]

I haven’t even taken my scupper plugs out of the packaging.  I like things to drain.  A big boat wake will come into my yak if I’m not paying attention.  Everything is in a dry bag. Lunch, stuff, etc. 

 

‘anchor?  I don’t use one yet.  I think forego one in the meantime until you get familiar with the kayak.  Dealing with the anchor line would be unpleasant when your trying to do everything right. Plus if you flip, less to tangle in. 
 

‘’when it gets warmer. Flip the boat do you can practice self rescue.  You’ll be surprised how your boat configuration can screw up your reentry.  

[bulldog1935]

With an anchor, you probably want an anchor trolley to be able to aim the aspect of your boat, relative to the wind and shore.  

Boats tend to windcock perpendicular to the wind, which also makes them less than stable.  The most stable boat has the keel line parallel to the wind.  

More often than an anchor, I use a drift sock, with the trolley.  

 

Here's my buddy Josh drifting a very narrow boat, and in a beating 18-kt wind.  

He can only do this because he has drift sock deployed at stern using his trolley.  

[MN Fisher]

Just now, bulldog1935 said:

With an anchor, you probably want an anchor trolley to be able to aim the aspect of your boat, relative to the wind and shore. 

One of the mods I've done this winter - changed out a set-point anchor on the canoe for an anchor trolley.

[moguy1973]

The only scuppers I have plugs in are the ones under my rear end.  The plugs I use are self bailing though and have a valve in them so they let water out. It don’t let it in. 
 

Scuppers should be designed so when the boat it moving the fluid dynamics of the water moving under the kayak will actually suck the water out of the top and drain the kayak.   You won’t sink either since the kayak has way more than buoyancy than the amount of water coming in. 

[Bankc]

As with everything in a kayak, it all comes down to personal preference.  Different situations require different solutions.  

 

Like I was surprised by how many people responded that they don't ever use plugs.  But then I remembered that I'm often fishing in 10-20mph (sometimes more) winds and it's not unusual for me to be out on the water with whitecapping waves.  So my preference for scupper hole plugs that still drain is based on the fact that if I don't have plugs installed, I'll have a lot more water in my kayak from the water constantly pushing up through them.  For others who fish in calmer waters, there's no water splashing up to block, and plugs will just slow the draining of the water.  

 

Same with anchors.  An anchor pole does me no good because if the water is shallow enough to use one, I'll be just a foot or two from the bank.  And when I do anchor, I need an anchor trolley because I can't tie an anchor to the side of the kayak, or the waves will crash over and try to drag my kayak under the water, and the waves are too rough to reach the bow or stern to tie it off there.  So I have to attach my anchor to the anchor trolley when it's next to me, for balance, and then roll it out to the end of the kayak to keep the kayak perpendicular to the waves for safety.  

[Fred Allen]

To start I will be going only to calm waters that only allow electric or no motor on the boat in the water there. Also going to wait for the day with little wind. 

[Darth-Baiter]

17 hours ago, Bankc said:

As with everything in a kayak, it all comes down to personal preference.  Different situations require different solutions.  

 

Like I was surprised by how many people responded that they don't ever use plugs.  But then I remembered that I'm often fishing in 10-20mph (sometimes more) winds and it's not unusual for me to be out on the water with whitecapping waves.  So my preference for scupper hole plugs that still drain is based on the fact that if I don't have plugs installed, I'll have a lot more water in my kayak from the water constantly pushing up through them.  For others who fish in calmer waters, there's no water splashing up to block, and plugs will just slow the draining of the water.  

 

Same with anchors.  An anchor pole does me no good because if the water is shallow enough to use one, I'll be just a foot or two from the bank.  And when I do anchor, I need an anchor trolley because I can't tie an anchor to the side of the kayak, or the waves will crash over and try to drag my kayak under the water, and the waves are too rough to reach the bow or stern to tie it off there.  So I have to attach my anchor to the anchor trolley when it's next to me, for balance, and then roll it out to the end of the kayak to keep the kayak perpendicular to the waves for safety.  

To be honest, the biggest drain hole in my kayak is where my pedal drive stabs thru on my kayak.  The scupper hole is tiny by comparison. 

[CountryboyinDC]

5 minutes ago, They call me “Gaiter Salad” said:

the biggest drain hole in my kayak is where my pedal drive stabs thru

You might want consider a more well thought out pedal drive system, like the Old Town.  JK, I like to give the Hobie folks a hard time.

@Fred Allen, it sounds as though you're trying to keep it simple at first.  That's good.  An anchor can be helpful, even under relatively windless conditions.  You'll be surprised how much you can drift just threading on a new bait, retying a hook, etc.  For some reason you'll always drift under the low-hanging tree with the hornet nest.

[bulldog1935]

agree, it's always best to get out first and figure out what rigging will improve operation for you.  

The worst thing you can do is drill holes in your boat and decide later that's not where you really wanted them.  

With good planning, you can also do most rigging without drilling holes, including a no-holes trolley.  

 

[Alex from GA]

Yes you need an anchor.  Mine is a 2' piece of 3/8ths chain.  I rigged it up with a rope through a carabiner that's attached to the bow handle.  I have a clam cleat riveted to the kayak just ahead of my seat to hold the rope when I weigh the anchor.  When I'm in the water I don't put the anchor in the boat just leave it hanging over the bow.  If you want you can put another anchor in the stern the same way.  I had an anchor trolley on another kayak and never changed position so I simplified it.  As to the scuppers if you don't get wet leave them unplugged.

[XF15-Loader]

On 3/19/2021 at 7:47 PM, Bass_Fishing_Socal said:

I only plug the holes in the rear storage area o. I normally just carry backpack so it doesn’t get wet when riding on waves. In case of flipping, the rest of the holes should be able to drain water out. I use anchor sometimes, it is really help when windy or fishing in a cove. You might want anchor trolley if you use anchor a lot.

I used to do the same thing.  Then one day I was out in some particularly windy weather when some fishermen on the shore started yelling at me.  As I paddled over to them, I realized what they were saying.  The tank well had filled up with water and my rear end was inches from being submerged.

 

Getting myself out of that yak onto rip rap in 20mph winds to pull those rear scupper plugs taught me a valuable lesson!  Only plug the holes you can see...lol. 

[JustJames]

Thanks @XF15-Loaderi normally don’t ride in super windy but will get one that drain water out but block from coming in.

[Bankc]

These aren't the exact ones I use, mine were a generic brand.  But they're the same design.  There's a point where they won't drain, so you have to be careful how deeply you push them through.  But at most points, they'll still drain water.

 

https://www.seattlesportsco.com/paddling/scupper-plugs-pair.html

 

Though, if you're only going to be going out on calm waters, then you probably won't need any.  Especially if the water is warm and you don't mind getting splashed a bit.  With these plugs, the water doesn't drain immediately, but it does a better job at keeping me dry than no scupper plug or the kind that completely seal, at least in the conditions I'm frequently out in.  I don't use them for the rear of my kayak, because that's where my battery is (I use a trolling motor so my battery is very heavy), and it's weight keeps the stern pretty low in the water.  So it tends to take on a lot of water and needs faster draining.  Plus, I'm not back there, so I don't care about water splashing up through the bottom.  

[the reel ess]

I only plug the scuppers under my seat because they'll wet your behind with the seat in the lower position. My current ride is a Pescador Pro 10, which sits a little higher than my last one. The fore scuppers don't usually take on any water. I don't concern myself with the aft ones.

[Stasher1]

Your weight and the max weight capacity of your kayak will also factor into your decision on scupper plugs. If you're close to the weight limit on your kayak, the scupper holes beneath your butt will act like geysers in rough water and shoot water up into the seating area. 

 

I use foam golf balls in my rear storage area and under my seat, but leave the ones down by my feet open to allow water to drain out after I climb in.

[Fred Allen]

Im dying to go out in it and wanted to this week but I am afraid the water is too cold still. If I fell out I would probably die still from the water cold. Its 60-70 all week so maybe next week or after it will be a little warm. This week I will be bank fishing which I dont care really I just want to fish real bad. 2 weeks ago the lakes were still froze.