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Unpinning a Canoe 1: using a Z Drag to pull a canoe (or kayak) off a pin in a rescue.

Ray Goodwin

28,107 views

These are my personal thoughts and experience of using a Z-drag to unpin a canoe from rocks in white water using a 3:1 pulley system.

If you enjoyed this then consider making a small donation at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/RayGoodwin

The Beal prussiks are: https://sport.beal-planet.com/index.p... I use the 60cm version to attach to the main haul rope and the 50cm as the 'clutch.'

My collie Billie makes an appearance. He got bored so was taking the ball up the hill to chase it back down again. Not very interested in rope work.

Paddling the Prospector from https://www.venturekayaks.com

Gear by https://www.nrs.com including the heavy duty rescue bag

The Rescue Service throw bag is: https://r3sargear.com/collections/wwt...

My website: http://www.RayGoodwin.com

My book 'Canoeing', is available direct from me or from Amazon.

20 Comments

@KrijnR 4 years ago

Hey Ray, checking in to say thanks for this very useful explanation of the Z-drag system. In my preparation for a 4 day canoe trip with three friends I studied your instruction and practiced it in my garden. I also invested in quality materials (carabiners, pulley’s and throwropes). As most experienced paddler I felt the responsibility to make things as safe as possible… Turned out to be a good investment. As we paddled down the Allier river last week, one of us got trapped in a (partly) submerged tree in a riverbend. His canoe made water, turned an was swept away by the current, as was my friend. The canoe was jammed under a second tree in the current some 30 metres downriver. My friend landed in the same tree. After checking if he was safe and sound we tried to unpin the canoe. This was only possible with the use of the Z-drag (and a lot of adrenaline and a saw ;-)). I wanted to thank you for sharing your knowledge and skills, it really made all the difference.

@Adventuristic89 4 years ago

Total novice here I’ve been sponging up all the info out there! You have been a great source ray thank you very much

@stevec-b6214 5 years ago

seriously, this man knows his stuff!!

@9murlon 3 years ago

Just revising for my canoe leader assessment - this and your other videos are very helpful. Thanks 🙂

@twobehappy67 5 years ago

Always love listening to your wisdom in the little things!!! Thanks!!!

@RenoLaringo 5 years ago

This is incredibly useful information. Thank you for the time and efforts. At the end of the day, nothing compares to real world experience. You sir are a precious source of knowledge. This was very clear, didactic and well filmed too.

@nigelgregory4777 6 years ago

At last, a man I understand and can talk about winching around a camp fire, I work in heavy vehicle recovery, this was music to my ears, looking for the next one,
Chears Ray.
Nige.