Whetman Equipment
With over 30 years in kayak sport & over 15 years in paddlesport manufacturing, a wealth of water rescue experience, an experienced climber plus an engineering degree, Steve Whetman / Whetman Equipment is totally focused on creating exciting gear for paddlers.
Whetman Equipment Sea Kayak Safety Kit.
Distributed by Mirage Sea Kayaks
Shop online and more details via:
https://expeditionproven.com.au/spare-parts-outfitting/whetman-equipment/
Sea Guide Towline
Designed to be used by guides, leaders & coaches.
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The priority in making this device was functionality. The user is likely to deploy the device on a regular basis & needs a simple system which can be repacked in rough water and then be deployed again.
The bag has two tows:
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Main Tow
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Second Tow
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Main Tow:
The 14metre towline is made of floating 19mm tape connected back to the stainless ring & elastic webbing which is connected to a central pivot point inside the bag.
The tape is very light, easy to repack & dries quickly.
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Second Tow:
The ultra short second tow is a separate line of tape which is connected directly to the central pivot point and exits out of a drain hole in the base of the bag. It is deployed without unzipping the bag.
This second tow can be used as a contact towline. It has many other uses which includes to connect to the main line with a clove hitch enabling a shorter length of main line to be deployed. It can be used to cinch around a paddle shaft & allow it to float free, also useful should a throwline rescue be deployed into a gully; once thrown the throwline end can be clipped into the short tow & the rescuer is then hands free to prepare to tow out the casualty.
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Sea Bean Compact Tow 14m Elite
Designed to be super compact, simple to use, mega strong yet easy to repack
14 metre floating braided line connects to a shockcord fixed into the bag.
The line is anchored to the bag using a stainless D ring, mega strong polyester webbing and high tensile bar tack stitching.
The ergonomic panel shape assures the bag holds open to
allow hands free to focus on a quick repack of the line.
The yellow internal polyester webbing is anchored through the bag to bind with the 40mm waist belt using industrial bar tacks and high tensile thread.
The 40mm waist belt has a quick release buckle & toggle & is adjustable to set the buckle centred in front of you for access.
To close the bag the shape naturally lends itself to fold
and capture the line in one simple movement.
On the 'Elite version' the line is spliced onto the karabiner & so offers a low profile. It is also coated in rubber which wraps around the connector giving 100mm of grip extension. There is a stainless D ring to park the connector. The D ring stands proud of the webbing for ease of clipping.
Sea Contact Tow MKII
Short contact line for quick close contact rescue of one sea kayak by another sea kayak.
Quick release stainless cam buckle with cord.
Adjustable length.
Port & Starboard colour coded webbing.
Two snag free Whetman Equipment Kraken karabiners.
Images show a Sea Contact Tow MK11 with the new
​Whetman Equipment Kraken karabiners and featuring the new stainless buckle; this incredible buckle has been designed from first principles by Whetman Equipment.
Contact Rescue
Kayak retrieval
Kayak rafting
Towing
Kayak leash
Contact Tow
The primary application is a very short quick "contact" towline from a deck line of the rescuer to the bow or deckline of the casualty boat, putting the bow adjacent to the cockpit area of the rescuer.
A diagonal contact across the deck pulls the casualty boat into the side & also offers the quick release to be viewed on the front deck. To activate the quick release pull the cord or pull the webbing tail to release the cam buckle. With a slight applied tension the webbing will then slide through & disconnect the system.
Raft.
Another application is to enable a stablised raft up by crossing the Contact Line over two boats and connecting to the outer deck lines of each boat, then adjusting it to be tight so as to prevent any chance of capsize.
Kayak Leash
During a rocky landing the contact line can be extended to its full length and used as a kayak leash enabling the paddler to keep hold of the kayak whilst landing onto rocks or boarding.
Rescue Stirrup
Rescue aid for deep water re-entry
back on board a kayak, canoe or small boat
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The rescue stirrup assists in the recovery of swimmers who may be impaired by injury, weakened by cold water immersion etc, to enable a simple leg up to get them out of the water and back on board.
The submersible hi vis webbing ends with a leg loop stiffened with tubing to assist foot placement underwater. The karabiner is anchored on the rescue boat and the length can be adjusted according to the depth required to create a step up for the casualty to climb back on board.
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trouble at sea............. unleash the Kraken
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Kraken: karabiner for the sea
Stainless marine grade steel
Easy clip bent gate
Tactile in cold wet hands
Snag free connector
An original design by Whetman Equipment
Big enough to handle with wet
cold hands
Slim enough to slide under tight decklines
The bent gate guides the cord into the karabiner
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Notice the rear bent bar contours the boat offering easy access to clip the deck line
Kraken Data
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AISI 316 marine grade stainless steel frame and wiregate
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Length 92mm
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Weight 43g
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Max Tensile working load 200daN
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The nose is competely snag free to make unclipping simple
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Limpet: throwline for the sea
Designed specifically for sea kayak rescue
Throw from a kayak to enable a reach rescue
14 metre floating braided 6mm line
An original design by Whetman Equipment
Compact light bag makes throwing from a kayak easy
Flared top makes repacking simple
Captured loops at each end ready to connect
Internal sliding float.
Effective as a drogue
Belt loop to fit the Water Belt
​200 daN max working load