To Flag, or not to Flag

What's the battery type and run time on the Visipole?

Around 100 hours according to Luther. Up to 150 with good batteries.

What's the battery type and run time on the Visipole?

The yak attack web site says

LEDs burn 100 hours on 3 AA batteries (included). ►10,000+ hours lamp life.

That's pretty solid run time.  I think the Scotty runs out of juice around 8 hours or so.

I think definitely a flag for sure safety trumps all!

Old Glory on a YakAttack Visipole.

Old Glory on a YakAttack Visipole.

Might have to steal that idea for myself! Either Old Glory or the Gadsden Flag lol!

I prefer to make a lot of noise and wave my paddle like a madman in the daytime or shine a powerful light directly at boaters at night whenever I think danger might be approaching.

True enough.   Sometimes there's just no substitute for the loud expletive! 

The Yakattack poles are the way to go. That is my next purchase.

http://www.yakattack.us/category_s/1893.htm

I got them a while ago & love it!!!
So convenient!

I think its a great idea to have a flag, I think I'll get one for each of my kayaks.  I have Hobie's so I usually don't have a paddle to help make me visible.

Like Noah said, almost all guys in Wa and Or run flags when we are on the salt. A kayak gets lost pretty quick in almost any swell. I like the yak attack visi carbon is nice but I don't think it is tall enough. I mount a bike whip flag on the back deck, attached to a Scotty flag. Additionally I have been told that red is one of the easiest colors to see at distance. So I figure with a red 16 foot kayak and red dry suit I'm about as visible as I can be.

Was thinking about this.. How about some sort of clip on flags for fishing rods not in use sitting in the milk crate rocket launchers?? When you want to use the rod, un-clip the flag and there ya go. Just a thought.. 

I made my flag from a replacement fiberglass folding tent pole I got at Dick's, just attached an orange skiing flag to the top of that.  You can get the tent poles as long as you would ever want.

When I had a 27' sailboat with a deck that put me 4 feet above the water I would enter SF Bay or a harbor when there was a large swell running and almost run over the top of even smaller sailboats and people out in kayaks or canoes as they would pop up on the top of a swell only a few dozen yards from where I was heading and I would have to make an abrupt course change and hope for the best.

The problem with most kayak and dive flags is that they are fine on the flydeck of a sport fishing boat but too short to be effective with even a few feet of swell out in the bay or ocean.

I came across a light and flag pole that a UK kayak angler made using a 48" long piece of aluminum tubing and at first it seemed like overkill but it actually was a lot more effective than anything selling off the shelf.

I use a 8'6" steelhead rod I scored from a garage sale for $5 with a bright  day-glow orange triangle flag about 8" tall x 18" wide which I made from  a $2 piece of fabric.My wive sewed a a closed sleeve to keep it on the pole which I tie at the bottom.    A PB out of Noyo told me how great it was to see me a long way off.  Makes me feel safer.  It does not seem to produce much drag unlike my full sized net which I take down to paddle in a strong wind.

Some good points above. Always fun seeing everyone's gear! Here is my set up from Railblaza.  They make one with a light too, but the flag works well for daytime.