Stohlquist 12-Foot Re-Traxt Tow-Tether Rescue Device

Stohlquist Re-Traxt Twelve Footer, the most versatile sea kayak tow system yet. As the name implies, the Re-Traxt Twelve Footer is a 12 foot tow-line (for PFD's with quick release belt/towing harness). But by leaving the squeeze lock buckle on the rope bag fastened around the carabiner, you can effectively shorten the Re-Traxt Twelve Footer to about 1' long for contact towing situations. So you get two systems in one, and the Re-Traxt 12 footer comes with a Kong Paddle-biner which is big enough to fit around most sea kayak handles as well as any kayak paddle shaft - so it also works for towing paddles when someone looses theirs during a wet-exit. The Re-Traxt Twelve Footer's tow line is actually 1" tubular webbing with an elastic band inside which gives a little cush and speeds up retracting the line when you are done. But unlike most tow systems with a bungee spring, the elastic in this system is very soft (like the elastic in the waist band of your undershorts') so it won't store much energy when stretched out, and there are no external knots like many tow systems with a bungee spring have which tend to get fouled up on your kayak when you try to release. These details make the Retraxt 12 Footer a safer tow system in waves than tow systems with stiff bungee cord springs and external knots (the bungee in such systems is often mistakenly referred to as a shock absorber, but it is not a shock, it is a spring which can help the kayak being towed catch a wave and surf into you from behind).