On Sun, 23 Apr 2017 15:16:40 -0400, rickman wrote:

I said the particular case I was being asked about was not over salt
water. I didn't say it was on a river. The particular case is for use
on the Great Lakes.

It's my understanding the propagation over the Great Lakes is similar
to that over the ocean. However, I have no experience on the Great
Lakes.

Your info is helpful. Thanks.

Y're welcome. I mentioned the problem to a friend who was into
kayaking when he was younger. He said that kayaks often carry push
poles to get them off the rocks. These are often used as an
improvised distress flag mast. I found this one:
https://thesuperstick.com/product/push-pole/
which goes to 17ft extended. Hopefully, there are cheaper models.

To attach an antenna, there's the usual roll of coax cable and some
kind of temporary mounting clip. Perhaps something like this, but
with lower loss coax cable:
http://www.dhgate.com/product/nagoya-rb-clp-window-clip-mount-rg-174-u/176624090.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/NAGOYA-RB-CLP-Window-Clip-Mount-RG-174-U-3m-Cable-BNC-for-walkie-talkie-Radio/1295452_32312249435.html
Or, just an L-bracket with a connector attached. Or, a big rubber
band. Whatever gets the antenna higher.

You're on your own on how to keep the push pole mast upright.

Vessels sometimes carry "emergency" antennas. The idea is that if the
main antenna is in some way lost, the emergency antenna would be
substituted. Examples:
https://www.westmarine.com/buy/shakespeare--stowaway-emergency-vhf-antenna--519058
http://shakespeare-ce.com/marine/product/sl-156-emergency-vhf-antenna/
They're usually small and have little gain, but might offer some
useful ideas.

Lunch beckons...
--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558