In defense of larger boats: My major purpose in paddling is to cover the miles and see the sights. I own an Eddyline Sea Star (18', 22", 48 lbs. -Kevlar) that suits my style pretty well. It's fast, tracks well, holds lots of stuff, provides a dry ride, and plows through the rough stuff on course. It takes a bit of leaning to turn it, though. Nowadays, I mostly do multi-day trips so the storage capacity is useful, especially for photography equipment (another possible thread). For short jaunts it is just easier to be out the door with the bicycle or the running shoes. In 1996, I did a 30-day, 1136-mile circumnavigation of Lake Superior without resupply, and the Sea Star handled the 150 lbs. of food, 100 lbs. of other gear, my 150 lb.weight and the 36 mile per day pace with relative ease. This is what this class of expedition boats does best; these long kayaks are not good creek or surf boats. Others in this category, among many, include the VCP Aquila and the Current Designs Expedition. Other boats I own include a 1985 Eddyline Winddancer (17'), a 1974 Phoenix Isere (14'9"), and a 1986 Sawyer Cruiser 222 (18'6"- Kevlar). -Andy Knapp Minneapolis, MN *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net ***************************************************************************
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