[Paddlewise] Bundling up inside kayak

From: Julio MacWilliams <juliom_at_cisco.com>
Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 18:49:07 -0800 (PST)
 John Winters wrote: 
[snip] 
> Such a system would turn the kayak in to a stable platform that would have
> minimal drift and would allow you to bundle up inside the boat and even
> sleep in safety. It may even be possible to provide a canopy that would
> shield you from the elements and allow you to sit upright.
>
Most kayaks do not allow a paddle to bundle inside the hull, it is a trade
off between having bulkheads and flotation bags, or letting enough space
inside for the paddler.

The Kotzebue Island people did not have floatbags, hatches, nor bulkheads,
and they relied on being able to get into their high volume kayaks to
do their famous roll.

The Kotzebue roll does not depend on a hip snap, but just on a low strength 
paddle movement. It is probably a very reliable roll as it does not depend
on technique, but just on the aligment of the paddler's and the kayak's 
center of gravity which is automatic when the paddler gets inside the hull.

Thus, those paddlers had various benefits, enough volume in their kayaks to
carry their entire family including the dog, enough space to take a nap,
a reliable roll technique, and a capsule in which they could get into
for more than 10 minutes while they waited for help.

Now days, only folding kayaks have enough volume to paddle a la Kotzebue,
as long as a similar paddling jacket/spray skirt is used.

Just thinking in loud voice,

- Julio

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Received on Tue Mar 10 1998 - 18:48:28 PST

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