Re: [Paddlewise] advanced sea kayak

From: John Winters <735769_at_ican.net>
Date: Thu, 7 May 1998 11:10:39 -0400
Julio wrote;

(SNIP)

>You folks are confusing beam with stability and whether or not that
>makes a beginner boat.
>
>The Chinook is a beginner boat because it is very difficult to lean
>and hard to move. It has the volume of an expedition boat which makes
>it purpose contradictory; if you are a beginner you should not be
>in an expedition.
>
>Now let us pick another wide boat, the Skerray. It is 24 inches wide,
>but it leans on its side and rolls much easier than my 20 inch boat.
>That is an advanced kayak. It is wide, but in the hands of a beginner
>its good qualities are wasted.


I think the thing that makes a boat and "advanced" boat or a "beginners"
boat is its capabilities not the difficulty in keeping it upright or even
its speed.

There isn't a lot one can do with some boats beyond just go for a casual
paddle on the lake. Other boats are capable of open water crossings and
some are quite stable and some are quite tippy.

I think people like to refer to tippy boats as advanced boats just because
they are more difficult to paddle or hard to keep upright. I don't think
that makes them advanced boats. It just makes them tippy boats. Certainly
some of the folding boats are very stable but could you call them
beginner's boats given the accomplishments of the type?

Cheers,
John Winters
Redwing Designs
Specialists in Human Powered Watercraft
http://home.ican.net/~735769/



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Received on Fri May 08 1998 - 03:15:07 PDT

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