>Lets assume someone is already an advanced/expert paddler. Someone >comfortable in tidal rips, irregular chop, shore break, strong winds, self >rescues, towing others to safety, etc.. > ><snip> > >So what are the characteristics of this advanced boat doing wonderful >things in the hands of the skilled paddler? There are no perfect answers to this question that apply across the board. The bottom line is that we all want lightweight, stable yet nimble, comfortable, straight tracking, turn on a dime, expedition cargo carriers that are fast, stylish and functional but just the right size for day trips too. You really have to settle into what kind of kayaking you want to do, or better yet, what you realistically do the most, whether it is flatwater touring, coastal kayaking or rough water. Do you meander or do you paddle aggressively or sometimes both? This and your skill level will determine the hull / handling characteristics that will best suit your style and ability. I bought my boat (Romany Explorer), for it's overall performance. When I'm in a playful mood, in nice surf, I long for a shorter performance boat, a bit more sensiteve than the Explorer. When I'm paddling with Scott Williams and/or Nigel Foster on a 20+ mile day into a 15-20 knot wind and 2 knot current all day, I wish it were longer and faster........a lot faster! Too many people focus on the equipment first instead of paddling skills and proper instruction from qualified professional instructors. Not just a symposium class or weekend workshop, but long term continued education/instruction. One guy I know has three nice fiberglass boats and is looking for another one, plus he has an assortment of paddles. In his mind the boats are inadequate...yet they are all three great boats. The real issue is his paddling skills. He paddles every weekend, considers himself an "experienced paddler" but he really isn't. He just paddles poorly over and over again and never improves. I talked him into one private lesson with a highly regarded BCU instructor, but he doesn't practice the new strokes and techniques. He just continues to blame the boats. If I had it to do all over again, I would still start with $1200 mid-range boats and still invest my money into professional instruction. Once Jeanne and I outgrew our Sea Lion and Looksha....through better skills, we knew the boats were holding us back at that point. Our learning curve slowed and we then knew better what to look for and feel before buying higher performance boats. She ended up in a Valley Pintail. Just no clear answers CU! Robert ________________________________________________________ Robert Starling Member ASMP / PPA Starling Productions, Inc. Orlando, Florida Phone 800 361-0041 Fax 407 521-0031 http://www.starling.com NetGuide Magazine Internet Site Of The Day *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Fri May 08 1998 - 14:54:51 PDT
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:29:56 PDT