Re: [Paddlewise] What is performance any

To:      >internet:paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net


Jerry wrote:

>> The Nordkapp is reputed to be a wonderful rough water boat.  I
   have never paddled one.  Can it be true that it is "easier to
   get knocked over" than in a more stable (but not too stable)
   boat? What do other Nordkappers think?

    In the 1980s here in Sitka, Alaska a well known British
kayak school instructor brought over his Nordkapp, using it several
summers and storing it here for the winter.  One summer his
protege, a young chap who had been instructing for several years,
came over to use the Nordkapp on a two-month expedition.  His goal
was to "bag" the eight largest islands in Southeast Alaska (by
circumnavigating each) and end up at Glacier Bay.  He had years of
experience on the exposed coastline of Great Britain.

    He departed southward down the outer coast of Baranof Island
from Sitka.  Surprisingly, he was back in my shop three days later
and his next stop was the airport, on his way home.

    He had made it 40 miles to the south to Whale Bay, just beyond
where there are smaller protective outer islands.  He got knocked
over three times in the space of less than a half hour, and
felt he only barely managed to survive the ordeal.  Two weeks later
word came from the boat's owner in England, "Sell the boat."

    The moral of the story is, I think, some questions. How
much margin of safety, when chosing a kayak, is enough?  What kind
of kayak is best when you are fatigued by a long day or difficult
weather?  Even if you have a solid roll in a kayak which is more
likely to need to be rolled, can you roll it many times in adverse
conditions even if some gear happens to shift or if you get water
in the boat?  Etc.

    Sure, it's fun to have a kayak that will let you cover lots of
miles in a day, but for most folks I recommend kayaks that have a
wider margin of safety than those like the Nordkapp.  (Of
course this also depends on the size, torso length and shoulder
mass of the person -- skinny kayaks can be quite stable for smaller
people.)

-- Larry Edwards
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