Re: [Paddlewise] What is performance any

>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


I have heard several stories like this.  A paddler once told me that he
loved his Arluk 1.8 and that it was the best rough water boat he had
paddled.  But he also said that he had been knocked over in it several
times.

Personally, I have trouble feeling comfortable in a twitchy boat like the
Arluk or, I presume, the Nordkapp.  Similarly dimensioned boats like the
Mariner II or Solstice GTS or Arctic Hawk feel much safer to me in high wind
and rough water.  There are fewer surprises and I need to brace much less
often.  Perhaps I am not skilled enough to handle the twitchiness but in the
other boats I can easily handle quite rough water without fear.  I have been
told that you get used to the instability.  But why bother?

Jerry

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