RE: [Paddlewise] Folding Kayak Roll

At 03:24 PM 2/11/99 -0800, you wrote:
>But I would be interested. How many of you out there paddle foldable boats
>and know how to roll them? I can't be the only one.  Are there rollers out
>there who have verified that its really that much harder to roll a folding
>boat?  
>
>--Tim

I don't own a folding boat, but have had a few opportunities to paddle and
roll them over the years. My impression was that there's much the same sort
of difference between rolling a folding boat vs a hard shell sea kayak as
there is between rolling a hard shell sea kayak vs a white water kayak. It
requires increased care in the set-up, a "non-diving" sweep, and an
accurately timed hip flick with more "body English" than either a hard
shell or white water boat. That said, once you get a folding boat (or any
beamier kayak) up to the critical point, it pulls itself up and over sooner
and with greater force than narrower boats do.
The other point of difference I've noticed is that making yourself one with
the boat, so that powerful sweep and hip flick does more than simply crank
you out of your upside down craft, requires more care in a folder. Thigh
straps, as used by white water canoeists, help greatly.

Cheers,


Philip T.
N49°16' W123°08' 
"The opinions expressed in this posting are not necessarily those of my
employer, or indeed, of any sentient being."
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