Richard Walker wrote; (SNIP) >1. Having over half my body inside boat+skirt means half my body >isn't exposed to the sun. So I can wear shorts, and thus be more >comfortable. One has to weigh such things against the inherent safety of an SOT. One could easily say that wearing long Supplex sun pants are just fine and hardly an inconvenience. >2. Being hit in the chest with a big wave would knock me off of a sit- >on-top but only be temporarily painful seated tightly in the >traditional yak. The comparison won't hold up if one compares the standard kayak with say, a Tsunami. Anyone who has paddled one knows how solidly the paddler feels in one in the hairiest conditions. (They have some videos that will shock you) One should not judge SOT's as a type by the toys that get sold in great numbers. >3. My traditional yak with no forward bulkhead will store and hold >all kinds of really long, lumpy gear inside. I hate gear on deck, >unless its actually doing something, like a rod in a rod holder. I know of no reason why an SOT can't have large hatches or hatches on the cockpit walls for long gear. Such a boat may not exist right now but that does not mean it will never exist or cannot exist. One should not judge SOT's as a type but rather judge manufacturers for their execution. >4. I also *feel* much more in control of the boat, seated down low, >thighs locked tightly against the hull. Since this problem has found its solution in the better outfitting systems one should not judge the type by its poorer examples anymore than one should judge all SINK's (Ralph, I love it. By the way, my son calls them Sea Condoms) by their poorer examples. FWIW: I have no difficulty re-entering my boat after a wet exit, and I have no difficulty rolling the boat, making an accidental re-entry situation very unlikely. Good for you. You should be proud of your accomplishment. You are representative of a minority of paddlers (no one really knows how many paddlers have your skills). In this litigious society, designers and builders live in fear of the majority who don't have your skills. We know that when some one like yourself screws up he or she will accept responsibility. The question is, "Will the survivors?" I design both types of boat but always feel more comfortable when an SOT gets sold even though I am incorporated and everything outside the business is in my wife's name. A terminally wet paddler represented by a sleazy lawyer scares me more than not wearing my life jacket. :-) Oh yes. How to pee in an SOT. Just do it in the bottle. Most people have enough sense not to paddle over and look in your boat to see what you are doing. OK, maybe not in Florida. Reminds me of the shy nudist who went behind a tree so no one would see his penis. Cheers, John Winters Redwing Designs Specialists in Human Powered Watercraft http://home.ican.net/~735769/ *************************************************************************** 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 Thu Feb 25 1999 - 04:51:49 PST
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