Re: [Paddlewise] Costco selling kayaks

There certainly seems to be a lot of discussion surrounding Costco. I think
all of the opinions are valid but the bottom line for most people is cost.
Anyone who
may read a book, talk to a few experienced paddlers will understand that ,
like
driving a car, there are certain things you should know before venturing out
to the sea. But  cost will drive most peoples decision. There is already a
huge market for used
kayaks to support this.

In Canada,   the Canadian Coast has frequently referred to a boat licensing
program
where anyone buying a boat must become boatwise. I suspect this would be one
response to , if it  happened, increased boating incidents as a result of
COstco and others selling kayaks.

ON the other had, many recreational groups, like the ACA, the Canadian
Recreational
Canoe Association and others can through government subsidies educate the
public, supply material for the general public , and just increase public
awareness about
the safety issues if things get out of hand. If may mean a few people die
but
government works best, i've found, when it operates in crisis mode; ie,
something gets done.

In the end the big boys, like Costco, will see the money in recreational
products
and want a piece of the pie.  Kayak manufacturers will want to survive and
if their product is being sold then it ensures their livlihood and they can
always claim the customer is getting  "more value for their  dollar" .

I am concerned as everyone else about the safety of the individual. However,
by myself
it is futile to believe my concerns are shared by everyone else not already
paddling.

-----Original Message-----
From: Julio MacWilliams <juliom_at_cisco.com>
To: K. Whilden <kwhilden_at_u.washington.edu>
Cc: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net <paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net>
Date: Wednesday, March 03, 1999 4:40 PM
Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Costco selling kayaks


>> Kevin wrote:
>> the importance of instruction. There is a lot of basic knowledge that we
>> take for granted that the average Costco buyer would never know, nor be
>> able to learn from the salepeople at Costco. Am I wrong to think that
>> Costco could be directly biasing the kayaking fatality statistics in the
>> wrong direction?
>
>The same applies to REI selling Sea Kayaks, and paddling equipment
>in general for that matter.
>But we can not tell Costco nor REI not to sell kayaks, as much as
>we can tell them not to sell bycicles.
>
>In the USA it is just a matter of them getting sued after several hundreds
>of people die. Then, REI, Costsco, and others would hire Ken Star to
>defend them and convince the judge that the value of a boaters life
>is not high enough to justify any effort in educating the public; just
>like he did for Chrysler in the gas tank issue.
>
>After all, why should buying a sea kayak be more difficult than buying a
gun?
>
>- Julio
>
>p.s. Should we bring up the certification issue again?
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