I think it a bit unfair to characterize British boats as "heavy" or unsophisticated. Some might fit that description but others do not. Kirton, for instance makes light sophisticated laminates. What we see most (Valley and Dennis) only represent a portion of the overall level of the British and European market I certainly would not like the Brits judging all of our North American kayaks based upon our poly boats. I think the heavy weights of some boats have to do with the British attitude towards paddling, I think they often look upon it as "challenging the elements" where most North Americans tend towards a less aggressive approach. They do focus a lot on rescues of the boat over boat type and that does influence their boat construction. As the Brits move more aggressively into the North American market you can expect their boats to evolve towards our preferences. 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 Mon Apr 05 1999 - 06:31:47 PDT
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