>From: Sam and Ann Isaacs <saisaacs_at_netcom.ca> I find >myself now wondering at the rather limited range of standard equipment and >design changes that manafacturers provide with their boats. It seems to me >some of it is akin to buying a new car only to discover you don't get a >spare tire or even a tire jack.... I'm sure in days gone past ... way >past... these were equipment options... you could do it yourself and modify >your car to hang a spare tire... or even modify to put lights on it! Now... >these are requirements for current models. > >It seems to me there should be factory-issued designs that facilitate use >of a hand pump with the spray skirt attached (? a hatch opening designed >for this purpose in front of the cockpit?) How about a mandatory, standard >issue foldable outrigger device to aid with re-entry, or rolling up? Why >should any of these features rely on the ingenuity and skills of the >purchaser or be an after thought, rather than part of the integral package? >(I'd hate to have to affix my own airbag in my car?). Car designs have been >modified to accomodate mandatory safety equipment.... how about 'yaks? Hi Sam, Matt has already replied, expressing his frustration at the prospect that well-meaning but rigid goverment regulations would hamper innovation and specialization of equipment. As a non-designer, but a co-worker of people who are designers, I understand the concern. I think PFDs are an example. At first glance, regulations for PFDs seems a straightforward and mom-and-apple pie idea. But for years, the only situations the requlations considered were victims of shipwreck, who needed to be passively supported upright until rescued by someone else. Only relatively recently have catagories been approved that take into consideration the needs of paddlers, who must wear the PFD constantly, and who need mobility to swim and rescue themselves. I believe that so long as manufacturers communicate clearly to the consumer what the pros, cons, and required accessories are, they should have wide latitude to innovate. Most kayaks sold in North America now have a checklist label in the cockpit reminding people about PFDs, flares, pump, etc. An example where manufacturer innovation might be limited could be something like bulkheads - a lot of people think of them as "built-in" floatation, the kind of thing that might well be made mandatory. But in fact, because they try to make "one size fit all" and accomodate the North American taste for lots of accessible space in the cockpit, most North American boat makers set the bulkheads so far forward and aft that the cockpit can flood to dangerous and unmanagable levels. Or, if the deck hatches are not properly designed , the bow and stern compartments can flood and are inaccessible for pumping. Arguably, a bulkhead-free design with intact float bags of appropirate volume is safer than a bulkheaded design with an oversized cockpit and leaky hatches. But regulations would propably only allow one approach to the problem. (One of Matt's own bulkhead-free boat designs (Matt, I'm working from memory of Deep Trouble here, so if I'm misrepresenting anything, please jump in with corrections) was involved in a fatal incident a few years ago. It was being used by a person other than the orginal owner, who, whether through ignorance or neglect, did not have float bags in it. Although by Matt's comments in Deep Trouble, he did some soul-searching after the incident, I don't consider him any more reponsible for this death than I would consider him responsible for paddlers who paddle without PFDs, or immerrsion protection, or spare paddles, or charts, or....) Happy, safe, and self-reliant paddling Philip Torrens N49°16' W123°08' ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com *************************************************************************** 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 May 13 1999 - 09:26:59 PDT
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