At 06:17 PM 5/29/99 -0700, Gerald Foodman wrote: >The cover of the June issue of Sea Kayaker shows two decks loaded with >packs, sleeping pads, etc. Surely this must seriously compromise the >handling of the boats, especially in wind. Has anyone tried to roll with >decks loaded high with stuff? > >I think it would be better to get a larger volume boat and keep the decks >clear. Or take your narrow boat for shorter trips. Jerry, Being a minimalist who enjoys low-volume designs, I often start a multi-week trip with gear on the deck and slowly eat my way into the gear bags until everything fits within the hull of my Anas Acuta. You do need to balance the windage of your deckload. A mountain of gear aft can aggravate weathercocking and can cause complications if you are required to tow another paddler. Also ensure that your gear bags do not hinder your ability to extract your spare paddle(s). I don't find rolling with a deck load to be significantly more difficult than rolling with clean decks, provided that you don't get disoriented or panic by the fact that your kayak will often rest on its side without fully capsizing. You may not be able to wriggle the kayak into a inverted position in order to start a roll in your normal setup position. In this case the trick is to roll up on the proper side so that you use, rather than fight, the buoyancy of your deck load. This can be confusing to determine, especially if you are being bounced around. If confused, my strategy would be to first try rolling on my strong side, and if it fails, go to my off-side. A full deck load usually provides enough buoyancy that a quick sculling brace (on the correct side) will bring you upright. I will admit that paddling with a deck load adds a few more variables of risk and should be avoided if possible. If you choose to paddle with a deck load, then it would be prudent to invest some time practicing rolling and bracing with one. Greg Stamer Orlando, Florida *************************************************************************** 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 Sat May 29 1999 - 20:59:23 PDT
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