Re: [Paddlewise] Proud to Paddle Plastic

<<So I don't see the choice as a matter of prestige but rather
practicality.  Fiberglass gives you more than image.>>
    Two issues here. I like my plastic boat. I want a longer boat but I really
can't afford even another plastic boat. I will find a way to get a longer boat
because that is the only way I can do the type of paddling I really want to do.
I'll pay a financial price for that but I will keep it down as well as I can.
That means more plastic and I don't mean credit cards. Sure, I like the swoopy
feel of the fiberglass over the plastic but better no swoop than no paddling.
The plastic gives me the deep pleasure of paddling on the waters I have grown
to treasure over the years. That is worth a great deal to me.
<<Plastic kayaks have an advantage in price and in there lies a danger.
It is so easy to get one as an entry boat from a department store and go
paddle forth without any knowledge of airbags, self-rescue, reading sea
conditions etc.  Sooner or later, we are going to start seeing
statistics catch up to these paddlers and it won't be pretty.>>
    Ralph has a VERY good point here. I am fortunate that I like my computer
and the lists. If it had not been for that I'd be out there in my boat without
any more of a clue than I've had for the 12+ years I paddled the canoe. I never
heard of floatation and never gave hypothermia much of a thought. I sat on my
pfd, as seat cushion in the canoe. I've seen a lot of folks out there without
the things that are basic survival equipment for me today. All they have is a
boat and a paddle. Even places like Springriver don't talk about the "extras"
you need when you ask them. I asked several of the men there and not a one of
them mentioned floatation in the boat. Sure there was the pfd and paddle but
not a word about as much as a skirt, from what I can recall. Maybe I took the
skirt for granted but safety issues just weren't enough of a priority for it to
make much of an impression on me.
    This is a situation that will only grow worse. What we can do about it is
unclear to me but I've been thinking about it for some time now. Maybe we can
develop some kind of literature for stores and ask if they will voluntarily
include it when they sell boats. We could point out that it is to their
benefit. They can sell more of the extras that way. It's just a thought but one
I'd like to see if I can't follow through on in this area.

Joan

***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************