RE: [Paddlewise] Proud to Paddle Plastic

Ralph

And your explanation is exactly the reason I'm on this list.
It was TOO easy to just buy that first boat, know nothing and 
head out into the deep blue sea.

Now, I have about 238 gadgets, weighing almost equal to
my body weight, hanging from my PFD.  In fact, I ought to see
if the damn thing can float just the gadgets.  :-)

And I'm trying to perfect a roll and rotate more at the waist, etc.
all because of comments on this list.

Those potential statistics you refer to can also be considered the
natural selection process taking place.  

I'm trying to avoid being selected.

Larry "Plastic wipes clean with a damp cloth" Mills
Department of Redundancy Department
Purchase, NY

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com [SMTP:rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com]
> Sent:	Thursday, July 08, 1999 4:43 P.M.
> To:	paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
> Subject:	Re: [Paddlewise] Proud to Paddle Plastic
> 
> Reeves, Debbie (Debbie) wrote:
> > 
> > You are not alone!
> > 
> > Debbie Reeves
> > Owner of fiberglass, wood, and yes, plastic kayaks
> 
> Plastic is just fine and don't ever let anyone look down on you for what
> you paddle.  One of the fastest and most reliable paddlers I ever met
> paddled a Chinook.  He would go to symposiums, eye and try out all the
> fiberglass while considering what he might upgrade to one day.  But for
> years he stayed with that Chinook and remained the best paddler around. 
> The paddler maketh the boat not the boat maketh the paddler.
> 
> There are however a lot of shortcomings to plastic that can't be
> overlooked:
> 
> Weight--they tend to be about 8 to 10 pounds heavier than equivalent
> fiberglass.
> 
> Portability--with lots of their weight at their very ends, plastic boats
> are harder to carry as a see-saw effect starts up if you get 'em
> slightly off balance in the carry.
> 
> Deformity--they deform terribly to affect handling and speed.  After a
> year no two kayaks of the same model will handle the same because of
> this.
> 
> Longevity--they really don't last long, certainly no where near the
> useful life of a fiberglass kayak.
> 
> Repairs--generally more difficult than in fiberglass.
> 
> Leaky bulkheads--no matter what a manufacturer claims, bulkheads all
> leak, some more than others, but all leak.
> 
> So I don't see the choice as a matter of prestige but rather
> practicality.  Fiberglass gives you more than image.
> 
> 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 diaz   
> -- 
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter
> PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024
> Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com
> "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag."
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
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