Re: [Paddlewise] Weatherhelm

At 08:31 PM 10/5/99 -0700, Dan Hagen wrote:
>John Fereira wrote:
>> 
>> ...<snip>...
>> She made an interesting point about rudders.  She said that most of the
>> people that bash rudders on sea kayaks have never paddled for eight hours
>> straight in a 30mph crosswind.
>
>I do find this "interesting", but presumably not for the same reason you
>do. Her statement seems to imply that most people who do not use rudders
>do so for lack of experience, and that if they ever had to paddle a long
>distance in strong crosswinds they would realize the error of their
>ways. 

I don't think she meant that at all and especially wouldn't use the phrase
"error or their ways".   That implies that not using a rudder is wrong.

>Obviously this is going to seem silly to paddlers who have paddled
>without rudders in much worse circumstances than those she describes.

Again, I don't think that she is implying that people can't or don't paddle
under extreme conditions without rudders.   All I think she was implying
is that there are probably a lot of people that have not experience extreme
conditions for  an extended amount of time, in which case, they're
probably not in the best position to understand that having a rudder available
can make the experience a lot more tolerable.

>But if believing her statement makes you feel better about your choice
>to use a rudder, then by all means believe it, and quote it often (like
>a mantra). 

If it makes me *feel* better?   First of all,  the boat that I paddle most
often
doesn't have a rudder.  It typically comes equipped with a drop down skeg
but I don't have that option either.   The boat that I am going to be building
this winter (a CLC Northbay) was designed to be paddled without a rudder.
Personally, I don't like paddling with a rudder but I'm not going to adopt an
"Im too sexy for a rudder" mentality because a lot of people with far less
experience than Audrey think "real paddlers don't need rudders".  If I were
to embark on a 500+ expedition I would want to use whatever equipment
is available that would allow me to complete that expedition.  If I were
paddling for eight solid hours in a 30mph crosswind and a rudder would
make it easier to stay on course I would use one.  If I didn't feel like I
needed it at the time, I wouldn't.

>
>People sometimes have difficulty accepting that others may have
>experiences or opinions that differ from their own. Paddlers are a
>diverse group. If Audrey and others find it preferable to use a rudder,
>then that's great! I would not for a moment presume that their choice is
>a sign of incompetence or inexperience. At the same time, I suspect that
>most people on this list who disagree with Audrey about the desirability
>of rudders are not inexperienced (or stupid or stubborn). They are just
>different. Different people, with different backgrounds and experiences,
>paddling different boats, reaching different conclusions. Vive la
>difference!

I am suprised that you recognize that difference because Audrey's entire
message is that as paddlers, we *do* have that choice.  For some, a
fully outfitted $3000+  17'6" kevlar kayak is there choice.  She chooses
to paddle a 13' inflatable with a rudder her experiences speak for themselves.
There is a lot of pressure from other paddlers to go with the latest high
tech gear but her message is that low-tech and inexpensive is a perfectly
valid choice as well.

The reason for my entry into this thread was that I objected to the
condescending
attitude regarding "not waving to someone with a kayak on their SUV if it
had a rudder" and "I wouldn't help carry a kayak with a rudder".  The attitude
smacks of elitism and is extremely condescending.

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