Re: [Paddlewise] New Boat-Don't worry what others think

Jim,

Two cents I wanted to throw in:
1.  Your first kayak (or bike or whatever) should not be a work of art.  It should be a practical thing to learn with.  The plastic Atlantis was designed as a beginner/intermediate boat so you didn't choose badly.  Choice of boats is a really personal thing.  Though I own a 40 pound wood kayak, I have enjoyed paddling a plastic Carolina and, 
2. There is a time and a place for a heavy and durable boat.  With a plastic boat you will not grimace every time you run over a submerged thorn or twig, as I do in my wood and fiberglass canoe.  You can run up on beaches with less worry than most boaters.   And a 65 pound boat can be preferable to a 30 pound boat when the sea gets nasty.  Actually when you'll regret not spending a couple thousand is when you have to put the thing on top of a van or 4WD truck.  But if you always paddle with friends that becomes much less of an issue.

jerry.

At 10:34 PM 01/20/2000 -0500, Strosaker_at_aol.com wrote:
>Jim,
>
>You seem a little ashamed of your kayak being plastic.
>
>Let me tell you a story.
>
>I went on a coastal paddle with about 7 other kayakers this one time.  Along 
>the 9 NM paddle up the coast, we had a strong tail wind.  As we ate lunch on 
>the beach, the wind got a hell of a lot worse.  Then we all launched to head 
>back down the coast against the wind.  After about a 1/2 mile, everyone but 
>me decided to turn around and take a taxi back to the cars.
>
>For three hours I slugged it out alone in a strong head wind with large waves 
>breaking over my deck.  Finishing the paddle was a glorious moment, despite 
>the misery I was in from the painful blisters on my hands and my sore muscles 
>and joints.
>
>I was the only one in that group with a plastic kayak.  Everyone else had 
>fiberglass, and there were even a few carbon fiber paddles in the group.  I 
>was using a cheap and heavy Aqua-Bound paddle.  One guy even had a new 
>Current Designs Extreme kayak and a carbon fiber paddle. 
>
>It all goes to show that 90% of performance is in the kayaker, not the kayak.
>
>So take that plastic kayak of yours, be proud of it, and kick some ass!
>
>Duane Strosaker
> <A HREF="http://members.aol.com/pirateseakayaker/index.html">Pirate Sea 
>Kayaker</A> 
> 
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