Matt Broze wrote: I doubt if I will ever convince Matt or anyone who is dead set against doubles of the virtues of paddling one but he enumerates nicely some complaints that actually bring out a whole litany of positive points for this type of boat: > I would rather tow my partner than have to paddle in a double from either > position. Then I won't have to deal with: > 1)paddle splash--I put on my > Sou'wester rain hat, difficulty communicating, Man (and woman) were put on earth to suffer, at least that what my R.C. catechism said. Paddle splash, as such suffering goes, isn't all that bad. It certainly bits hell and brimfire. A plus side: the world takes on a surreal, hallucinatory look when seen through salt encrusted glasses...and it is all drug free and free. > 2)paddle clash--and the > tension of trying to avoid it for the stern paddler, The nice thing about paddle clash is that it is so easy to blame the other person. How often in life can you feel so justifiably self-righteous and be certain you are right?...paddle clash is always the other paddler's fault. 3)wet ride for the bow > paddle--as a double being longer and with more weight out towards the ends > does not rise as well to the seas as a single although (I'll give Ralph a > freebie here) folding kayaks that flex can be somewhat dryer--other things > being equal) A freebie is always welcome but in truth the person in the bow even in a folding double gets splashed but that also means they act as a windshield...rule one of paddling a double: get somebody big and wide in front and you, the stern paddler, will be as dry as toast. Of course you won't see very much around the hulk sitting in the front. Have some reading material pinned to their back. , 4)so wide you feel like you're about to give birth in the > stirrups just to work the rudder pedals, Gynecologists have been wrestling with what advance to give pregnant women who still want to keep paddling. Matt, your observation holds an answer to this question. 5)longer paddles (less efficient > and more difficult to control) are necessary--so the stern paddler can reach > over the boat and so the bow paddler doesn't set too high a stroke rate for > the stern paddler to keep up, Longer paddles are actually good things to have as they make for more headroom when you use them to hold up a tarp (Greenland storm paddles are the worse). Working out that ratio of paddle lengths for the bow and the stern is good for learning higher mathematics; college-bound students can rate advanced math placement if they have paddled a double. 6)having to agree or negotiate every decision. Do you realize that companies pay big bucks to corporate trainers and facilitators to instill such skills in employees on every level? How much cheaper and more enjoyable it would to take such lessons out of the classroom and put them on the water. > NO THANKS! Matt, this has been just great. The challenges and objections you raise have opened a whole positive side of paddling a double that I never envisioned. YES, THANKS!! :-) ralph :-) -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Fri Mar 10 2000 - 20:52:38 PST
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