RE: [Paddlewise] Boat selection-was Paddlefests

Hi Janet and All,

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
> [mailto:owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net]On Behalf Of JW

<SNIP>

> Tippy makes me think of  what one of the kayak people in class said.  He
> thought it would be better to get a boat that scared (my word)
> you a little
> because it wouldn't be any time at all before you become better
> at paddling
> and would want an upgrade.  I'd never heard that said before.  I'm
> cogitating on this.  If you have an opinion let me have it.  :)
>

<RANT>

I would be very careful with this line of thinking.  My suggestion would be
to focus on what your ultimate goals are.  If you want to be a racer, then
absolutely buy a fast boat that is more than you can handle and grow into
it.  If you want to really explore the "boat handling" aspect of the sport,
push your skills, develop rolls, sculling braces, and play in surge or tidal
streams, then get a boat that is narrower and easy to edge and roll.  You
can do still do all of those things in bigger boats it's just more work.
But, and this is a big but, if you are seeking a more gentle experience and
doing general touring, there is nothing wrong with stability and volume.
Stability lets you take nice photos and relax to eat or catch fish.  Volume
allows you to carry big thermarests, and dutch ovens, and spare shoes, and
wine, and tarps.  Buy a boat based on how you plan to use it, not based on
the way some expert uses their boat.

There are a number of people that will tell you that tippy boats are more
seaworthy and easier to handle in rough water.  This has not been my
experience at all.  What I have seen is that if you put novice to
intermediate paddlers in a mix of stable boats  and tippy boats and then
give them some wind and waves the stable boats stay upright much longer than
the tippy ones.  If you place an expert in a stable boat and an expert in a
tippy boat they will both stay upright until the point of exhaustion.
Stability is also a relative thing.  What is tippy for a football player is
going to be stable for the average woman.  It is important that the boat
fits you physically.  Most women are shorter in the torso, and therefore
need a boat that is shallower, especially at the cockpit.  Also because of
the lower center of gravity women can generally paddle boats that are a
little narrower.  I think it's true that you want a boat that you can edge,
but that doesn't mean that you need a boat that makes you nervous to paddle.

I recently had a student leave a class because he just couldn't handle his
boat.  The boat was way too much for him to handle and consequently even
after owning the boat for a year he couldn't relax in the boat.  In fact he
couldn't keep the boat upright in anything other than mill pond conditions
and that was a challenge; and this after roll instruction and several hours
of edge control and bracing classes.  It was a great boat, it just wasn't a
good choice for this paddler.  He purchased this boat because he bought into
this whole expert paddler philosophy that demands tippy boats.  You know the
attitude, real men paddle brand x.

Now all of that said.  I'm a boat snob, I love skinny, tippy, frisky boats.
I think that they are a lot of fun, I like to play with the boat and I don't
mind getting wet.  I like the way my boat handles in rough water and my
photography isn't any good on dry land; so I'm used to poor photos from the
boat.  I can't fish out of my boat unless I'm rafted up with someone and
that's ok too.  Are there boats that are too tippy for me?  You bet!  Greg
Barton's Speedster is a very fast boat when Greg is in the cockpit.  When
I'm in the boat it's pretty slow, I can make it go faster sideways than I
can forward (I can keep my paddle in the water sideways).

Bottom line, buy a boat that suits _YOUR_ needs not someone else's.

</RANT>

Cheers,

--
Rob Cookson
		3 Hats Design
		INTERNET  PRINT  ILLUSTRATION
		5201 15 Ave NW
		Suite 220
		Seattle, WA 98107
		206.851.8202 direct line
		206.784.1641 main office phone
		206.784.2231 main office fax
		mailto:rob_at_3hats.com
		http://www.3hats.com

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