Joshua, You've summed up the general differences between British and American kayaks and kayakers very well. My limited experience with them supports the stereotypes, too. Whether it's because their kayaks work for them, because American paddlers tend to be less-knowledgeable, because SUV-like kayaks fit the American psyche better than MG and Triumph-like kayaks, because SUV paddlers can't appreciate paddling sports kayaks, or because sports (read British) kayaks are overrated by their owners - Americans seem to be happy with their polypropylene trucks. I've got a sports car mentality (enjoyed driving a stick-shift Fiat 1000 km through Israel), so a British-style kayak appealed to me. The only difference between mine and your vision of one is that mine is light and it doesn't track well. The latter may be a function of its shortness (15'8") more than anything else. In an ideal world, we'd all have four or more kayaks - one for big water and long trips, one for maneuverability and short trips, etc. No, American kayaks aren't that stable and safe. Most American kayak shops simply don't turn beginners loose without supervision, or they turn them loose in sheltered areas where the dangers are minimized. The opinions above are mine, not necessarily those of an experienced or knowledgeable paddler. Darrell Lee Alameda, CA snorkler_at_juno.com *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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