Re: [Paddlewise] Sea Kayaker Reviews

Some years back I complained to Sea Kayaker about their reviews and told
them (as well as the builders of my kayak designs) that I had no interest in
the magazine ever testing my boats. I still feel that way even though they
use a formula for resistance that I developed.

I have the following problems with their tests:

1. I design a boat to suit a market the builder perceives. I know of few
kayakers (actually none, including myself) with enough understanding of the
marketplace, kayaks and design to comment appropriately on someone else's
design. Any review with a subjective component has diminished value at best
and no value at worst. Unfortunately one can't tell which.

2. Each of my kayaks gets designed for a specific weight range. Sea Kayaker
blindly ignores this in their reviews. I can think of nothing less useful
than to test a boat at a displacement 20%  to 30% and more above or below
its designed displacement. Why don't we test sports cars to see how much
gravel they can carry or dump trucks for their acceleration from 0 - 60?

3. Sea Kayaker uses no standardized tests  for handling. I sent them a
series
of standardized tests to use and they told me they did not have time to use
them in their testing. So much for objectivity.

4. Sea Kayaker has no standard tests for watertight integrity of hatches or
function of any of the gear. What you get - opinions and observations based
upon minimal experience  - really don't amount to much.

5. Opinions, as I believe an American politician once said, "Aren't worth a
pot of warm spit." They have even less value if you don't know anything
about the person providing the opinion. Consider wine experts. They often
disagree about the same wine because personal tastes differ but that causes
no problems for consumers who can taste a wine and compare their personal
opinion with that of the expert. Then they can say, "Well, Robert Parker and
I see eye to eye on red cabernets but his opinion on Pinot Grigio and mine
just don't match. So, I will heed his advice on one but not the other."
Can't do that with the Sea Kayaker reviews. We don't know the people doing
the testing nor do we know how their skill. prejudice, and experience adds
or detracts from their reviews.

6. Even the most objective experts have prejudices that do not allow them to
see the value of boats that do not fit their "idea" of a "good" boat.

7. Magazines like Sea Kayaker depend upon advertising to survive. This
vested interest diminishes their value as objective critics of products
built by advertisers. I know, they may claim they don't pull any punches.
BS. OK, perhaps I have an advanced case of cynicism, but I just don't see
any halos over Seattle.

8. Just about any builder can twist the review to make it sound like his/her
boat was designed by saints anointed by God to bring tears of joy to the
paddling community. More BS.

9. The reviews lack consistency. Some times a comment (favourable or
unfavourable)  gets made and then, later the reverse or a significantly
different opinion gets mentioned. (I regret that I can no longer remember
the specific details of this as it happened some time back so don't come
asking me for details. I don't keep ongoing records of such stuff).


ETC. ETC. ETC.

Having said all that, we should never allow the perfect to become the enemy
of the good. What we get from Sea Kayaker remains the best available (to my
knowledge). Someday, in a better world ...............

Cheers,

John Winters
Redwing Designs
Web site address http://home.ican.net/~735769




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