Hello again Kevin and All, All I can offer is what I have observed over the years teaching and leading tours. My experience has been that with groups of paddlers with low to moderate skill levels, the boats of lower stability capsize first. (Though here's something funny for you, I only had one capsize in all of my tours this year and he was in a stable single Kayak, less than 20 'from shore in mirror calm conditions. He leaned WAYYYY over the side to look at his rudder and sploosh over he went.) I would suggest that if you put one expert in a tippy boat and one expert in a stable boat (both boats that the experts are familiar with) they would both stay upright until the point of exhaustion and then capsize. I will say that with two novices in the same situation I have always seen the skinny boat capsize first. The first sea kayak I ever paddled in rough water was a Dirigo, remember those? 27.5" wide. I paddled the Dirigo in some pretty rough stuff and never capsized. I have also paddled my Dawn Treader in similar conditions and stayed upright, same same Nordkapp. I guess there could be a point where too much stability becomes a problem, it's just that I have never witnessed it. I have lead people in double Folbots in conditions that I never would have taken them in in even moderately beamy singles. Stability can be an advantage. As you and I know each other, I think you also know that my preference in personal boats leans towards skinny tippy little craft. Why? Because they are fun! If you said: "Rob we're going to drop you into this hurricane and we want you to survive as long as you can, pick a boat." I would opt for a Godzilla or an old Response, both stable and easy to roll and control. Hey I might as well have some fun surfing before I go! Anyway, just things I've noticed. Cheers, Rob Cookson "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety" Benjamin Franklin > -----Original Message----- > From: Kevin Whilden [mailto:kevin_at_yourplanetearth.org] > Sent: Tuesday, September 12, 2000 9:57 AM > > At 09:00 AM 9/12/00 -0700, Rob Cookson wrote: > >Hi Kevin, > > > >Can you name one instance where two paddlers of like skill were > out in rough > >water, one in a stable boat and one in a narrow boat, where the > narrow boat > >remained upright and the stable boat capsized? > > Hi Rob, > You know something... I cannot name a situation like you describe. I also > cannot name the converse either. It's weird, but I have never > been on a sea > kayak trip where someone has capsized unintentionally outside of the surf > zone. It seems like I either paddle with people who are very skilled > whitewater boaters, or in conditions that are very benign. I have > capsized > personally on solo trips, but that doesn't help either. But it > sounds like > you have an opinion on whether high initial stability can become a > liability, so let's hear it! > Kevin > *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue Sep 12 2000 - 11:34:51 PDT
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:30:32 PDT