Re: [Paddlewise] Instability of folding kayaks

From: Shawn W. Baker <baker_at_montana.com>
Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2000 14:14:25 -0600
Kevin Whilden wrote:
>> I have never seen a more confused
>> mixture of  2-3 foot high boils with an occasional deep violent whirlpool.
>> Even the hardcore whitewater crazies avoid that place,

Ralph Diaz wrote:
>Sounds ominous.  I would not want to be in that stuff ever.  Who would?

Some people call that fun!

>But I have seen folding kayaks go over nearly that much and just right
>themselves.  

I think it's easier in a narrower boat to regularly practice and
"establish" that tipping point so you know exactly "where" the boat is,
and how it is reacting to the water.  In a very wide ("stable") boat, it
is more difficult to establish that edge.  If you're tilted way up on
edge by an errant wave, you're trusting to the boat's secondary
stability, but not quite sure when and where (and if!) it is going to
kick in.

I'm not knocking folding boats (never paddled one) but I have a harder
time with beamy boats in confused seas than a narrower boat, but that's
just my perception.

Shawn

-- 
Shawn W. Baker          0                                    46°53'N
© 2000            ____©/______                              114°06'W
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^\  ,/      /~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^
baker_at_montana.com    0        http://www.geocities.com/shawnkayak/
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Received on Tue Sep 12 2000 - 13:14:54 PDT

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