To add to recent comments, an observation: I recently outfitted my CLC North Bay, a somewhat tender (20" abeam) boat which has a few skittery idiosyncracies, with a padded knee tube, and took it out for the first time with the tube installed on Sunday. The difference in handling was significant, and I credit the knee tube with creating a feeling of solidity in bracing that is very similar to my Pintail's feeling (achieved with foam blocks currently) of excellent, solid lateral control. Given the Chesapeake Bay's 37 degree F. water temperature, I did not paddle with bare knees, but I think the point is that it may matter less whether of not the bracing surface has "grip" and more whether or not the structure which you use to brace your knees and hips is solid and "supportive". If you rely on grip to establish lateral stability --- your knees' or your seat's tendency to slide laterally in a brace or roll --- it seems to me that you're adding increased requirements for muscle groups to achieve the required friction with the potentially slippery bracing surfaces in order to remain comfortable and balanced. On the other hand, if the structure of your bracing surfaces --- hip pads limiting your potential for sliding laterally, foamed knee "hooks" or a cushioned knee tube to keep your knees and thighs where you want them --- allows you to keep your lateral stability within acceptable limits, then the surface friction of your bracing surfaces becomes less and less an issue. Additionally, surface friction when entering or exiting your boat is probably not an advantage, and, in extremis, a wet exit could be harder to achieve if the surfaces are too "sticky". I could probably reduce the above gibberish to 25 or fewer well chosen words, but my "smoke break" is over, the books are still open, and my PaddleWise fix for the day is complete. Good luck with the outfitting schemes --- it's a question of continuous improvement! Jack Martin *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue Jan 16 2001 - 09:38:02 PST
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