"Rolling with some kind of inflatable device is no easier than rolling with a paddle." Jed, do you really think so? Inflate a paddlefloat sometime, go over, and come up the same side. No training required almost. It's too easy. Vastly simpler than the learning required to roll with a paddle. The only practical difficulty is that most of us won't be paddling with an inflated seal stomach on the deck, ready. Matt Broze has a description of this manoeuvre under the rescue float manual at http://www.marinerkayaks.com/, called the "float roll". This seems to be what the roll-aid is designed for. Why not consider it as well as the armoury of other self rescues? While I try to roll each time I paddle, I am completely sceptical about the idea that you can always roll up. Try paddling for 10 hours into the wind, then face a landing through 2 metre dumpers. Do you think you can always roll when you're tired, the water is cold, and you've just taken a surf pummelling? Sea kayaking stories are replete with instances of experienced paddlers whose bombproof roll doesn't happen when the crunch comes. I like the idea of backups for everything in sea kayaking, including the roll. That's why I park a paddlefloat on the deck on any significant trip. Maybe the roll-aid is better than a paddlefloat. You don't have to leave the cockpit to use it, and it can apparently be used as a paddlefloat as well, by oral inflation. We need some gear freak to get a roll-aid and give it a real testing, then report to Paddlewise. A self confessed equipment maniac...any volunteers Jed? Regards, Peter Treby 37º 42' S 145º 08' E *************************************************************************** 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 Feb 13 2001 - 13:56:21 PST
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:30:37 PDT