RE: [Paddlewise] Stability Discussion

John Said:
I think it is safe to say that the #1 fear for someone getting
into a kayak for the first time is tipping over and getting
trapped inside.  As a result, those wide large cockpit boats
known as "recreational kayaks" are sold as "beginners" kayaks.
Once someone has been in a kayak for a very short time, has
intentionally done a wet exit, and especially after they've
unintentionally capsized and done a wet exit, they've realize
that tipping over really isn't a big deal.

Jeff Responds:
Actually John, I think this statement might be oversold by the experts.  My
wife and I -- both of whom are newbie paddlers -- both sat in rec boats.
Neither of us had any value judgements surrounding the type of boat we
bought.  We were in it for the fun more than whether some other hypothetical
paddler would approve of our boat choice.  Even so, both of us felt that we
much preferred the more nimble feel of boats like the looksha sport over the
more stable feel of boats like the Carolina.  I have an extremely well
developed sense of balance and it wouldn't really occur to me to fear either
tipping or wet-exiting.  Carol, on the other hand, is much more towards the
median on these things.  Both of us, however, ended up at the same
conclusion.  Also of interest is that both of us felt comfortable in boats
where there was a fairly definite "edge".  Boats that didn't clearly define
for us how far was too far felt uncomfortable and vaguely scarey.  In other
words, we both like a boat that leaned easily, but stopped that lean at a
certain point with some assertiveness.

I always hear the more seasoned paddlers make the assertion that newbies
look for high initial stability.  Not only for my wife and myself, but also
the other newbies we have talked to, all of us felt that the hard edge on
the near the top of the stability curve mattered more than initial
stability.  The only thing I can think of is that these people all did some
fairly good research with a knowledgeable dealer before forming their
opinions.  I suppose that I could see that if someone just went out and
bought a boat without talking to anyone about it or having any real
knowledge of the fact that there are such things as primary and secondary
stability much less the "edge" on the secondary stability, then they might
feel more comfortable in a boat with high primary stability.

On another note, although I'm sure that they exist, I have never talked to a
single newbie paddler who feared being able to exit their boat.  Most of us
feared being dumped into 50 degree water *shiver* (bought my boat in
December).  Most of us wondered how the heck you get back in again.  But
nobody so far has feared not being able to exit before drowning.

Jeff
Doing my part to reconnect you old salts with a real newbie *chuckle*

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