RE: [Paddlewise] subjective evaluation of kayaks

The difference between Paddlewise and Seakayaker reviews is that we know
everyone and everyone's opinions are valued regardless of their paddling
experience. The participation in this group is a type of BS filter.

I know that a boat that Sandy loves may not ring Doug's chimes.. By
contextualizing the subjective aspects of a review, it may make the
information more useful to those who are looking for a new boat, or just
a direction to start looking in. 

When I began the quest for my first glass boat, I never would have
considered a Nordkaap..too unstable, etc, etc, but when I did a test
paddle, just to see if I could avoid getting wet, I had no problem with
the boat. If a relative beginner had told me he had purchased a Nordkapp
and he was happy, I would have had a more open mind.

Basically, if we know who the paddler is, how they are built, age and
"intensity" as well as intent, we could go a long way towards
interpreting subjective likes and dislikes about a boat. What is also
useful are other boats they may have owned or paddled extensively, as
comparisons. 

This sort of harks back to my graduate days in Psycho-Geography where I
was involved in developing a metaphoric language to describe non-verbal
environmental experience, using automobiles as a metaphoric system. An
example may be to try to describe your current boat in terms of a
dessert. I.e. my boat is like an Italian lemon sorbet while the K-light
is more like a fudge brownie.

cya

 

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