> Well, I've always liked being able to get my legs out first, because it > makes sketchy exits and entries much easier. When there's more rocks than > beach, it allows me to get in and out of the kayak in deeper water so > there's less wear and tear on the hull of my kayak. It also makes dock exits > easier, especially when the dock is higher than normal. > Large cockpits, when properly designed, have no disadvantages except for a > slightly higher chance of implosion in large surf. It is possible to get > excellent thigh bracing in a large cockpit; ask any whitewater creekboater > about this, where leg-first exits are 100% necessary for survival. What > really bugs me is that so very few sea kayaks have even halfway decent thigh > braces. No wonder people think sea kayaks are hard to roll -- *any* kayak is > hard to roll without decent bracing. Now if only sea kayak manufacturers > would learn something from their whitewater brethren, where comfort, > control, and escapability are standard. > One thing about tracking... tracking is not just a physical characterisitic > of a kayak, it also a skill that must be learned. Since Sea Kayaker's > reviewers are not kayaking automatons, there will be minor variations in > perceived tracking characteristics because of different skill levels. That's > why there are three reviewers instead of only one. Well Kevin, you stuck three well deserved pins in my balloon! Those are all good points, though I do think that there is a tracking characteristic inherent (or not) in a kayak, and that it is describable. It is true though, that a skilled paddler can make a boat that tracks poorly, go straight. That still doesn't mean the boat tracks well. There is a trade off between tracking and turning. Boats that turn readily don't track as strongly as boats that automatically glide in a straight line. Boats that glide for many yards in a straight line are characteristically slow to turn. In other words, the more you have of one, the less you have of the other. A whitewater paddler develops the ability to make a boat that tracks poorly, go straight. A sea kayaker who habitually uses a straight running boat develops extra skill in turning it (one hopes, anyway). As regards better designed cockpits, I'm all for it. My business be damned! I wish the makers would get serious about putting thigh hooks in the right place so I'd have something to glue to, and wouldn't have to cantilever foam blocks out into space when I'm fitting knees. I think you and I are probably both fans of keyhole cockpits that are easy to get in and out of, and afford plenty of surface for glueing knee braces. As you say, there is no reason why a person would want anything else. Your comments are right on. I wouldn't dream of disagreeing. Ken Rasmussen www.kayakfit.com kayakfit_at_fidalgo.net *************************************************************************** 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 Sat May 12 2001 - 22:43:16 PDT
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