-----Original Message----- From: Michael Daly Sent: Domingo, 30 de Diciembre de 2001 07:32 a.m. To: Paddlewise Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Ballast and sponsoons...where is the kayak? From: "Michael Orchard" <mspadorchard_at_attbi.com> > All this talk of ballast and sponsoons... all may do as designed, but the > product mounted on a boat would not end up being what to me is a kayak... > > Apparrent simplicity...and beauty is in the simplicity of design, and > therefore much more interesting to operate, and less likely to malfunction. All true, but it leaves many paddlers with no options if they end up in the water. Since rolls and such are limited to the minority, stabilization aids are necessary for the others.... (snip) ---------------------------------------------------------- Hi paddlewisers, it's been a while since I last posted but I've been reading all the posts though. So here I am motivated once more by this old thread .... Michael Daly says a kayak with sponsons is not a kayak ... and he is right. Michael Orchad says the majority of paddlers don't know how to roll and he is probably right too. But considering sponsons and paddle floats as true alternatives to the roll is in my opinion a grate mistake. Rolling is not that hard to learn and doesn't require any special ability neither physical shape. Everybody can and should learn to roll, because roll is to kayaking as important as the forward stroke. Actually, rolling can be learned before the rest of the techniques, making the whole learning process faster and easier. Students feel more safe when leaning the kayak knowing if hey can capsize they can always roll back up. I have taught this way for years with grate success. With the same money you will spend in sponsons and paddle floats you may pay an instructor. The rest is only practice and patience, and it will come. It doesn't matter how you are. Sponsons and paddle floats can be considered as secondary alternatives for emergency use when roll and reentry and roll have failed. You don't put sponson like artifacts to a horse to avoid falling when you ride it, you just learn how to ride it so you are not afraid any more. Learning all the techniques is the wiser way to think about safety, and this starts and includes rolling. I would like to know the opinion of Andree Hurley and all the other ACA and BCU instructors and students of the list think about this. Best regards to all of you and have a happy new year !!! Fernando Lopez Arbarello Kayak Argentina - Sea Kayaking Mailing List www.geocities.com/kayak_argentina mailto:kayak_argentina_at_yahoo.com PS.: wow ! ... a horse with sponsons .... I might have gone tooooooooo far this time ..... I only hope Mr.Sponsonman is not lurking out there. I don't want to have all the "cowboys" coming after me .... :) *************************************************************************** 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 Sun Dec 30 2001 - 12:19:42 PST
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