RE: [Paddlewise] Deep Trouble with New Boat Purchases

At 11:44 AM 1/25/02 -0500, Rick.Sylvia_at_ferguson.com wrote:

>I don't think you can make a correlation between boat and accessory
>sales.  Nonetheless, your point was that not enough people are buying
>the necessary equipment, and with that I agree 100%.  I met someone who
>has been paddling a small rec boat for about 3 years, and didn't even
>know what a paddle float was or why in the world you would ever need to
>pump a boat out!!!!!  Scary stuff.

OK, I'm going to play devils advocate here and naively ask "why is that so 
scary?"

Maybe I've been paddling a rec boat for three years and have never come 
close to tipping over because the place that I paddle never has any 
waves,  I'm always close to shore, and I just don't paddle when the water 
is too cold.
So why should I buy something that I'll never use?

Have you ever watched someone get in or out of a rec boat that's had it for 
awhile?  People with recreational boats can actually step into the middle 
of the cockpit with both feet and then sit down or pull up to shore, stand 
up and step out.  In other words, there are just some things that one can 
get away with in a rec boat that would likely have you upside down in a 
hurry if you tried it in a "real" touring boat (I'm not saying that 
standing up in a touring boat is impossible because I've seen plenty of 
people do it).

Now, let me remove my devils advocate hat...

The reason that I agree that this is scary stuff is that rec boats aren't 
used just for casual recreational paddling in protected warm waters close 
to shore. In fact, rec boats aren't even marketed only for casual paddling 
in benign conditions.  They're also marketed as "beginner" sea kayaks, so 
while a beginner may start out in calm waters as they gain confidence they 
might take their "sea kayak" out into the open waters of a large lake where 
the lack of safety training and equipment could get them in real 
trouble.  That's why when someone has asked me to recommend a "beginner" 
kayak I ask what their goals are.  If they're only going to be using it in 
calm protected waters, maybe for photography or fishing, I would recommend 
an inexpensive rec boat.  However, if they hope to be able to go out on the 
open lake I would suggest a "real" touring boat with bulkheads, all the 
extra safety gear, and some formal instruction.



***************************************************************************
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/
***************************************************************************