RE: [Paddlewise] accidents in general - another option

DHMO, for some it is dangerous, but I drink it straight up and undiluted. I
like the uncut pure white powder form of it too (but not up my nose).

Often things will take care of themselves if you don't inject a lot of rules
and regulations into the mix that mess up the natural ecosystems balance.
Accidents happen and sometimes people die for whatever the reasons. The news
media does its job and reports the tragedy because, more than anything else,
people want to be informed about what is causing other people to die. The
public is therefore warned of the dangers, in our case that "kayaking (or
DHMO) can kill you". The members of the public who hear the sad news will
consider that fact. Some will stay well away from significant quantities of
DHMO altogether, some will never ever get into any boat. Some will endeavor
to learn about the hazards and try to operate their watercraft a safe and
prudent manner. Some will flirt with danger because that is when they really
feel fully alive. Some will forget or ignore all the warnings they got. Some
from each category (but not in equal proportions) will die and serve as
another warning of the dangers involved in kayaking for those still living.
What better education could there be? I don't see the need for any
regulations here at all. Very few kayakers are a danger to anyone other than
themselves so let them alone.

Sure, a business that rents kayaks might want to limit its liability by
offering courses and then requiring graduating from it (or a comparable
course) before renting kayaks to that potential customer. However, in
reality that company may have just increased its liability because their
course may be seen (by the jury) to have been deficient in not covering the
very event that resulted in the tragedy. That business may have saved dozens
of lives by offering that course but if it gave the victim a false
confidence, and had certified the victim as competent, then they may have
opened themselves up to some of the liability even if the certified paddler
did something really stupid. I can see no justification here for getting
fitted with a one-size-fits-all government straight-jacket of rules and
regulations. I'm actually quite appalled by all the complicated bureaucratic
solutions that have been proposed by this group. Is it so bad if someone
saves their life by not ever going kayaking. It might hurt the pocketbook of
those in the paddling business some, but I say, "that is one less person
camped next door to me screaming bloody murder or hunting raccoons all
night". Another business might want to offer classes to help reassure the
timid that kayaking can be safe if practiced in a sane manner. They will
probably also increase their kayak sales that way. This will all come about
quite naturally, just as it has so far.

I personally think there are some demographic populations that should
probably stay away from sea kayaking. The relatively high price of entry has
kept one of these groups pretty much at bay so far. I'm talking about those
under age 30. Since this is precisely the group that is most likely to lack
the judgment to not kill themselves on the water (or in a car, bike, ski
slope, etc) it seems that maybe the high up front cost of sea kayaking has
already been protecting them from themselves. The cheaper cost of Rec.
kayaking combined with the promotion that sea kayaking is getting in TV
advertising these days (possibly also combined with the lack of expertise in
the big box sporting goods stores often selling Rec. kayaks) may well seduce
some more folks into using their new rec kayak inappropriately (and become
further examples helping to warn those people who should never become sea
kayakers that they have made the right choice in avoiding this dangerous
sport). I think of this whenever I hear of some new program started by some
do-gooder zealous promoter of sea kayaking to teach the sport to inner city
youth. "Yes kids, kayaking can be addictive. No, you can't afford it. Here,
your first taste is on me at no charge".

Alv Elvestad
Pakboats  wrote:
>>>>>>>>I think all recreational boats sold should be required to have
enough built-in flotation to keep boat and occupants afloat and placed to
keep the boat upright and stable after a capsize.
I know that my suggestion would add a level of regulation that we do not
like very much, but such rules are in place and seem to work well for other
craft. Why should paddle craft be exempt? <<<<<<<<

The Coast Guard's level flotation requirements (that canoes and kayaks are
currently exempt from) specify enough fixed solid flotation material (like
foam----inflatable bladders and even bulkheads won't pass muster) to allow a
swamped boat to remain level and to float the number of people listed as the
boats required capacity label. I hate to tell you this Alv, but you would
have real trouble referring to them as "Pakboats" any longer under the level
flotation rules you want to saddle us all with. Sea kayakers would have
liked to use the space taken up by this solid fixed flotation to store gear
in order to go camping. It will take way more foam than you might think to
float you and your now 80 pound kayak. Of course, you need the kayak to also
float level side to side, when fully swamped and with a paddler aboard (as
the requirement we are seeking to comply with specifies). In that case the
foam would have to be placed around the perimeter and a single kayak and
would probably have to be 30" or more wide to also float level with the
paddler aboard. At least that way you might get much of the storage room in
the middle of the kayak back to use for gear. A salesman at REI once
informed me that the Walden kayak I was looking at didn't need any extra
flotation bags because it already had flotation built into the bow and
stern. Sure enough, on closer inspection a little block of foam was fixed in
each end of it, so the kayak was unlikely to completely sink. A little
flotation like that in a kayak may well prove to be worse than no flotation
at all if it leads to assumptions like the salesman made and then passed on
to me that more flotation wasn't needed. Sp*ns*n man, .....maybe we could
fill your air bladders with two part urethane foam and then affix them
permanently to the side of our hulls to convert our now out of compliance
kayaks to the new U.S. Coast Guard level flotation regulations proposed
here.

Or we could go whole hog...............Announcing "The War on Kayaking". Yes
its another war folks, maybe we can nip this kayaking thing in the bud
before there gets to be too many of them kayakers out there endangering
themselves (and our younguns with their bad example) and making us have to
risk ourselves to go looking for their bodies. "Kayaking is a privilege not
a right", and "When kayaks are outlawed only outlaws will kayak" bumper
stickers will appear. Hell why not, we've already so easily given up our
right to eat whatever we want (with the drug laws) and the new "War on
Terror" should help us shed a whole slew of irresponsible old former
"rights".

I don't wanna die sir. Just do anything you gotta to do to keep me safe
massa.

Matt Broze
http://www.marinerkayaks.com/


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