Hi Tom, >Ive been here about a month and have seen all these messages about >rolling and such. For me, its out of the question as I paddle a sit on >top kayak until I finish my Chesapeake 18. Actually, you won't find the Chesapeake 18 all that easy to roll. I have the Chesapeake 17, and it's not a real smooth roller. I'd recommend borrowing a whitewater kayak to learn rolling, then transfer your new skills to the Chesapeake. The Ches is a very large kayak, and in your efforts to learn to roll, you might pick up some bad habits. learn to roll the smaller boat with good habits, and get the technique burned into "muscle memory" > My guess is use the paddle to push you over while keeping your body pointed straight down, Ideally, you use the paddle very little--it is a tool to position your body so that your "hip snap" (term used to describe the torso rotation/leg action that actually rights the boat) has the most effect. Think of rolling the boat back under your body, rather than rolling your body up onto the boat. Rolling is not an easy thing to teach yourself to do. My best recommendation is to find a competent instructor who can teach you to roll, or at least get you started on the right track, and give you some pointers to work on that will keep you from developing bad habits. Barring a competent instructor, an incompetent instructor may be better than trying to teach yourself. At least you'll have someone who can flip you upright and save you the hassle of a wet exit with every capsize. Buy the video "Grace under Pressure" or "the Kayak Roll", and the book "The Bombproof Roll and Beyond". Jay Babina also has a video out, but I can't remember its title off the top of my head. Keep your head down. Think of rolling your boat upright, then your body is pulled upright by the boat, then your head is pulled upright by your body. Keep your head down. Practice hipsnaps on the side of a pool or dock. Keep your head on your hands, rotate the boat upside-down, then right-side-up, keeping your head on your hands. At the top of the rotation upward, you will feel the boat pulling your body upward--then and only then, can your body come up. Don't lift your head or body up by yourself, or you'll go back down. keep your head down. >how long does it take one to acquire these skills? Oh, anywhere from 4 hours to 4 years, to a lifetime spent refining the roll once learned! It's well worth it, and I encourage you to pursue this skill!! I learned to roll (in a borrowed WW boat) the winter I was building my Ches. 17. By the time I had the boat finished, I knew how to roll one. Oh, by the way, good hip pads and some knee hooks carved from minicell will make your Chesapeake rolling effort much more positive. Shawn Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better http://health.yahoo.com *************************************************************************** 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 Thu Jul 25 2002 - 12:58:03 PDT
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