Scott, the strong negative opinions you have observed many experienced paddlers holding toward sponsons rather than other rescue equipment is because the sponsons are embuggerances that are not particularly useful,and present significant risks. 1. Sponsons will not prevent capsizes in rough seas. 2. Sponsons can not be installed seas rough enough to cause a capsize. 3. Sponsons create a false sense of security in inexperienced paddlers, who will paddle in bad conditions with the expectation that sponsons will prevent them from capsizing or will be useful in re-entering upon capsizing. 4. Sponsons are bulky, thus taking up space in very small craft that would be better used for useful rescue and survival equipment. 5. Sponsons present an entanglement risk to persons trying to re-enter in rough water. 6. The only thing that sponsons do is widen the boat, however, wide boats already exist. 7. Sponsons installed prior to entering the water harm the performance of the boat, just as do training wheels on a bicycle. Cheers, Richard Culpeper "Bemis, Scott E." wrote: > With these notes, why are experienced sea kayakers so hostile to the mere > mention of the word "sponsons"? I realize sponsons are not a replacement > for experience, good judgment, practice with rolling, etc. However, when > discussing potential kayak rescues, this hostility is unwarranted in my > opinions. I have not faced this hostility when discussing different kayak > rescues, for example, paddle float rescues. *************************************************************************** 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 Oct 31 2002 - 16:25:16 PST
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:31:00 PDT