A question out of curiosity..... I am a Nova Scotian (a bluenoser, a herring choker) living in Australia. In NS I am use to people getting into there boats on the beach, securing spray skirts and then launching themselves out into the surf or bay or whatever. In Australia I see a lot of people carry there boats into the water and do a tippy balancing maneuver to avoid pulling their boats across the sand. In Canada I have seen a plastic boat with a hole worn through the bottom from one too many seal launches so I am familiar with the inherent risk to the boats. I am curious if it is just a cold water vs warm water climatic difference (it doesn't mater so much if you fall into warm water...), or if it is a paddling culture difference. Or is it because people with Mirages are forced to do this because of there rudder configurations and everyone else here is just trying to copy them. What do most folks do where you live??? cheers Phil MacDonnell -- _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ "BAY AND BEYOND SEA KAYAK TOURS" 38 Lakeside Dr., South Durras, NSW, 2536 Ph: (02) 4478-7777 Webpage: http://www.naturecoast-tourism.com.au/bayandbeyond ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Phil, I use both techniques of launching, depending on the launching conditions. In a calm bay, I float my kayak and then get in the cockpit, using my paddle extended across the back deck for balance. However, if there is surf at the launch, I put the kayak down on the wet/dry sand line, get in it, secure the spray skirt, and then use my paddle and hand on the sand to scoot down into the water. This technique prevents getting sucked into the breaking waves with the spray skirt off. Bt the way, if you use a paddle to help scoot (which is more effective than scooting with just the hands), make sure the you keep the blade that is in the sand parallel to the kayak, otherwise the back and forth angling of the blade as it digs in the sand can break the blade. Duane Strosaker Southern California www.rollordrown.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/ ***************************************************************************
Duane wrote, I use both techniques of launching, G'Day, Same here. If there's surf of any significance I push off from the beach, otherwise get into the floating boat using a paddle behind me for balance. I've seen dedicated boat owners out here put what looks like a fine stretch fabric stocking over their boats before removing them from the water to avoid scratches, these were racing boats and apparently scratches can slow them down. All the best, Peter. (Sydney, Australia) *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
When practicing seal launches off the 7.5m/25ft tower, remember not to rotate forward too much lest the boat enter flat upside down. {Richard hangs his head in shame.} *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
[Moderator's Note: Content unaltered. Excessive quoting (i.e. headers/footers/sig lines/comments from previous posts, etc.) have been removed. Please edit quoted material in addition to removing header/trailers when replying to posts.] In Southern California (water temps of 50 - 60 most of the time) we usually get in the boats on the beach, attach the skirt, and knuckle into the water. Steve Holtzman *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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