Dave said: >>Mary, I don't have a lot of experience kayak surfing. However, I am amazed that your session leaders did not emphasize side-surfing.<< Good side-surfing technique includes the ability to move the bow seaward or the stern seaward. I will often pivot coming in sideways to punch out before being carried too far back into the soup zone where you expand too much energy punching back out repeatedly (recreational surfing situation). On a trip, you just want to get your kayak and gear to shore safely. It would be interesting indeed to talk to Chris Duff about some of this stuff. I hope his new book will have some technical content, and not overly cater to only the unwashed, outdoor-book reader. >>In Caveat: it takes a ruggedly built sea kayak to handle waves of any size....snip....Doug Lloyd can tell us how to reinforce a kayak for large surf.<< I'll restrict myself to keeping comments real, relevant, and only a bit radical. FG kayaks are usually made in two halves and thus, there's your weak link. I know of few manufactures who truly address this issue. Not even the Brits. It is my OPINION that most surf-related damage occurs from buckling. Buckling is mitigated with truly adequate seam reinforcing, all things being equal. Of course, they never are; but accept my proposition with at least a degree of positive energy, as I speak from experience and live-fire battle damage. The importance of seams is a bit of a controversial issue. http://www.nswseakayaker.asn.au/mag/43/seams.html Doug Lloyd Victoria BC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ "Whatever can be said at all can be said clearly and whatever cannot be said clearly should not be said at all." Ludwig Wittgenstein ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ *************************************************************************** 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 Tue Mar 18 2003 - 22:28:12 PST
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