RE: [Paddlewise] Grace Under Pressure

At 01:08 AM 9/12/2003 -0400, Michael Daly wrote:
>On 11 Sep 2003 at 20:31, Don Margiano wrote:
>
> >  A WW boat is easier to roll than a seayak.
>
>I don't think this is always true, but it tends to psyche people out
>when they try to learn in a sea kayak.
>
>I've found, as one example, that my Boreal Designs Ellesmere SK is
>about as easy to roll as my Perception Pirouette WW.  The lower
>volume (and some not so low volume) sea kayaks, especially the
>Greenland style, are particularly easy to roll.  Some of the boxy WW
>kayaks and high volume creek boats can be trickier.  Many WW boats
>are kinda beamy and the boxy ones have multiple points where they are
>stable.  The latter results in a kayak that rolls like a square
>wheel.

I was going to write exactly the same thing.  Most of the early 
displacement hull ww kayaks like the Pirouette are very easy.



>The sea kayaks that are hard to roll are the ones with lots of volume
>and especially those with high seats and rear decks.  The latter
>prevents or restricts a proper layback.  I remember trying to roll an
>old design Gulfstream and feeling I was about to break my spine.  The
>2000 and newer versions, OTOH, roll like a log.  I can't imagine
>rolling some of the Seaward touring kayaks with their high, wrap-
>around plastic seats - I'd rip that out and replace it with a
>backband or foam block quickly.


I've paddled and rolled all of the Seaward kayaks except the very newest 
models.   None of them had a plastic seat.  They all have a foam seat that 
fits into a nylon covering that also serves as a backup paddlefloat.  The 
backband *is* a hard plastic piece wrapped with a padded nylon sleeve.   I 
agree that they make the backband too high but it's easy to trim off and 
inch or so from the top.   I didn't find any of the Seaward kayaks 
particularly difficult to roll, even the higher volume Navigator and Vision 
(they're much too big for me).  However, I usually do more of a sweep to C 
roll and only really do layback rolls when I'm using a Greenland stick.   I 
have, however, done a butterfy roll with a Greenland stick in the Endeavor 
and Luna.

>In all, outfitting and fit are probably more important than type of
>kayak when it comes to rolling.

One of the reasons why I found the Seaward boats relatively easy was the 
knee "hooks" built into the cockpit combing.  Even if there was lots of 
room between my hips and the sides of the boats the knee hooks gave me 
something to grab onto.

John Fereira
jaf30_at_cornell.edu
Ithaca, NY

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