Matt Asked (snip): >However, I'm still curious about why Doug wrote that kayaks are sluggish in fresh water. If you are reading this Doug, please let us know.< Matt, I think it must be one of those long-held notions I inherited from the early eighties, probably derived from comments by self-proclaimed experts and some personal experience. I certainly haven't noticed much difference these days, but back when my Nordkapp was still relatively lightweight, I remember comparing fresh water experiences against saltchuck one's. My Nordkapp increases considerably in waterline length fully loaded, and I seem to remember feeling slower in fresh water. I don't recall much difference when comparing the two different water types in the kayak, unloaded. This is all very subjective. With that in mind, plus the fact flat lake water just seems to be a slower grind, probably contributed to my view point. After my post, I figured anyone who wanted to correct my notion would speak up. See, we even got Peter to wade into the discussion after a long dry spell on Paddlewise, whereupon he just gushered out. ;-) However, I still hesitate at the thought of heavily loaded kayaking on fresh water, and can't totally dispel that notion as unscientific as it is. I guess it's like buying an expensive stereo - why bother if the cheaper one sounds just as good to your ears. But, if the subtitles are noticeable to the individual, then do as you wish. I'll take the saltchuck. Maybe Joshua can set me up paddling the Dead Sea. Might make my heavy Nordkapp feel buoyant again. :-) Doug Lloyd Victoria BC *************************************************************************** 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 Wed May 19 2004 - 20:00:23 PDT
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