[Paddlewise] What's Wrong with Kayaking

From: Nick Schade <nick_at_guillemot-kayaks.com>
Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2004 19:19:54 -0500
I was just in the local Barnes & Noble looking through the magazine 
rack. I noticed that there were 4 or 5 slick surfing magazines and no 
kayaking magazines. While they typically do carry some, I find it 
amazing that here on the northeast coast where surfing is virtually non 
existent and sea kayaking is quite popular, that so much more shelf 
space would be devoted to surfing than kayaking.

All these surfing magazines have very attractive covers. One is 
virtually an art publication. The whole image presented is interesting 
and exciting. How come sea kayaking is portrayed as boring? Is a 
picture of a low-end kayak, sitting calmly on smooth water really the 
image of sea kayaking that attracts us to the sport? Is this really the 
cover shot that is going to attract people to the sport?

It seems to me that the enthusiastic sea kayakers participate in a 
different sport from what we see on the covers and inside the sea 
kayaking magazines. Wouldn't it be good for the sport if it was 
portrayed in the same way that the most enthusiastic experience it?

While we are on the subject, who is happy with the new layout of Sea 
Kayaker Magazine? To me it looks like just another conglomerate 
produced enthusiast publication. The old layout was distinctive and at 
least somewhat interesting.

Nick Schade

Guillemot Kayaks
824 Thompson St
Glastonbury, CT 06033
USA
Ph/Fx: (860) 659-8847
http://www.guillemot-kayaks.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/
***************************************************************************
Received on Mon Dec 20 2004 - 16:20:38 PST

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:31:18 PDT