I paddle in the Chicago area where lots of the people I paddle with have "real" sea kayaks with decks, cockpits, bulkheads, etc. Yet only a very small number of them ever go camping out of their boats. So why bother buying an expedition boat? There are probably lots of reasons, but I view my sea kayak as an expedition vehicle and am sometimes puzzled by the boat choices people make. My daily paddles are in my slalom boat because it easier to carry to the river and is more fun to paddle. My Feathercraft is a fantastic boat when I have to fly in to paddle. My whitewater play boat is only good in whitewater, but there it is a total delight to paddle. My skin on frame boat is the fastest and best looking boat I have, it is used when I want a speed rush or want to impress people. I even have a forty year old kayak polo boat for smashing through ice and for bird rescues. Other people's boat choices, I'm sure, make sense to them. Bless those bathtub boaters, they are voices to be heard when we all get together and push for things like access, clean water, habitat preservation and all that. But I, too, cringe a bit when people call them kayaks. Jim Tibensky *************************************************************************** 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 Thu Nov 09 2006 - 05:46:39 PST
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