I agree with Doug Loyd regarding importance of writing this case, but now-here, as well as possible, before final report next August or September in a magazine. I greatly appreciate Bob Myers added details on this sad case. Here are several questions I have: What type of boat, glass or plastic, decklines in place? Broad beam or narrow, bulkheads or airbags fore and aft? I assume Mr. Goodman had a spray skirt that he could remove without difficulty. I am particularly interested in the type of paddle (length, Greenland or Euro, off-set or not). That Mr. Goodman was a "strong paddler", at times "difficult to keep up with" suggests to me that he may have used a relatively short Euro paddle that power paddlers often prefer. Was Mr. Goodman able to roll his boat in his younger days? Thanks, Chuck Sutherland *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Chuck wrote: > What type of boat, glass or plastic, decklines in place? > Broad beam or narrow, bulkheads or airbags fore and aft? I assume Mr. > Goodman had a spray skirt that he could remove without difficulty. > > I am particularly interested in the type of paddle (length, > Greenland or Euro, off-set or not). That Mr. Goodman was a > "strong paddler", at times "difficult to keep up with" > suggests to me that he may have used a relatively short Euro > paddle that power paddlers often prefer. > > Was Mr. Goodman able to roll his boat in his younger days? The boat that he has regularly paddled for the last 2 years or so was a Current Designs Solstice GT or GTS in Kevlar, I believe it was the GTS, but I'm not 100% sure. In any event the boat is 17'7" long and either 22 or 24 inches wide. The boat is equipped with two bulkheads and a front and rear hatch plus a rudder. It had full perimeter decklines. Len always wore a pfd and a spray skirt that he had no trouble removing. The paddle he used was a Feathercraft paddle that was longer than most paddlers use today. He never had a roll and finally last year gave up on trying to learn it. He kept saying he no longer had the strength to do that in spite of many people telling him it was not a question of strength. Steve Holtzman *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Hi Steve, Thanks for the details. For myself, I favor longer paddles for the added turning leverage in rough-pushy conditions and the superior bracing it gives me in such conditions. Too bad he never learned how low impact a good back deck roll can be. I'm 65. When I took up white water kayaking in about 1975, I had real fear of having to swim big white water and having to depend on others to capture my gear. I worked hard to develop a no-fail roll. If I were just starting today--hard to say how it would go. In retrospect- the skill of the instructor is at least as important as the determination of the student. When I and my friends learned, a bunch of us went out to the local lake several times a week after work to do nothing but practice rolling. A reentry and roll with a paddle float is stunningly easy with the important added advantage that the paddle and float is an instant outrigger once the paddler is upright. In the discussions that have followed Mr. Goodman's death, I really like the idea of attaching an outdated drivers license to one's PFD. I'll add that to my cold water boating lectures. We need diagrams and descriptions of HOW folks attach their stuff to their pfds. Thanks for the information. Chuck Sutherland *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Chuck, I neglected to answer all of your questions in my previous post. His paddle was a Euro style either 230 or 240 and I believe he used it feathered. Both my friend Peter and I use sticks and I don't think either of us actually checked to see if his was feathered or not. Like you, I prefer longer paddles. When I used a Euro paddle, my favorite one was a Derek Hutchinson Toksook and that was a 240 which gave the same shaft size as my other 230's. My GP's are all 89 inches which I believe is the equivalent of a 220. cm paddle. Steve *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Hi John, What is learned by asking about the paddle? Leverage for rolling, bracing, skulling, turning, stroke angle in high winds, and effective paddlefloat outrigger are greatly influenced by paddle length. These issues contribute to effective boat handling in difficult conditions. Thus my questions about what kind of stick did Mr. Goodman use when he went out in the wind. In my opinion, there is more to effective boat handling than just pure sprint speed in optimum paddling conditions. Chuck Sutherland *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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