Re: [Paddlewise] Revisiting: A Conversation with Derek Hutchinson

Doug Lloyd 1981

Choices:

1. River kayak. Shuttling, no solo. Did some.

2. By Klepper or a Pisces, take local course, read John D's book, learn 
about tides, get in, push rudder peddle, go left or right. Don't even think 
about surf. Yawn.

3. By a Nordkapp or Baidarka, take BCU course with Hutchy, learn about 
currents, get in, scull, roll, brace, turn. Head for surf and waves. Get up 
next day. Do it again. Yeah.

Been happy with the latter. Hate and love Hutch. He did however, change my 
life. Would not be the same universe for me if I had not met him.

Doug Lloyd
somewhere north of the PNW

>I agree that Derek is a little hyperinflated now.
>
> But for me, it is just water off the deck.
>
> He is old and he actively markets himself. If he did not market  himself, 
> he would be ignored. Nobody else is going to put much effort  into saying 
> how great he is. He enjoys being a public figure. He has  to try and make 
> himself relevant. I ran into him first when he was  doing the Aleution 
> paddle because I happened to live in Alaska. I had  a friend up there who 
> was on the expedition who was a better paddler  than Derek. But of course 
> nobody has ever heard of him or asks him any  questions. But Derek had the 
> enthusiasm and effusiveness to get a  bunch of people together to do the 
> damn paddle. One on one, I have  found him a little rude.
>
> There are many early kayaking pioneers that did impressive and  innovative 
> things that you never hear about. Lots of kayakers are  loner types. And 
> lots viewed the whole sport differently.
>
> But go out there now and try and sell a paddle or a kayak design. You,  or 
> your marketers, have to go on and on about how innovative and  special 
> your design is. I find this background noise more annoying,  but it is 
> part of the business. Most of it is complete BS.
>
> The experts in this business are people who market themselves. These  are 
> the people who are considered the great guru's and kayaking  geniuses. 
> They sell guidebooks or whatever. They go to symposia. They  are in the 
> business and become "experts" not so much because they know  more than a 
> lot of other people but because they market themselves.
>
> Ed Gillet is an exception who got famous by simply doing weirdly 
> extraordinary things.
>
> Freida's kayak looks like a racing car with all its endorsement  stickers. 
> I find that more "annoying" because it is not my style and  it was not the 
> ethos of kayaking in "those days". Derek is often  amusing and enjoys the 
> spotlight. And I kind of like people who have  some "different" opinions 
> about things like dressing for immersion  because at times the kayaking 
> community can seem so enamored of  "official" truths that it seems like 
> the Soviet Union.
>
>
> "propensity to minimize any accomplishments of others and maximize his 
> own"  -- to me that is the definition of marketing.
>
>
>
>
> On Apr 5, 2009, at 07:16 AM, Craig Jungers wrote:
>
>> What annoys me about Hutchinson now is his propensity to minimize  any 
>> accomplishments of others and maximize his own. If you believe  him then 
>> you'd think that sea kayak design reached a zenith with his  designs and 
>> has stagnated ever since. Take a look at this  "conversation with Derek 
>> Hutchinson" published in 2002
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