Derek wrote: > Perhaps Sp*nsons would have been a better option under these > circumstances? It seems to me that sp*nsons would provide a more stable > kayak under "challenging" circumstances. The conditions that led to the > capsize will still exist when you re-enter your kayak. If the > conditions are beyond your skill level, the odds of re-capsizing are > high. Once could leave the sp*nsons inflated while paddling back to > shore. Thoughts? [Note: I have altered the s-words so they will not be picked up by the originator of the s-device if he is scanning our listserv these days. See below for the reason, Derek. Your question is a good one, and not out of line at all.] Too bad we do not have archives of Paddlewise. Derek's question is an honest one, which in 1997 (1998?) led to the formation of this listserv as an offshoot of Wavelength, owing to the incessant, overbearing promotion of those devices by the owner of the rights to produce it. It is a long story ... In brief, the drawbacks of the s-device under rough seas are twofold: 1. They are devilishly difficult to install under those conditions, to such a degree that they almost need to be deployed before launching. 2. In heavy, steep seas, a "flat bottomed vessel," which the s-device produces, is exactly what you do not want. Reason: the flat bottom follows the face of the sea, and when a steep one comes along, the whole arrangement can get flipped upside down, where it is actually more stable because the weight of the upside down paddler functions as a keel. This is the reason vessels designed to traverse the open ocean have deep-vee hulls, and flat-bottomed skiffs should avoid steep seas.. I wish John Winters were contributing more often these days, because John had a link to a very compelling video clip showing why a flat-bottomed life raft might be better termed a death raft, because it does exactly what is described in 2. above, in steep, heavy seas. BTW, the seas in which that guy was rescued were fairly gnarly, all right, but they are in the low end of what I would call "steep, heavy seas." He had no business being out there, equipped with an s-device, a destroyer, or an aircraft carrier. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** 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 Sun Apr 12 2009 - 15:27:04 PDT
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