Dear Daniel and all,With regards to the kayak having "developed too far from its intended use...," you should consider that their intended use was hunting, something I think none of us use them for anymore. 'Storm hungry speed machines' is fancy marketing, but seaworthiness and speed come from the paddler, not the kayak. Also, plenty of traditional kayak designs would likely fit the bill for the "Queen Mary" and these can still be superb boats for advanced paddlers; for example here is a 14' long, 13" deep, 23-3/8" wide King Island kayak with no foam outfitting, backrest or foot brace. . . . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWMCZ4mdbQ0 There's room for a lot of designs out there and there is nothing wrong with "improving" old designs, especially if their intended use is no longer hunting.All the best, Harvey --- On Sat, 4/18/09, gypsy_trillium_at_yahoo.ca <gypsy_trillium_at_yahoo.ca> wrote:I think it's about time we start looking back at the roots of our sport for 'improvements' in hull design. Storm-hungry multi-chined Aleutian Baidarkas, low profile East and South Greenland speed machines, flat-bottomed West Greenland playboats. The kayak has developed too far from it's intended use to address a consumer perceived flaw in it's design. Seems every design I see on the tops of cars these days, takes our beloved, and occasionally (delightfully) wet kayaks, and tries to make them into little 'Queen Mary's. The trade promotes this as an improvement over primitive designs, and if I was standing in a shop making comparisons, the slew of bad 'recreational' designs would seem to support this. Personally I'd like to see more folks starting in simpler, longer, narrower kayaks, with lower decks, that have been fitted, and fit them properly. Paddling a barge just ain't fun... and fun is what it's all about. ~~~daniel~ Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** 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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