Love counting the number of sharks I sight when surfing at Matanzas. My friends do not appreciate me letting them know especially when we are doing wet exit rescue drills whether solo or assisted.
OK, I guess I suffer horribly from this. But is just clicked on a Kickstarter campaign for a folding kayak and it is impossible not to notice the paddles. They are backwards, upside down, all of the above…I don’t think it is too much to ask someone selling a kayak to at least make sure the paddles are not in such disarray for the photo shoots. But then again, launching into a water way that looks like it has some big boat traffic…
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Celia, I don’t think the market that will be buying that kayak will be too worried about efficient paddling, boat trim and handling. It’s all about if it fits the vehicle and floats (most of the time). At least they were wearing PFDs.
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I checked that a second time, and yes PFD’s are good. In fact better than you often see for stuff like this. This is the same market that used to buy Swifties then come here and asking about using them to do offshore crossings.
It just goes back to an earlier post about whether seeing paddles all wrong tends to make you an elitist. Apparently I suffer from it.
Regarding the Tucktec kayak, what is required for it to be “Coast Guard approved”?
I had not scrolled down far enough to even see that. Heck if I can tell.
It doesn’t sink the minute you get it wet?
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A ringing endorsement
I’ve had guests tell me they prefer their paddle backwards or upside down., to each their own. Just keep up and don’t whine if you start hurting I say.
A bit surprised TuckTec did not demonstrate a scramble or assisted rescue with the guy cavalierly standing and rocking the boat. USCG standards must now be for it to float in perfect conditions.
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The thing about thinking you might be an elitest is that someone will come along to remind you that you have a ways to go. I think the word is actually elit’ist, but my dick and harry and computer don’t seem to be in agreement.
Anyway, I started my paddling in a canoe and then morphed into a kayaker and thought I had arrived. I sort of knew that there were some specialty canoes, but didn’t regard them as a fit substitute for the “real thing”. One time at a demo-day, I happened to see a rather large athletic fellow jump in a competition type long canoe. With a big oversized single blade paddle, he made that boat nearly leap out of the water as he took off at what I estimated to be double any speed I was likely to attain in my elit’ist (elitest) kayak. I humbly readjusted my thoughts about canoes.
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Maybe if you had a Tom and Harry computer?
I like Bob’s post. It is definitely good to have experience and knowledge about paddling. It is good to notice everything. But we have to careful how we use that knowledge. Not everyone wants to hear what we think. I was just a forum of knowledgeable people that went to some length to make me feel inferior.
My own feeling is it’s OK to feel superior to other kayakers, but it’s not OK to make them feel inferior. But I think it’s OK to make an advertiser feel inferior. I just noticed a commercial for Intresto prescription drug featuring a kayaker leaning way back like he’s sitting in a La-Z-Boy recliner and it looks like his paddle is upside down! Have a look - I found the commercial online here:
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He looks comfortable and has a cute dog.
The Entresto paddler is wearing a PFD and he has one on his dog too, I’m happy! (Even though he really needs an Intro to Kayaking class.)
May be the only time he’s been in a kayak.
I have been organizing overnight canoe trips since 1968 when we had 50 guys on the Senior Canoe Trip in high school. Now I live in Nevada, so mostly I find paddlers with experience somewhere else. It is good to notice things and pay attention. It is not so good to be judgmental about people’s abilities. For an overnight trip, I take people out and see what they have in the way of skill on a day trip
Some people are going to over estimate their abilities by a lot. The trick is to test them ahead of time so they don’t end up in a dangerous situation. I have tested a few friendships over the years, but all recovered except one. Mine paddling friends are some of my best friends.
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