Hey, I have both of those
plus 14 more kayaks and canoes.
but would really like a Pro boat!
Guy
Good point
I agree it would be good if the long-time posters and compulsive boat hoarders here would review their fleet.
Most reviews by complete novices are pretty useless. My all time favorite went something like this:
“I ordered a boat on the internet and just received it today. I haven’t been in the water, but it’s beautiful and I got it at a steep discount from a really nice seller - I know it’s going to be great! 10/10”
Back to the regular posts…
If someone reads the posts asking about ideas for a new boat, or a step-up boat, long timers often do talk well about the boats they own. But it is hard to do that outside of a context.
For example, I have recommended that new paddlers look at the mid-length transition boats at times, and go used, because what they wanted to do with the boat is still quite unformed. But on the same day someone can ask about a boat for a size of paddler and usage that I know - like my own. For them I can talk well about the boats in our fleet, behaviors on the water etc.
I don’t see how someone could replicate that in reviews without being pretty thorough about how they used the boat and their own paddling. That’s more than most (including me) would bother to do.
Moi
– Last Updated: Oct-01-12 6:29 PM EST –
yep. Much of my fleet is out of production or custom.
You wont find a Swift Heron or Wenonah Odyssey or LoonWorks boats (three) at your local dealer. I have the only Colden DragonFly ever made. Its not at your local store either. Neither is my Curtis Nomad.
The other boats all have reviews. It seems pointless to babble on about boats that already have reviews unless I thought some of the reviews were from left field.
I have paddled about a hundred different boats. Some of those paddles were just long enough to say UGH without overtly analyzing why. Any review would be kind of shallow.
I second Kayamedic’s “rubbish”.
– Last Updated: Oct-01-12 6:29 PM EST –
The vast majority of the reviews aren't very helpful. Seems like an awful lot of them have been written by noobs shortly after purchasing their first boat. Read through the Coleman and Pelican canoe reviews and you'll see what I mean. You have to read reviews with a very discerning eye.
Answers to posted questions, OTOH, can be very detailed and focused. A conversation of sorts can be had - and I found that much more helpful when I was just getting into the sport.
And, BTW - I see a lot of active posters here that will let you know up-front whether they have actually owned or paddled the boat they are talking about, and how it was used. It just takes a little patient reading and common sense to determine who here is giving out the good info.
And my beef with fishermen
Many, many fisherman can’t paddle worth
a hoot and a holler and often get into “trouble”.
As was mine…
Jon
Sooooo
What kind of boat are you looking for???
pro
guy you would really enjoy a pro boat they are great just sold mine not much racing in s c
Are you considering context?
– Last Updated: Oct-01-12 9:58 PM EST –
I suppose I should preface my remarks by saying newbies often ask inappropriate questions, so the first thing advice-givers need to do is force them to focus on particular goals. I myself pay a lot more attention to the questions of people who have a fair idea what their needs are, and I'm not the only one. What follows mostly applies to that kind of situation.
You say ...
"However, 95% of posters will recommend what they want for themselves, and it will be the same exact ______ they own."
... and I am certainly guilty of this, but if you read one of my posts where I did such a thing and used that as evidence to support your current premise, you'd be worse than wrong.
One reason I can recommend one of my boats to someone is that I know how they handle, and I know what they can do, but I can only do this if I know what the person is looking for. If a person asks a question that is specific enough that I know what their needs are (paddler size, gear load, type of water, desired traits for boat-handling), and if those criteria can be met by a boat I'm familiar with (one that I own or used to own), then yes, I will recommend it, or more accurately, I will present it as a good, viable option (without discounting options I know less about).
It would be silly to recommend a boat I haven't paddled. There are a lot of very good solo canoes out there which I have not recommended even in cases where I suspected they'd have been a good choice. I leave it to others, the ones who've used those boats, to recommend them and provide the reasons why.
And speaking of "the reasons why", anyone giving good advice will provide "the reasons why" a particular boat is a good match to a particular set of handling traits. If they don't do that, what good is the advice? I have a hunch you are missing the most important parts of the advice posts if you can say what you did without feeling like your premise is a quite a bit of a stretch. Granted, I don't read the kayak advice very much so maybe you are correct in that department, but overall, the advice I've paid attention to is usually accompanied by information that will allow the question-asker to figure out the applicability to their situation.
When it comes to gear other than boats, I've noticed that people tend to say less about the particulars, but then, the people asking the questions often leave a lot to be desired when it comes to saying what they need and why, so it goes both ways.
Oh, good point.
– Last Updated: Oct-01-12 10:27 PM EST –
Lots and lots of answers to all sorts of things, presented in a way that seems to imply "THIS is the right way", and even including a post about fixing non-aligned gunwales (most likely not associated with a warped hull and therefore not to be fixed at all) that could only have been provided by a person who's never actually seen such a thing in-person.
Trolling, trolling, trolling, til this
thread is swollen…
I’m sorry I responded to this thread, because the OP is useless. Anonymous and useless.
Well I got my packing done for a week
long canoe trip anyhow…and this thread broke up packing tedium.
yeah we can all dope slap ourselves for being such chumps. Too bad we love our hobby and want to pass on some enthusiasm.
Or just search for the last time…
…the same question was asked. No need to ask it again if it is asked here repeatedly.
Uh, I recommend boats I haven’t
paddled. I recommend race horses I haven’t ridden.
It is possible to assess both, based on reputation, record, and appearance.
Crucify Him!?
I don’t think you need to crucify the OP!
The point of the posting was that I find it humorous that a newb asks about recommendationson on a 12’ rec boat and some people will recommend a 16’ or 17’ sea kayak!
sometimes correct, sometimes not
– Last Updated: Oct-02-12 11:25 AM EST –
back to my earlier post in this thread, the problem is that the circumstances of the person asking and the person answering may be very different making it hard to relate and know what is correct. Some folks asking about 12' kayaks may aspire to do what would be best done in a longer boat and some may actually be better with an even shorter boat. If the person asking has already learned well that a 12' really is best then hopefully he communicates that well and others can help find the best 12' boat. But if the person asking seems to be very new it is very possible they are considering 12' for all the wrong reasons. It's very hard to suggest much of anything if you haven't met the person and paddled in very similar conditions with similar goals.
Maybe this goes to a key difference between reading the reviews vs asking about best boat. If you KNOW you want a 12' rec boat then read the reviews. If you SUSPECT you want a 12' rec boat ask others on the board and expect they may have other thoughts.
Only works if archived and exact wording
spelling and phrasing are used.
Many great and useful discussions occur on the discussion page and aren’t archived.
High ratings could be the lack of the
poster overlooking the rating section. I am guilty of that when I perhaps should have rated an item at less than 10, which seems to be the default and have forgotten to go back in and change it.
Perhaps Brent could change that and have a reminder in the form of a “pop-up” to remind posters to specifically note the rate, before closing the window.
Just a thought.