I support high adventure, but avoid myself, yet I laugh when you guys are doing crazy stuff, within your skill range, and then worry about new kayakers endangering their lives buying rec boats. Risk is a different thing to different people.
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To be clear, that aināt me. Not sure Iāve ever stated a position that reduced safety to the choice of a craft. Rather, I think there are (and should be) crafts for all sorts of venues. The issue of safety is an interplay of different factors. It is about using the craft within its intended parameters; having the judgement to know what that is; having the paddling skills and conditioning warranted by the venue and conditions; having proper immersion wear and necessary safety/self rescue equipment (and knowing how to use it). I have rec and fishing boats and canoe that I would never take out into the surf. Likewise, I donāt take my high performance 7.5ā waveski to go pond fishing. Each craft has its intended parameters and in which there is optimal enjoyment.
sing
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Agree not you. Bad description. You are just one of the cutting edge adventurers. No negativity from you.
The Conscious Compentence scale is fantasticā¦and accurately describes many activities, especially kayaking/canoeing.
@sing, one of the benefits of following the forum is that itās like having a big brother or sister or a mentor. It allows us to stay in our comfort zone, while we enjoy the high adventure experience of members. From that, we can grow and learn or simply accept the adventure as entertainment. Either way, we get to share the experience.
The reality is that we all donāt have the talent, coordination, physical ability, resources, time, or desire to explore and grow.
I was in my mid-40s when I followed my son through some off road single track on my mountain bike. The goal was to expand my horizons, develop my skill set and enjoy the freedom of bunny hopping logs and other obstructions. My coordination improved and I was getting the hang of it. Then I got to one log, hopped, bumped and rotated.
By misjudging, I had an epiphany, which I know was a divine moment, because everything happened in slow motion. Bike rotating, thinking I will do a facelplant, then thinking the bike seat is going to hit me in the back . . . Thump. At that moment, i realized improved trail were more my speed, because I was responsible for bicycle repairs.
It is better to have tried and failed, than to have never tried at all. That makes your exploits all the more intriguing. Youāre adventures are always welcome here. Itās only the sense that weāre not worthy to hear the adventure that would be resentful, to me.
Mcimes, I forgot to try hand-paddling yesterday. Have you tried it?
I figure even if itās not good propulsion, trying will be another test of balance. Itās a long reach into the water, which is going to mean either supreme flexibility bending forward or some crazy shifts in butt cheek weighting. Maybe both.
My new ski is definitely tippier than the first one, but I like it better. Regular practice on it is making me refine things that werenāt as critical before, and I feel like I sink it down more instead of bobbing on top of the water. This is the first non-WW boat that I am actually in the midpoint (or above) of the recommended paddler weight range instead of at the bottom.
I went paddling last night but forgot to try!
I have been using my old repaired paddle that I successfully Carbonād back together
Related, a friend just sent me a pic during a short hand-paddle canoe race, and I remember we got a tandem canoe moving pretty well just using our hands. Still, I need to try it this week to evaluate its utility in a worst case scenario
Hand paddle or paddle gloves (surf paddler taking on head high waves at RISK winter session):
sing
I tried hand paddling with just bare hands today. Worst part was keeping the paddle tucked across my lower abdomen to hold it. That wouldnāt be relevant in a broke-the-paddle situation, though.
Hamstring-hip flexibility and hand reach forward and down were fine, much to my surprise. With no top deck or sprayskirt to limit freedom of motion, it was easier than I expected. Itās just much slower than using the paddle, well, duh.
I think a pair of those hand paddle mitts or strap-ons will become my spare paddle. Thereās almost no space to stash them, but if I can attach a QR clip to them, they can ride down in front of the cockpit.
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When I first started to practice hand rolls, I cheated by using these:
sing
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Thanks for that link! The zipper would be less useful than Velcro (though I normally dislike Velcro), given the likely circumstances when needing to don those. But Iām going to order a pair anyway.
Later: I ordered them. And if that design isnāt quite right I will try another kind. Now that I know hand paddling is not out of the picture, Iām fastening on to what might be the only āspareā thatās feasible.
Even without rough water, having a choice in addition to paddling one-sided or swimming the ski back is an improvement.
There are other versions on Amazon.
sing
I like that those things leave fingertips exposed, for some degree of use.