We disagree a lot, but I give you a lot of 
. You probably never noticed.
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Thanks 
same here.
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Thank you Jyak, That was a kind thing to say.
But thinking about the details has absolutely helped me. At least 3 times in the last 4-5 years I was thinking to myself “that can’t be right” when you told me some things that were hard to believe, so I went to the lake and really tested them diligently.
Lo and behold, you were right. Several times!
So don’t underestimate your council. It is very valuable.
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I don’t question my paddling technique. I don’t doubt what I say. I wi agree it isn’t for everyone, Craig included. I use it, i hope I can help his son. You do fine as well. It doesn’t matter to me what others prefer, but I do agree there are too many notes. Only I can strip out the excess that clogs up the threads. Much of the information had been posted durect message to members who asked. They should still be able to retrieve it. If it hasn’t been read by now it never will. Besides, I need you to update me on how you’re progressing, and why the other paddles work for you on all the boats. You only had the paddle this season.
The paddling.com forum has been invaluable to my own learning and understanding as a kayaker.
Beginning with my purchase of a Tsunami 175 kayak in late 2016, together with paddling with the Western Sea Kayakers club in the San Francisco Bay area, mining the forum using key words to search the index helped me so much.
[Like mining, you have to sift through some gravel to get to the gold nuggets, but what a treasure trove.]
Topics like boats for big guys (6’2", 250#, size 12 feet here), stability in waves, PFDs, wetsuits vs. dry suits, skegs vs. rudders, gear comparisons, kayak models, it is a gold mine.
Lots of good info back in the “golden age” of the on-line forum communities (the early “oughts” after 2000), I devoured it voraciously, balancing comments and opinions of one author against another, like an exegete poring through ancient religious documents, trying to make sense of it all.
So please don’t stop posting, especially data driven posts, they are appreciated and a valuable resource for many.
My only hope is that the data can be kept alive and brought forward without disappearing - maybe turn AI’s loose on all the forum data and have it available before websites are shut down by their owners?
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The best way to keep it going is to add to the discussion. No exchange with anybody that I recall on how a 175 Tsunami handles on the San Francisco Bay. I limit my trips to the upper Chesapeake Bay and the James River, which can be fairly strong probably due it being narrow. I’m getting a bit old to be get much out of any kayak and can use all the tips I can get.
I really got started in the 140 Pungo. A few members paddle it and find it more than adequate for them. I then went to the 125 Tsunami consider it the Jeep of kayaks. It would be far more capable if I used a spray skirt. Instead I bought a 145 and then a 175 to better handle the weather. @Craig_S opened my eyes to the potential of the 175 Tsunami. He has compared it to the 170 Tempest and the 180 Tempest Pro. The most detailed analysis of the Tempest and long Tsunamis that I recall has been from Craig and @Shadepine for comparison under harsh conditions. Their data is similar to my calculation. If you have info to share, post it under a heading about Tsunamis. I’m a bit surprised by what Craig found from comparing the boats under harsh conditions. There was a member whom used @NTrucker or some other name and he extol the virtues of it in the ocean environment. He was a big guy. I’ve always been reluctant to endorse the 175 for extreme conditions, but am changed my thinking.
Eager to hear from you. Speeds, distances, paddles, technique, tracking apps, GPS . . . Don’t hesitate to go direct messages. I almost gave up the kayaking until I found the forum.
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Yup, that’s a great tip!
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- So we don’t need to even like people that can give us knowledge if we ourselves have wisdom… In fact, I think part of wisdom is being able to separate personality from information.*
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Thanks for this, I’ve never seen or heard this before, glad to learn a new word…
This thread caught my eye, since I feel the same way as the OP, and don’t really come by that much. I’m afraid I’ve mostly stopped posting, having received so much pushback when I get technical about the fluid mechanics of paddling - it doesn’t really seem worth the aggravation.
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The Forum is like people when you don’t like them walk away. You’re probably not going to change it.
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I agree with a suggestion from @Buffalo_Alice. Largely because the forum is more of a safe place to enjoy the periferal pleasures of paddling. I’ve gone off line to discuss topics. Even afficionados have a limit to the amount of info they want to consume. The most common comment I’ve gotten has been speed isn’t everything . . .
The logical follow up question is: why are you even reading this thread! I recently got a criticism saying I’m trying to convert everybody. Then emphasised the years of perdonal experience and the lack of desire for paddling suggestions: I get it, but why did you read this!
I get it. I have no desire to destroy anyone’s decompression time. I read everything. EVERYTHING! From burping a dry suit, to the Greenland paddle build. I had no interest in Greenland paddles, thinking they were an anachronism. @NotThePainter started a thread on making one with a 2x4. It csught my eye as well as the comments from Brian who published a noteworth book on the topic. What impressed me was the unrestricted flow of information that, much to the chagrin of a few readers, went off topicvsnd discussed tools. Discussing spokeshave options, Brians interjected, why not just tune the one you have. I knew how, but never did, so I followed his suggestion and hardnessvtedted the blade. Itvwas dead soft, which is why it wouldn’t hold an edge. Heat treated and cleaned up. It now works perfectly. I built a Greenland, but didn’t know if it was dimentionally proper. Some features were critiqued as improper, my suggestions on how I used machine bench tools to set hard dimensions was criticized because it wasn’t hand built. When I finished. It balanced within 5/8" of the centerline. Craig offer the use of his Gearlab and a Ikelos. The paddle I made was a virtual exact copy of the GearLab. I still don’t like the Greenland design, but I have a far greater appreciation and respect for the design. It helped me to better understand the reason for the the thick loom. I believe shaft size is largely misunderstood.
I’m interested in any comments you care to share, even if it’s a direct message about a public post. I’m currently grappling with two contol issues with an Ikelos and a Kalliste. Your comment would be welcome.
I’m in agreement with you, and I have mostly walked away. But I do regret that so many threads I post in became a source of misinformation and bloviation, which did cause me to walk away from a site that I used to enjoy.
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Don’t hesitate. Welcome back.
Well I’m “special” that way (since you can’t say retarded anymore.) I just like to know the hard data on how things perform.
It keeps me out of trouble, especially since I have a propensity for doing dumb things.
that why when we went out on the Elk river towards the Chesapeake. I took the Tsunami 175. I knew how it handled in the rough from several outings in it, and the Tempest 180 was still new having only had the opportunity to paddle it once.
Now that I have a better idea of how it handles there’s less trepidation about going out in big water with it.
Baby steps, keeps me from getting in trouble, even though I want to just jump right in.
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That wasn’t rough water. The waves were mostly power boat wakes. The first time I took my 12 year old grand daughter out in the Middle River channel (near the shore because that channel is choppy from high speed boat traffic). One of those skyscraper boats came speeding toward us. She was in a Perception Prodigy that she handled well. I though, holy Mary, pray for her. She bobbed like a cork and said, “That was fun, will any more come by?” So I got her a 12 Tsunami SP. We went out and turned the point. I posted those pictures of her in that orange boat paddling some nice rolling waves kicked up in shallows. She loves wave. You may have noticed she is outgrowing Tsunami. Next year I’ll she’ll upgrade to a 140.
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I know it wasn’t rough that day but It could have been, and deciding on a boat needs to more or less happen before I get there.
Oh to be sure I love the rough, I take the kayaks to Surf-Beach and play in the inlet/bay/sandbar surf. There’s always 5 footers there, takes me back to my WW days.
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Can you guys please take this offline? You’re carrying on this conversation in three different threads simultaneously and making it harder to peruse the on-topic content.
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Keep It Tidy
Make the effort to put things in the right place, so that we can spend more time discussing and less cleaning up. So:
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Don’t start a topic in the wrong category.
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Don’t cross-post the same thing in multiple topics.
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Don’t post no-content replies.
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Don’t divert a topic by changing it midstream.*
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Darn, that wrecks the SOP of a few posters!
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It sure crimps my style.