Getting off track is exercising free for all will. Bad habit of mine.
You are not alone in thinking that. Perhaps intelligence allowed for more rapid change in our human condition than our genetic evolution as had time to catch up with. We may need to use intelligence to change our behavior, but our paleolithic emotions tend to buck at any such change. I saw where E.O Wilson said “we have Paleolithic emotions, Medieval institutions, and God like power. This makes for a dangerous combination.” He is hopeful that the altruism all social species must have to survive as such and science will make for a positive difference. He’s smarter than I am. I certainly hope he is right.
Ill mention too, pre-pandemic, you could buy a used mid to high end boat (i.e. fiberglass/kevlar/carbon) for the price of a new mid-priced rec boat (plastic, short, and fat).
I understand the pandemic ruined the used boat market (and many others), but until last year if you had patience, knew what you wanted, and were willing to drive a few hours you could get high end boats for dimes on the dollar.
That’s one reason I’m a proud snob. Not because I have a lot of money to burn, but because I was patient, diligent, and acted quickly when I saw my unicorn boats. Most were 30-50% of new retail. For example, I bought a Wenonah MNII Kevlar UL layup for $850 when it retailed for $3500. $850 would buy you a plastic new 90lb coleman for reference. Yes, I drove 4 hours and watched craigslist for a year, but that’s how I buy big ticket items - used, when available, where available. In times past the seller would take a little sympathy on me and usually accept a little less because I was driving a long ways.
I guess thats a long way of saying you can be a boat snob and not be rich. I was quite poor when I got into paddle sports so nice equipment can be had on the cheap if you do a little work on the acquisition. Definitely more work than driving to dicks, but worth it IMO
By way of explanation - that photo was taken at a lake in far southern Illinois (Hell’s Kitchen they called it) on the way back from a Current river paddle. JBoyd and ChuckIL suggested that visit and set the whole thing up - set camp for us and everything. Good thing too as it was close to midnight (of the night before this photo was taken) before we all got there.
Jill had been talking about how her family had been warning her that meeting up with a bunch of internet strangers would surely lead her to axe murderer encounters. So ChuckIL staged and photographed this one. BTW, ChuckIL was paddling a 11.5 ft. kayak that trip, if memory serves, and he could roll it and keep up with any of us. He’s no slouch of a paddler.
Like others here I’m not at all at ease with how many completely inexperienced paddlers are being sold marginally safe boats and left to fend for themselves. On some days I’m a pessimist and wring my hands about it, for all the good it might do.
Other days I think there’s probably some small percentage of the population that are inclined to love the water and who quickly come to realize that there are risks involved in venturing out upon it in small craft. Those are the ones who “the bug will bite” and they are the ones who will set off on a path that will lead to a lifetime of enjoyment and whose skills will grow. And they are the future of our sport and the hope for the preservation of our natural waterways. No one protects what they don’t love, no one loves what they don’t know, no one knows what they haven’t been exposed to. If rec kayaks expose a lot of folks, a small percentage of that large number of folks will become engaged paddlers - or such is my hope on days when I’m of optimistic mind.
I’d like to ask your view on this, given your statement: as you probably are aware, right now in the Pacific Northwest there’s a heat wave. The Portland Fire Department has banned the use of fireworks this weekend because of an elevated risk of wildfires.
Is this the “nanny state”? Does an individual’s right to freedom of choice supersede the desire to take a collective action to protect a common resource?
I’m genuinely curious about this, and of course this is just one example of many such dilemmas.
I also worry about the lower group of people enjoying the water in cheap boats that have no clue what they are doing and have ether no desire or no knowledge there is anything to learn. Most of them will be out on the water this weekend and not think about boating again till next year. There is very little we can do about this as they are not here reading post right now or ever and right now they are likely at some non educated store buying fireworks to set off untrained after the above mentioned water activity. There will also be a lot of drinking involved jet skis and 4wheelers and yes driving on highways in cars.
I would like to add the group you didn’t mention and seldom get mentioned and I feel they are a larger group but not the group people focus on. I fall into that group. I once did all kinds of boating and used to raft WW down in WV and S Pa. Water skied etc. So I have great respect for the water we play in and the safety measures required. I got older and I’m quite happy doing what is within the limits of a rec canoe, rec kayak. We paddle around in still waters and slow rivers we fortified both boats with some extra flotation we are prepared to right and bail and reenter our boats if need be. I like to fish and like a large open cockpit. I don’t think we are alone and hopefully some of our sensibility will rub off on some of the reckless people we run across in similar boats to ours.
My point is it is not the boat that is the problem. I think the vast majority of people buying rec boats have good intentions and are willing to learn. They use them sensibly. The people selling them may or may not offer advice. If you go to Dicks and the kid helping you buy normally works in the golf section then people should take his advice lightly and figure out what they need some other way.
If the fire department banned fireworks because of dry conditions, that is a logical thing to do. That’s not a nanny state IMO that is common sense.
If the fireworks was banned at Mount Rushmore months in advance after all the proper safety reviews were in place and there was no logical reason to not allow them except they are on government land and the party in power wishes to punish the state run by the opposite party that is politics and not the nanny state.
If all fireworks are banned forever because lets face it there is always risk with fireworks and I’m sure they pollute a little and serve no practical purpose. I would call that the nanny state.
Telling people they must throw out their children car seats after a short lifespan even though the manufacture says there is nothing wrong with them except the directions are likely lost and people will sell them at a garage sale is IMO the nanny state.
You are confusing free will with being able to step on other peoples rights and avoiding consequences for bad behavior. With rights come responsibilities.
You exercise free will to be able to buy a big box store kayak and go out on Puget Sound. If you die, its really no skin off my nose besides littering. Thats why you get charged for rescues if you go hiking and call in a helo.
If you pop fireworks in a tinderbox, you may kill yourself, however you are putting all of your neighbors property and lives at more than acceptable risk. Pretty sure that the Portland Fire Dept hasnt slowed the use of previously banned fireworks for a year or so so the problem isnt with the fireworks or free will and the nanny state is stepping in to curtail individuals who think that their right to be idiots supersedes others property rights and right to life. That said, they still have the free will to do it, and in OR, no consequences for their bad behavior.
As a person that bought one of the cheap 10 ft. boats, I can concur that most would be unsuitable for large open water. I, of course, took mine out on a small lake for it’s first paddle, to see what it’s characteristics were, which is what any sane person should do. I would never recommend taking a new boat, even an expensive one, out on an open bay or some such, for a first paddle.
I would recommend going the route I did. I went on a couple trips with an outfitter and then took a moving water course from the local club. I’m not sure I didn’t take the white water course too, though I haven’t really needed it. Then I spent hours at the local res practicing my paddle strokes and braces. I now have extensive experience, but I’d still be very cautious about going out an a big bay or something like that. I certainly wouldn’t do it alone or with only inexperienced paddlers.
Newbies should be starting out with ponds, swamps and placid lakes so the rec yaks are great and cheap way to decide if kayaking is something they enjoy and to build up their skills to graduate to a better boat and more challenging waters.
I enjoy swamps, grew up playing in them and paddle there a couple of times a year.
The last thing I want to do is capsize in one, which I’ve done.
There are creepy crawlees there!
People should paddle whatever they want.
I have some prejudice about people that are really slow on the water.
The other thing that bugs me is people that want to go on a canoe trip, but have little kayaks and want us to carry their equipment.
Every boat has its place. An experiences kayaker knows the limitations of a boat, and has the ability to recognize dangerous conditions, can handle waves, twill take advantage of lee shores, and has the knowledge and power to get out of strong currents. Even a first class sea kayak won’t help you if you get into conditions you can’t handle.
The key is to understand you’re limitations (self and boat). If you do that, you should be fine. Exceed that and it could be your last trip.
I like to keep a margin of error. The only time I’ve come close to dumping is riding waves, where the speeds put the boat close to exceeding “my” reaction time.
That depends on the paddlers real abilities and their perceived abilities.
For some people that distance may not be all that great.
That’s been my point all along with this rec-kayak debate in my case the distance between fine and my last trip is hopefully huge or close to infinite based on how I measure risk assessment and management. Others that push risk assessment based around a desire for thrills have a far different calculation even with using non-rec boats.
Bad habit of mine.
