Nah
Now that is a gross generalization. It may be a sea kayak that is owned by a paddler who doesn’t need so many crutches to add in order to paddle successfully.
not entirely true
i haven’t changed my 700 one iota since i got it (other than the gelcoat dings i’ve made). i suppose i could make it a bit better, change the seat, etc. but i don’t really have all that much time, and i’d rather be paddling, so i make do with some minor issues. i bet a lot of people just don’t worry that much about some little problems.
af
Won’t find my eyes steely,
wont find my gps out unless it’s foggy. As to rolling, if you are thinking about becoming a sea kayker, I think you should try to learn. I never compete at anything any more. I do paddle on the ocean, so I better be up to the situation unless I have good friends that are. If I paddle above my head too frequently that cannot last either.
OTOH how can someone without a good forward stroke say a kayak is fast. How can someone who never goes “beyond the cockpit” know if a boat turns well. Best that reviewers write a decent profile or put a note about such things at the head of their review.
Give it a rest
– Last Updated: May-31-04 9:12 PM EST –
I think Peter's point is that people with more paddling experience tend to be better at picking up on differences between kayaks. "This kayak is the greatest I've ever paddled" is pretty meaningless if it's also the only one you've ever paddled.
IIRC, Peter's fleet includes one or more Brit boats and a plastic rec boat. Is he a steely-eyed elitist or a fun-type regular guy?
Update: oops, he already defended himself just fine with no help from me.
Jim, RE: Q700 mods
Jim - your boat does indeed come very nice from the factory (as I well know) - but if you take a pool of the Q700 owners here you will find many have done “tinkering and tweaking” of all sorts and may have some wonderful tips that could make your experience with it even better.
Typical not to see any need right off - then start to find some stuff to do as time goes by. It took me a a few months and a couple hundred miles before I changed anything, and over a year before I got around to something as basic as hip pads (and the ones I did are only a first go).
Many things others do won’t be of interest/use - but if you don’t find anything that might enhance your paddling experiences in that boat - you’re just not expecting much from the boat or seeing it’s full potential - for you (for comfort or performance).
My two biggest Q700 projects (foam foot brace/cockpit filler & new skeg control) wouldn’t be of any use to you (or most Q700 owners) as you have the rudder, but you might at least consider some of the others (adapted to your needs/wants). All were simple - and all made the boat even more enjoyable to paddle.
Latest example: the 4 little pads I added this weekend had a huge impact on handling. ICW was very busy yesterday. There were lots big confused wakes. A big fishing boat with water-skiers behind were obliging with some bigger than normal wake action in a small basin with high seawalls to double the fun for a while. I was able to laugh off and enjoy all but the most irregular rear quartering wakes (taking them however they came - not turning to minimize) - and even those were managed with a minor hip flick. I purposely took many sets with paddle out of the water - no stroke - no brace - just body. It’s fun to mave the motor boaters look aft after passing close - expecting a capsize - and seeing you glide though with less impact then they are feeling from the wakes.
Just beginner stuff in a sea kayak - but how much are you comfortable taking using no paddle at all? How much more would you like to be comfortable in? This is not meant to be a comment on skills at all - and I’m not saying this was anything huge - or that sort of stuff wasn’t manageable before the pads - I’m just saying they made it noticeably easier and more fun.
QCC can’t do this stuff for you. They don’t know what you’ll need, how and where you’ll paddle, or how that will change over time as you adjust to the boat and develop as a paddler. Outfitting needs the personal touch only you can give.
Thanks and a confession
– Last Updated: Jun-01-04 9:31 PM EST –
I'm afraid my rec boat is kevlar. My shoulders were so decrepit before I started paddling I could never lift a huge plastic tandem alone.
Took my 10 paddle of the summer with my daughter today in it. Wife happily napping and working at home.
Always nice to get support! Thanks.
Two different markets
Those into more “advanced” or “higher performance” gear often started out in those wide rec boats without a clue about design, handling, materials, outfitting, etc!
I like to see them as “entry level” boats, which are also all some ever need and are very happy with. Paddling is something that only a small percentage end up liking enough to stick with it - with even fewer developing an interest in moving on to other gear.
That small group becomes a separate market which is too varied to to cater to fully - which makes customizing the logical option from both the maker’s and owner’s perspective.
Doing custom outfitting doesn’t mean the boat is deficient - it is simply an aknowledgement that you are different from the theoretical average paddler the factories outfit for - and you will need to adjust your boat to your needs.
Most makers (and higher end boat buyers) know that no setup will be optimum for all owners and most will do some tweaks. I’ve done several, but they’re mostly minor and reversible ones. The boat was good before them - it’s better after.
I hear you!
My “tanker” yak is an OK Cabo, which is listed–probably optimistically–at 76#. I’m very much looking forward to the day when my son can paddle far enough to do all of our family paddles on his own so I can retire that monster permanently.
Surprises me
Jim I understand - and would waste my time responding with any more than I did before.
Coming from you though, a bit more surprising. Like you said - you haven’t had time and probably would do something with the seat. How long have you had it? Maybe a racing focus needs less tweaks beyond trim and seat issues.
Little problems? Yeah, I suppose so, at least as far as breaking foot peg rails and a slipping (and hard to set at set increments) skeg cord set up that leaks by design go. Could I have lived with them in stock configuration? Sure, they worked OK. But why if I don’t have to?
Neither of those issues apply to ruddered boat as you’re stuck with the rails if you keep the stock rudder (and most probably won’t break them - and aluminum is supposed to be on the way if they do).
The other things I’ve done were minor - and not so much problem solving as exploiting opportunities.
Customised outfitting
and other personal mods/improvements are now deemed crutches for those who cannot paddle successfully??
Perhaps this comment was tongue-in-cheek and I missed the point.
~Holmes
always tongue in cheek
when responding to greyak. All in good fun.
YEAH, THERE’S ONE MORE…
Stuff happens…
Sound just like the litany of car complaints… or those of appliances, or computers!
You do what you can, make amends for the rest, and then considering your choices, buy what for YOU is best.
ANd then you get out there and find out what ELSE is wrong, LOL!
There are people all over this world -all over our very OWN country, with a lot more, and a lit worse, on their minds.
Be thankful YOU can
Paddle On!
-Frank in Miami
rolling?
No need to roll in warm water when the wind is down. Even with a stiff wind, as long as it blows to shore, I am not far from shore and I have a pfd on then I can forget the roll.I might learn just for the fun of it, but as far as depending on a roll for safety, no way. I will depend on using good judgement regards the weather and where I paddle before I put my boat in the water.
Workable where you live
Maybe less so where Peter lives. Perspectives…
Glad I asked before
I stuck my foot in my mouth… again!!
Regards,
~Holmes
That all sounds good until…
…you find out where the highest number of hypothermia deaths are each year. Any guesses???
It’s FLORIDA.
Sometimes the difference between a “serious” paddler and one who’s not is simply a matter of understanding the risks involved.