Yes, I definitely can appreciate…
…the possibility of things happening the other way around once in a while - like putting my mother in that Quest LV for example! It takes, at a bare minimum, a real conversation about someone’s activity levels and types of things they enjoy, and how that would apply to paddling, on top of going out at least a few times in differing conditions to make a good purchase recommendation. I don’t doubt that some would get the fever and buy sea kayaks and never get as far as they intended. I’ve overshot on a hobby before. Definitely not the salesperson’s fault if that’s what I thought I wanted. I think that happens a lot. With sea kayaking, at least you have to give it enough thought to get over the price tag of performance oriented boats, so I’m guessing that scenario represents a relatively small sample of people? Do you feel like the outfitter took the time to make a meaningful recommendation, or were they given the opportunity to? I’m glad you found what you enjoy and are still out there paddling.
sorry to continue to hijack this thread
but yes, we did paddle a *bunch* of boats before getting the Neckys. And the salesperson at Great Outdoor was very patient and helpful.
I actually had a similar conversation with him. He is a paddler and still works there. He mentioned that the fear of most salespeople is to sell the customer what they need, not what they want, only to have them bring it back after 1 or 2 outings that didn't go well before the learning curve kicked in. Instead, a guaranteed sale (and potential repeat business) is to sell the lowest common denominator and send them off to the lake happy...either that or lose them to Dicks or Costco or Sams Club. The salesman is happy with his 'numbers' and the customer is happy with their new kayak.
exclusivity…?
Everybody starts somewhere. How far you want to progress, and the direction, depends on many factors including age, finances, geography, social contacts, etc. P-net has a nice mix of people giving a nice mix of advice. Whine goes better with cheese, and maybe a nice smoked meat of some sort.
Having said that, this is “paddling.net” not “sea kayaking.net”, so a little tolerance and dignity goes a long way. After years of playing “mainstream sports”, more years of coaching, I’ve been fortunate in middle age to have found new opportunities for participation via “outdoor sports” such as hiking, biking, and kayaking. I’ve coached a few youngsters with the same narrow view of participation and sport. They were certainly not team captains.
Nothing has changed regarding sea kayaking. The paddling industry is expanding. Your high end “boutique” dealers would disagree with you on purely business terms, their feeder pool is growing, thanks to those ticky-tacky 12+ footers. Without them bringing new blood, high end “boutiques” would close. Life is much more complicated than it ever was, with more distractions. The paddling market must expand and differentiate, lest it stagnate and die. Unless of course you want to build your own. Life is good for everybody on the water unless you are too whiny to enjoy it. No name calling.
And all people in CT are not morons, many of us are from out of state, and brew our own coffee.
I am a CT moron
and I once paddled a ticky tacky kayak.
That got me started on paddling and I got a great workout paddling 14 miles 3 times a week in a Keowee.
That lead to ww kayaks, sea kayaks, many many canoes.
You never know what a ticky tacky kayak will get you into.
I dont live in CT anymore but my daughters both do, both kayak and the last I looked the Starbucks were closing and they make their coffee at home.
Hate to say this, but…
This is a troll in the classic sense. And a lot of you fell for it. Here is the universal advice for this situation: DON’T FEED THE TROLL!
And me…
I have a canoe (Just took it out on the Willi River today, in fact), a WW kayak, and several SK’s. I do it all. No paddling discipline is exclusive to me, though I’ve found that the adherents of each would like to think that they are the apex of paddling.
OK, I sea kayak most of the time, but it’s not the be all and end all of paddling, IMO. WW is a great skill builder, and a good canoe can humble the most expert paddler sometimes.
So what does that make me? (Esp since I like Starbuck’s coffee & live in CT?)
envyabull? not close!
More like fullabull!
You are funny
In a sad, pathetic, insecure sort of way.
“Real sea kayak”. . . Hmmmnnn . . . .
Could we have just discovered the real adult identity of Pamlico_140? These are the only two posters I’ve ever seen use that term, aside from others making fun of P_140.
“Envyabull.” Hmmmnnn . . . Nice moniker. Sounds like a guy with a little napoleon complex trying to find anything he can to build himself up, including NAMING himself something that implies others want to be like him.
What a tool . . . .
YoS
Apology to CT paddlers
I’m sorry that I lumped everyone from CT into a single category. That’s pretty unfair. People are as diverse as the different kayaks we paddle.
When I lived in CT there was a certain segment of the population which thought above it all (the type that often lives beyond their means). But I guess that type exists everywhere nowadays.
But I should not have made such a generalization. There are good people in CT and I still have many friends there. In fact, I still find myself craving a lobster roll on nice summer days and there were 2 great bars that I miss in New Haven. I don’t know how y’all stand the weather though. And c’mon you’re from New England, ditch the Starbucks for Dunkin’ Donuts.
Again, apologies to those whom I offended.
Profile has a pic of him shirtless
I think he’s got Pnet confused with a gay singles site.
you didnt offend me
You had some of my neigbors down to a T.
But they dont paddle! They go down and use their boat as a cocktail platform at the marina. It never leaves the dock.
So there are paddlers and non paddlers and no matter where you are from paddlers tend to be anti foo foo I think.
Nice thing about CT is the water was always open year round whether it was whitewater or saltwater.
In Maine too much of the water is hard for too long.
eh
Surfers have been making the same claims about “popouts” and “kooks” ruining the sport for real surfers for a couple of decades.
The length if his sea kayak
must be trying to make up for some "short"coming somewhere else (maybe under his skirt?).
Not everyone who drives a car needs a drag racer.
jim “just feeding the troll”
Not even if…
… I were gay! He looks way too much like me (J - please don’t shave your head!).
I know what he means - but like it or not the whole rec side runs the business (with maybe the exception of companies like Nelo and the surf ski makers). Takes both. Does it kill the “real” sport? Probably not.
The surfer parallel is good. Always more kooks than not. In may ways that does hurt the sport, but also sustains it.
Clearly this mass marketization has some negative effect, like dumbed down products across the board, not just limited to rec stuff - meant for what’s perceived to be a typical American market that need wider beams and La-Z-Boy seating. Also, focusing on easy access contributes to a much lower skill to stroke ratio and paddlers being perceived more as “speed bumps” and worse than ever, inviting all sorts of restrictive and costly legislation.
Some positives too (paddlesports companies managing to stay in business - and able to still make a small amount of higher end (performance vs just price) gear. They do have paddlers working there after all…
Doesn’t really matter to me, a long as I can paddle. If I ever get to a point where I can’t find gear to suit me (or like now, just can’t afford any), I’ll build my own. Mostly using my own paddles now, and would be doing boats if I had the space. Nothing commercial is quite “it” as a next/dream boat right now - though there are plenty I’d be happy to put some miles on and would keep me more than busy enough learning new skills.
you know what you should feed
to mushrooms, right?
Thick CT skin
No offense taken. Great place to paddle.
What most don’t know is that if you remove fairfield county from Connecticut, we drop right out of the high rent district. As for Dunkin’ Donuts, there are now as many of those as there are “ticky-tacky” boats!
dont think so
I got twice the house in Maine for half the cost and waterfront to boot.
In Madison it would have run me 750,000 at least
In Maine 224,900.
Litttle kayaks should fit fine on
little cars.
Agree about Fairfiled county
I live in northeastern CT, right near the Mass. & RI border…as far from Fairfield county as possible…and it is nothing like that area. Just because the rich & famous live there, people unfamiliar with this state assume we’re all rich and snooty…not even close!