observation
so for 10yrs you reduced your exposure to breaking waves where bracing does not prevent a capsize, then for 15more years you continued paddling in conditions where breaking waves were not big enough that they exceeded your ability to brace or activities where you leaned beyond the angle of capsize.
After I learned how to roll I also didn’t get in the conditions that requried a roll,until I did. I did and it wasn’t a trick. It was a basic skill that kept me in a kayak and able to paddle out of those conditions two seconds later as opposed to being stuck in those conditions and spending MUCH more effort doing a self-rescue. As I get older I have less willingness to flail around.
same here
a brace is only as effective as the movement your hips can make. There’s no way I could have learned the range of hip movement required to come up from a knockdown without learning how to roll.
where are you
lots of people around to show you if you really want. Also check with the local shops and see if they have pool time during the winter for rolling classes.
paul
real sea kayakers
Real sea kayakers kayak on the sea. Even in the winter.
Fake ones argue on internet forums about rolling, skegs vs. rudder, and the finer points of greenland kayak design.
1 Like
Get Started …
Get a copy of Erick Jackson’s Rolling and Bracing Video … get a friend to help … go down to the pool… you will be rolling in a half hour.
from your reply I can’t
figure out if you are “real” or “fake”…
You must have read (at least some) of the posts
You did reply (even if only briefly) with your post
I don’t know if you “kayak on the sea” and in winter?
Winter in Maine or winter in Florida?
Hmm, makes me question if you are for “real” 
dang, what pool is that?
with this “magic” water that guarantees rolling in 1/2 hour.
If only was that easy for all of us…
I was a silicone kayaker
but when it became lumpy, I switched over to being a saline kayaker.
It’s the beginning of December and still plenty of time for more “To Roll or Not to Roll” threads.
Not quite
I have taught a substantial number of people to get their first roll in a pool. Many of them I have taught the C to layback roll that EJ teaches. Some, a minority, got their first roll in a 1/2 hour or less. I wish the success rate were higher and quicker. But the simple facts are that I have to deal with older people in a community education class. They typically have a variety of problems that make learning a roll more difficult – lack of flexibility, weak abs, beer belly, orientation problems, missing part of a leg, lack of stamina, and so on. Watching the video and having a friend help would not get any of these people to roll. None has any chance at all of learning a C-to-C roll (which I only teach to young, athletically inclined persons who want to WW kayak). Many can learn a sweep roll but it may take a couple of sessions. But importantly, there is still that group of people that for a variety of reasons will take a year or more to learn. EJ himself would not succeed in 1/2 an hour with them. People are very different and learn at different paces and in different ways. Not recognizing that is a sure recipe for failure.
Learn to roll?
Are there people saying that they love the sport of kayaking, but they have decided that they know all they have to know and aren’t interested in learning more?
To each his own. I teach school and commonly run into teenagers that claim that they know everything they will ever need to know. (Are these the same people?)
Learn to roll?
Are there people saying that they love the sport of kayaking, but they have decided that they know all they have to know and aren’t interested in learning more?
To each his own. I teach school and commonly run into teenagers that claim that they know everything they will ever need to know. (Are these the same people?)
the difference is
that the kids “that know everything” actually can be taught something.
It’s the not-so-kids anymore that go by the saying: You can’t teach an old dog new tricks…
virtually a real sea kayaker
I’m really more of a fjord kayaker
That’s funny!
“To each his own. I teach school and commonly run into teenagers that claim that they know everything they will ever need to know. (Are these the same people?)” -Jerrysmith-
I also teach high school and I’ve certainly met lots of these people! I find that it is mostly insecure people with low self-esteem who do not want someone else telling (teaching) them somthing they don’t know or can’t figure out on their own.
I’m a Chevy, not a fjord man…
– Last Updated: Dec-05-08 12:11 PM EST –
....oh, that's another thread?
However, coming to seakayaking from many years of WW, it was easy to translate rolling a long boat. It is a good skill to have. Essential? Probably not if you limit your conditions, learn solid bracing skills, and have some other means of self rescue available. Most folks I know who do not have a roll or strong bracing skills are at least intelligent enough to know when to go out and when not to. Afterall, most of us don't have to put walrus blubber on the plate. And many of those folks are very good paddlers who can handle long days and fairly energetic conditions, at least on Chesapeake Bay. But that doesn't help in the event of unexpected worsening conditions. I've taught many folks to roll simply because they said they wanted to. In general, wanting to learn and practicing some of the techniques necessary to roll, even if you never become a great roller, improves your bracing and lean skills measureably.
Thanks!
Thanks. I did a quick Google search and discovered a Houston area sea kayakers group. I’ll start with them and/or a couple of local shops.
ReaL Seakayakers
Real seakayakers don’t paddle their kayaks only there wifes.
sea kayak guides and rolling
in the worlds largest sea kayaking tourist industry, here on Vancouver Island, many sea kayak ‘professionals’ (they are paid to lead kayak outings) do not know how to roll, and have no interest in rolling or anything beyond the rudimentary skills required to get them around in a boat, just slightly better than their clients. are they real sea kayakers? i’m not to judge, even though i’ve hired and managed these same folks. not that i would ever go on a personal trip with any of them, non rollers scare the bejesus outta me…
Great advertisement for your company
If I were you I would delete this post or edit it a bit.
It solidifies what I have known for years about the average outfitter’s so called guides.
I don’t mean to demean guides, since there are many pros who live for guiding, but unfortunately there are too many others that are just low paid summer help that have less experience than many of the people they are guiding.
Cheers,
JackL
Rolling can ruin a trip
I had my sea trip ruined last summer, a trip 20 miles out to sea to visit a particular island. The roster was down to 4 when one member of the party, who can do any roll you’d like, decided to try his luck at rolling a canoe. He pulled a muscle in the attempt and that was that - 3 wasn’t enough so I cancelled the trip. We’ll just try again next year!