if both in Swifties, and land on the island they were nearer anyway. Like I said, no one could figure out why the handled it the way they did. There was a cove full of renters and owners scratching their heads on that one.
But this is getting diverted from my point, which was that just because something is a SOT, you can't assume that everyone can re-enter without having practiced.
In relatively warm conditions it is practical to talk about the relative ease of towing one boat or another. But in 59 degree water a long tow is possibly fatal however easily the boat may tow. This guy was lucky that they had this happen in early August in a hot day. It was the coast of Maine, and even as healthy as he was it could have been a very different outcome if it had been 6 weeks on either side of this day.
my statement was "the average novice paddler can learn hopping on and off a SOT easier than they can a roll, without a special class and with less trepidation."
Not everyone wants a narrow seakayak. Not everyone wants to learn, or has the mental capacity or physical flexibility to learn, or has a class/instructor available to learn, the skill of rolling, and other rescue methods that require equipment and critical moves. With a SOT, most anybody can hop on and paddle, and when they fall off they can at least attempt to clamber back on without much skill. If they are halfway fit and try it a few times they have a reasonable chance of success, which is generally not true of a roll; that requires instruction and a lot more practice to become reliable (like your own 3-year experience noted above).
There is plenty of awesome paddling (including whitewater, surf and open water) to be had with SOTs, canoes, SUPs, surfskis and other paddlecraft where a roll is not necessary. And that's what this thread (and website) is about.
Try a SOT in that surf, you might like it! Dragging a SINK full of water & sand ashore with a popped skirt hindering your motion sucks :)
I suspect that SOT's will retain a high degree of popularity, certainly in terms of sales figures, no matter how many hairs get split on this board.
The OP here, to go right back to the top, indicated that they were looking at a SOT because they did not want to have to learn to roll. That means they are contemplating having to get back onto the thing at some point - otherwise it makes little sense to have said anything about a roll. My story indicated that practice is a plan regardless of the boat - unless new paddlers you meet are different from those around here, most don't want to do that.
If I said a SOT didn't seem easier to most newbies, or that SOT's didn't do a bunch of things quite well, you'll have to point that out. I don't see it. I did say that the narrower sea kayaks can have some advantages in a capsize due to the smaller cockpit. I don't see that you have a problem with that. We started out with transition boats ourselves, Swifties before that.
My mistake was getting drawn into the what if's - clearly you wanted to get it to a final point that said the SOT was superior in avoiding a larger problem. It would have been OK if you had just started there.
From the OP - "Sit on top appeals as I am not keen on learning to eskimo roll ..."
it’s not about superiority of one vs. the other – you pulled the roll card in the 2nd post, which by your own admission can be difficult to develop, implying that it would exclude him from certain types of paddling and limit him to safe waters near shore. That simply isn’t the case; if a SOT appeals to the OP for the reasons and purposes he stated and attracts him to the sport, then there’s no need to mislead him, it didn’t answer his questions.
I have had a Tarpon for years and love them. I’ve had 2 160s and currently a 140.IMHO, for rivers ,lakes, and moderate ocean they can’t be beat BUT I just don’t like SINKs. I have had the 160 out in stuff I never hope to paddle in again and the boat had no trouble;the operator didn’t do as well.
They are inordinately heavy and thigh straps are a necessity.
From the original post -
"Sit on top appeals as I am not keen on learning to eskimo roll" Also the check off of WW in the profile.
As to staying near shore, I was talking about people we know some of whom probably have more time on salt water than us. I didn't say it was everyone, though granted if you want to find a generalization you could.
ww in profile yeah mine too… in an unrollable SOT. crazy huh? I have two of them now because they’re simply more fun on the rivers than my previous ww boats.