No, That’s what my …
Porsche is for… and my .44 magnum long barrel… 
Don’t worry, be happy!
– Last Updated: Feb-08-07 2:02 AM EST –
Hi Phreon,
P.net threads, much like any other conversation, can contain all manner of expression; serious help and discussion, playful ribbing, sarcasm, and even just total nonsense! :-) Seems pretty much like human nature to me.
In thinking about the recent rec boat related threads, I'd say that overall, the good and thoughtful information far outweighs any other aspect of the conversations. Please don't take any of the "lighter stuff" so seriously and/or personally, as I'm sure it's not meant to be hurtful (well, at least not most of it, anyway! :-)).
Bottom line: Don't worry, be happy, and paddle!
Melissa
I agree
– Last Updated: Feb-08-07 8:36 AM EST –
Not trying to be too parallel here - I really do think that this thread resulted in some decent dialogue about what causes some paddlers to go for what type of boat. The "touring" group has been I think a terribly confusing label. When we started they were considered to be "transition" boats, which is a good way of saying that they are half of one and half the other (rec and sea). Touring makes it sound like they are the same in all respects and intents as sea/expedition kayaks, so talking more about what a rec boat is at least clears up that end of the spectrum.
As to the rest of it - when people start talking about what boat will work, they are talking about the correctness and intelligence of their own decision-making process as well. You can't always separate the two.
By the way, Bohemia, I just caught your post above about the boat sinking. Did you ever retrieve it or is it a home for fishies?
you don’t get it
Bad analogy. You might say a rec boat is a sedan or ceonvertible three box.
Slash
Facts are not going to go over well here…
Must have subject!
I consider my rec boat to be a minivan… I’ve got one of those, too. And I have better sense than to try to drive the minivan fast down narrow, twisty roads. In both cases, they do what I want/need them to do, and I don’t fool myself into thinking that either of them can do everything, or do any one thing better than any other kayak/car. If I wanted or needed a sports car, or a touring kayak, that’s what I would have bought. So I don’t mind the comments directed toward rec boats, since I think the combination of kayak and paddler is the problem in most cases.
Besides, mine’s better than a Pamlico.
I
believe, that when the manufacture call a boat a Rec boat…then it’s a Rec Boat.
They keep adding classifications anyway, just to confuse the public and to sell boats to crowds that like the name they called it.
There really are only 3 classifications for boats (IMO)
- Good Boats
- So So Boats
- and poorly made Boats
Best Wishes
Roy
Not very helpful
"- 29% of fatalities involved an operator with less than 10 hours of experience
- 39% involved an operator with 10 – 100 hours of experience
- 31% involved and operator with more than 100 hours of experience"
It would be useful to see the actual distribution of deaths versus hours.
I really don’t see 100 as guaranteeing “expertise”. It’s really not a lot of time.
It’s not how long you practice but how well.
your working to hard
at trying to define this “rec” thing. Put it in perspective of use. There are two types of boats recreational and competetive. It doesn’t mater SOT or Sea or puddle hopper they are all used for “recreation” even though they have a wide variety of optimum water and conditions. Competition boats on the other hand have evry specific uses and conditions “white water, sprint or marathon. These boats are built with one thing in mind Speed, getting to the finish line as fast as posible. There are guide lines and restrictions for the design of specific boats. I am a Marathon racer and the boats we use are anything but recreational. They are designed to carry under #200 and are a 2 out of 10 on the stability scale. They are best suited to flat water and rivers with class 1 or less rapids. My boat is made of carbon fiber and at 18’6” it weighs 28# and costs new about $3800. Marathon racing kayaks are the same, a mere shell of a boat that is too tippy to be used in conditions other than flat water and carrying nothing other than the paddler and their drinker. Competitive white water kayaks too are very one dementional. So it is all about what the boat is intended to be used for and not what the boat has or doesn’t have in the way of outfitting.
a cupholder?
WW boats are dementional?
I know some who would agree…
No its not.
what kind of kayak do you have??
add to that:
a craft folks can fish out of and bird watch from and do things…recreational.
I’ll be the first one to agree on education.
I had two choices when I got my first kayak…
I could have gone with the local outfitter (who,at that time…2001,really wasn’t interested in talking anything that wasn’t a prijon or CD or and wasn’t in the touring class)or,as I did, go with the cheerfull sales guy at (then)Galyans who sold me the perception america.
With all the intermediate models (eddyline carbonlites for one)out there now I can look back and say: Yeah…I’d have chosen…over the wide slow stable america.
But the america is what got me out on the water and it kept me upright and forgave slight errors and mistakes that a narrower touring kayak might not have.
Today,a paddler here in western new york has a host of folks and outlets more than happy to teach them the basics and familiarize them with the handling and characteristics…many for free.
Looking back, the only regret I have is not getting proper forword paddling instruction. I damn near killed my paddling forever thru using my arms and shoulders alone to propel a (then)245 lb guy and slower boat for often hours at a crack.
That said: I still have the America…It’s my backwater boat and creek boat and winter boat.