What is it about British style boats ?

Oh No… It’s A “Troll” Post…
Okay, it cracks me up when someone fawns over any boat British. Ditto, for folks who will get xenophobic about any boat that’s not “American.” It smacks of an “inferiority” complex. You don’t have to knock the British. Let the the American companies produce whatever the market wants and let the American paddlers paddle the boats that challenge ‘em in whatever venue they choose.



Jeeze, it’s paddling… Paddle what you like paddle and let others do the same.



But, I say one thing, which someone else already pointed out – the American companies are producing boats that are way too big for a segment of the market. I dont’ stuff my mouth with MickyD’s and KFC every night. I can swim in most of the cockpits of American boats. That’s my knock of the boats being produced in America right now.



sing

ther is not one ounce of thought

– Last Updated: Jul-03-04 1:29 AM EST –

in that article; it is merely a polemic. They say hatches don't have to be rubber to be dry.

Show me the hatch! Not a word about low rear decks, moderate to low volume, emphasis on secondary stability, low windage, and building a boat that can take a beating.

That said, I like the Caribou and Susquhanna a lot, and qcc has it's place in my pantheon as well. But when it's time to rock and roll it's still the explorer for me.

Why ignore the US Market ?
About 34 percent of U.S. adults age 20 and older are overweight, and about 30 percent – or 59 million people - are obese. 15 percent of children age 6 to 19 are overweight, about triple the proportion 20 years ago.



Plus i think most americans paddle their kayak at close by lakes with the nature shelter from big winds and rough oceans and waves. I think their target marketing is there.


Expedition fantasies
Most of the people I see in oversize kayaks are not oversize people. I believe the main reason for the popularity of big kayaks is that people buy them dreaming of two week camping trips in Georgian Bay, then end up pushing around these cargo ships needlessly on the day and weekend trips which are the reality of most paddling. It would take a LOT of Big Macs to make someone too fat to fit in the cockpit of most mid-size, performance-oriented kayaks. Height, leg length and foot size are more important fit factors than weight, except for the very fat.

? - Seems to acknowledge the…

– Last Updated: Jul-02-04 1:00 PM EST –

.. good points of Brit boats well enough - not a slam on the designs at all. Just makes fun of the cultural bias BS that seems to accompany them for humor's sake.

All I read, was a call for even better boats. Some good old Yankee ingenuity. What's wrong with a call on US companies to match or exceed Brit design performance, but in our own way? Some already are.

I'm traveling West next week - and hopefully renting a kayak - and very likely will try to get something long and narrow with upswept ends, a skeg, and three rubber hatches. An Explorer would be perfect if available.

Explorer's a great boat - but with room for just one sea kayak at home, I'm not replacing my Q700 with one.

I have made some Brit style concessions though - and My Q700 is a bit atypical as a result. It has a skeg, solid bulkhead type foam foot bracing, bare glass seat pan and narrow backband, and I prefer to paddle it with a GP (at least 5 others I know of are also skeg/GP Q700 paddlers). The only things significantly different from most Brit designs are: More LWL for overall length, a bit higher rear deck, and flush composite hatches (w. not day hatch). The LWL is a plus for me. The rear deck height is not. Hatches are OK.

Big boat, little lake?
If most of your paddling is on neighborhood reservoirs, why use a high-volume kayak designed to carry cargo? Yes, a lot of Americans are fat, but from what I’ve seen, the ones who are so fat they need an expedition boat to stay afloat aren’t paddlng anyway.

Greyak, what is this type of foot
bracing you are referring to?



“solid bulkhead type foam foot bracing”



I think some sort of modification like this may help with my comfort problem. I have tried everything else and my left lower leg and foot always get numb and uncomfortable after only a mile.



Thanks,

Pam

Greyak
I think a “British” boat would look much better in your home.

Maybe you can still keep your 700 and use it as a planter, isn’t that why they have those big hatches? LOL



Sooner or later we’ll have to paddle together, I think the only time we did was at the Boat Parade



Ciao


Big sells
Agree sing, but you would go broke trying to sell smaller boats. Fat guys want everything big, and manufacturers are responding.

fine if that’s where you paddle

– Last Updated: Jul-02-04 9:28 PM EST –

that's what you need. Most paddlers think there is nothing much to learn about the sport so paddling.net is not for them.

Marketing = pandering to mediocrity or to the ego of those who think that their posessions keep them fron being mediocre.

Not that I'm any great paddler but I am not a bottom in boat person either.

why paddle a high rear decked leaky hatch boat which is optimized for a person who weighs more than you and flatter conditions than where you want to be.

BTW there are a lot of good North american boats, I've been impressed by some eddyline and some seaward boats, (I wish seaward would get the word on low volume, and boreal makes some really nice boats too (especially Ellesmere). Many skilled padddlers tend to want boats less affected by wind, and which shine in the roughest conditions that they paddle in, where shine is needed most. Anything works on a pond!

I think
he’s referring to getting rid of the footpegs and building up the cockpit side of the forward bulkhead with foam, so that you can brace your feet anywhere on the bulkhead. Paddlers typically angle the foam a bit to provide a relaxed foot position.

How do I do this?

Not just the fat guys
"Fat guys want everything big, and manufacturers are responding. "



Hey, this is a BIG country. Everything must be big. And the American popular culture definitely prize anything BIG! Big is looked at as strong, as good, as rugged, etc. One word, big is great!



Look at the cars in the parking lot of our supermarket. How many of those big SUV are parked there? And how many of them are driven by little folk who can barely see out of the dashboard? Yet they believe the big SUV will “protect” them better from “bad drivers” other than themselves, however poor their own driving skill!



Same with BIG kayaks. Small or narrow kayaks feels tippier so they don’t sell. Not even to small people. They’d rather sit in a glorified floating bathtub and FEEL safe in a pond than to learn the skill needed to BE safe in the ocean.

How about …
…the full suspension bike, complete with big fat 2.5" tires, that never leaves the pavement?

Well, if you ever had a British CAR,
(or motorcycle) you’d realize how great their BOATS are in comparison!

Hard to do with plastic
bulkheads. Not sure anyone has a good way to do it. Maybe b nystrom or one of the other very experienced folks cold talk to you about it.



I’d be thinking north sea resin and putting in some blocks or something that could take the pressure. Then screwing a glassed marine plywood brace that looks like a bulkhead into the blocks you resined in. But I’ve never done it and I would bother someone who has until they told me how. I’m just that way!

Although I must confess …
Skeg works as well if not better than a Rudder. I dont know about those xtra small hatches though. Looks like a huge hassle to stuff all my dry bags through that.

nah thats not bad…
compared to all the people that drives their full time 4 X 4 Jurrasic SUV around to the Mall, Supermarket. DOnt even get me started on the HUMMER SUV



Americans tend to worship/want everything BIG BIG BIG BIG.

In the old days…
I had a string of british sports cars, MG, Spitfire, GT6, TR6…great fun to drive…a bitch to keep running. British workmanship was a problem back then. Don’t know about today,

The BIG picture
Now, just put that BIG bike on top of that BIG Hummer. Add a BIG north American kayak with big cockpit, complete it with a 240cm BIG spoon paddle. Driving it to the local supermarket would put a BIG smile on the face of that 5’3" owner! :o)