I think I’ll just stick with the…
… rating in my profile: Blank
If that’s not clear enough, I guess I’m either an Intermediate in Beginner waters, or a Beginner in Intermediate waters. Ratings out of context are useless - or worse, misleading.
BCU says…
The BCU feels confident command of the skill set and experience it defines as 3 Star is the indicator of an intermediate paddler. In the BCU system, 3 & 4 Star are intermediate. Only 5 Star is advanced.
I can accept that.
i know you’re trying to be funny
but I don’t think the number of hulls you own has anything to do with it.
I don’t think the skill ratings mean anything other than what you want them to mean.
Get A “Funny Bone” Man…
If ratings ain’t anything more than what we make of it, then Krousman’s ratings are as good as any. 
Besides, by his scale, I reached “advanced” by my second year.
-4 long boats
-3 white water boats
-1 surf kayak
-2 waveskis
-10 paddles.
I like to think my $$$ went to self improvement, rather than just the accumulation of toys. 
sing
I’m serious dude
Well, not really. I guess you would have to question any method whereby one rates oneself.
I was actually just trying to get Sing to admit he’s not a beginner.
The real answer
The question: So the question is where do you draw the line for advancement from beginner to intermediate to expert?
The answer: How good of a story you tell.
Augustus Dogmatycus
MMV
by that thinking
any one with more than one car is an advanced driver too!!! Is this the rating we’re using?
If so I’m guilty too, I own four hulls, two long two short. I own 5 paddles too.
The ability to use this equipment is what is questionable.
In software there is a saying about testing requirements, is it verifiable and testable. Whether or not you can apply that to paddler ratings over the internet I dunno. It seems to me the hull rating is about the closest you’re going to get. But It has nothing to do with ability.
Is this thread a retread.
Another Point Of View
Many people will check a person’s profile and answer in the context of the person’s skill level
For example, if your profile says advanced, and you ask about a certain (let’s say challenging) destination, perhaps a bunch of other advanced paddlers will respond, and say it’s just great (thinking you are advanced). If it turns out that you aren’t really advanced, you may have just received information that is wrong for you.
On the other hand, as a beginner, I’m unlikely to respond at all regarding to any skill related question when the posting person’s profile is intermediate or advanced. I figure, this person knows lots more than I do. In this case, if a person inflates his/her class, he/she may miss out on a lot of good advice shared by fellow beginners.
I the classifications have value…Lou
My wife has progressed to intermediate
– Last Updated: Sep-26-05 1:10 PM EST –
When she she was a "beginner", she didn't understand water levels and how they could make me NEED to get on the water, fast.
As an "intermediate" she has come to accept my compulsion and it is no longer a source of marital discord.
Sometimes I wish that she was a paddler too.
Thank you Lou
I too believe there is some value to level listings in profiles.
That would be a good idea
if everyone used the same parameters.
Darn…
can’t let go of that serious side, can ya?
NO rating by ACA/BCU. I am a beginner. Good thing I don’t have to get insurance for my kayaks. If it’s like for my car, I couldn’t afford to paddle.
sing
Hehe…
I considered my self an intermediate of some sort until this past weekend when the waters of Flaming Gorge clearly underscored my folly.
Back to beginner status
Holmes
seriously
– Last Updated: Sep-27-05 8:55 AM EST –
overated maybe?
An intermediate is someone who:
1. Recognizes the value of a bow line when cartopping, because they themselves have either witnessed a nice kayak flying off of a car rack and smashing on the highway into tiny fragments, or have had it happen personally.
2. Realizes their own stupidity when they have launched off of a 10 foot ice shelf in january, paddled around for an hour and then can't find their way back off again.
3. Has had the coast guard try to rescue them, (when they didn't need it) at least twice. And have had to undergo a strip search for the sake of "homeland" security after paddling too close to a nuclear power station.
4. Know what the difference between breathable and non-breathable is after wasting money on non breathable and trying to wear it on that first spring day and having your friends revive you after you passed out from the heat.
5. Learned how to do gelcoat work due to miscommunication between friends during a tandem carry to the parking lot. Do the words, "I got it" have no meaning now?
6. Has learned the art of spousal persuasion. "look honey I know it's your great grandmother's 99th birthday and that she might not have another one, but the surf is up and I told a buddy he could try out my new gizmo today, so I think I really need to just sneak over to the beach. Grandma doesn't even know who I am. She called me Kevin twice already. Isn't Kevin the dog's name?..."
7. Has learned the art of subtle salesmanship to the family. "I know I already have three paddling jackets, but this one is super breathable, short sleeve, and it has a neck gasket. You know, for those days when it's above 70, and the water is a little chilly, but you don't want to wear long sleeves."
8. Has lost the ability to accurately tell time. "I'll be back around five."
9. Has at least one vehicle that is worth less than one of their kayaks.
10. Knows what the word pitchpole means first hand and can use it in a sentence.
Hmmmm
Maybe I should get a second and third wife!!!
Cheers,
JackL
aw heck
I shouldn’t have sold that Walden Naturalist…I’d have 7 boats. And I do have about 8 paddles now…stuck in intermediate.
Val, in CT
Now…
that’s funny.
sing
Water. Wet, cold water. What?
Oops, sorry. Nevermind. I checked that profile box cuz I thought it read, “Entermedium.”
Hey, it is part of my ongoing education, in the interim between my beginning and the master I don’t expert to be. I mean, what’s a black belt without a little blue?
Pardon the interruption to interrogatory filed,
Or Inter the Dragon,
Bruised Lee
I put down Intermediate because I
have paddled , off and on , for 25 years. Maybe I’m just an aging beginner.