|
|
|
|
why paddles matter - or do they?
(andrei) writes:
[snip]
She did not say that she did not like paddle - only that she was
getting tired fairly rapidly. It was me who was looking at the paddle
change option (since we cannot change the kayak) in the hope to help
her. As for shops, there are a couple of shops around here, but they
main interest is *selling* rather than finding a cheap solution. They
position is: sure, get a better paddle. And I am left wondering "is
this worth the 100 extra dollars".
Not knowing the stores you're talking about, I can't say. However,
I don't think that a paddling store should automatically be
castigated for resisting what you, an admitted newbie to the sport,
see as a "cheap solution". They might agree with you on the "cheap"
part, but disagree on the "solution" part -- $100 that you spend on
the wrong thing is $100 wasted; so's $30 spent on the wrong thing,
for that matter. And paddling stores ought to be concerned whenever
a customer's emphasis is on "cheap, cheap, cheap" -- and not just
about their bottom line. You can paddle with a crappy paddle; it
might injure you to do so (see previous post), but it won't be
fatal. But there are other kinds of paddling gear decisions where
the insistence on "cheap" could kill you -- for example, if you
decide you can't afford a decent PFD, or proper clothing, or a boat
whose handling capabilities are sufficient for the conditions in
which you plan to paddle. Again, I don't know the stores you're
talking about, and I sure wasn't standing at your elbow when you
went shopping. But paddling stores aren't the same as your local
big-box electronics store, so if they're steering you towards a more
expensive item, you probably ought to at least listen to what they
say without assuming that their only concern is the price tag.
--
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::
Mary Malmros
Some days you're the windshield,
Other days you're the bug.
|