Very macho, but not very revelent in the world beyond your niche. I'm only suggesting that you take a look at the larger world
of paddling, the vast majority of which is not what you and your circle are into. When I started out in whitewater canoes ( the
kayak had not yet come along ) it was the same way. Boy were we deflated when we found out that only a small percentage of those who
took paddling instruction were in ww canoes. It is hard to accept but there it is. Try to expand your field of knowledge past just
what you do and understand that the huge majority of paddling students are not on a fast track to be a stud paddler or an
instructor. They just simply want to learn a few basic things to have fun on the waterand that's where the large majority of
instruction takes place.
My original post was simply a question about re-gelcoating a hull. It had nothing to do with motives. I received several direct
answers that told me what I needed to know. Why is it that boys like you need to bring this macho, hey dudes I really can scratch up
a hull so I must be a stud, attitude into the mix. Could it be that you need to prove something ? I mean really, judging a paddlers
talents at instruction or technique based on the number of scratches on their hull ? Grow up.

Te

"Michael Daly" wrote in message ...
On 9-Jun-2004, "Te Canaille" wrote:

a scratched up hull is a sign of poor control

An unscratched hull is a sign of someone who doesn't take his
kayak anywhere. Or a paddler who has his priorities wrong.
At the infamous kayaking school in Anglesey, they have paddlers
do a surf launch and landing on rocky beaches, just to get folks
away from the fear of putting the kayak into real life situations.
Flat water and lovely sandy beaches represent a small fraction
of real paddling venues.

Gel coat gets scratched and is easy to repair. Most of the folks
I know that think like you paddle expensive strippers. Those
of us that paddle real kayaks (and not showboats) don't worry
about minor dings and scratches. That gets in the way of real
paddling.

I'm teaching a session on gel coat repair in a couple of weeks
(June 26 to be precise, around 9:30AM) Parry Island in Georgian
Bay - where sandy beaches are usually man-made. If you want
to know how to deal with reality, drop by.

your priorities are a bit narrow.

This from a guy that thinks his kayak's looks are important.

Mike