On Fri, 14 May 2004 12:36:00 GMT, Brian Nystrom
vaguely proposed a theory
.......and in reply I say!:
uncap my header address to reply via email
.........and some spam ******* has worked that one out!

In all of this, with the views presented, I think that really, before
you build, you should paddle a lot. Building will not reallyt save
money, and buying is so easy to get over. Building is not.

It's not just about speed. In fact, it's not necessarily about speed at all.

I agree with "not just". I am not sure about "not necessarily about
speed at all" G.

But yes, the higher performance boats do give better ultimate control
in tough circumstances, _in the right hands_! Harley vs Ducati! G

Not at all, as you raise valid points. However, it seems much more
common for someone to outgrow their first wide, stable boat than not.

As I said, I was perhaps playing devil's advocate. I am a capable, but
casual user.

I do have to ask, having been frightened by a really tippy boat, how
many people simply never took up kayaking beyond that first try,
having been put off by Mr Zippy's super dooper?

Yes, it takes time to adjust to a higher performance boat, but most
people will do so easily if they spend any significant time on the
water. For occasional recreational paddling, a wider more stable boat is
more suitable.

I think that on this topic, you should try a few boats of different
styles, widths etc first, maybe at a local club, or some other
organisation, even if it means hiring.

Agreed.

Are you sure you want to build? I firmly believe that bulding a kayak
should be done _only_ because you want to _build_ a kayak. If you want
a kayak, buy one secondhand. You may pay a couple of hundred more,
but....

Actually, you can get a lot of good used boats for less than the price
of a complete kit and the other supplies you need to build (typically
~$1000). Even used fiberglass boats are available at that price.

Yes. The kit prices are scary! And they _still_ need a lot of time!

************************************************** *****

Sometimes in a workplace you find snot on the wall of
the toilet cubicles. You feel "What sort of twisted
child would do this?"....the internet seems full of
them. It's very sad