I'm just kinda getting started in kayaking and I have a Dagger Bayou
recreational-type kayak. It's flat and short. I, of course, want to
get a real touring kayak at some time, but I can't really right now.

Anyway, my question: want to take it to a pool session sometime within
the next month and work on some wet exits and rescues. I know you
don't know anything about me, physically, but do you think it's worth
trying to learn a roll in this thing, or should I wait on that until I
have a better kayak?

mann wrote:

I'm just kinda getting started in kayaking and I have a Dagger Bayou
recreational-type kayak. It's flat and short. I, of course, want to
get a real touring kayak at some time, but I can't really right now.

Anyway, my question: want to take it to a pool session sometime within
the next month and work on some wet exits and rescues. I know you
don't know anything about me, physically, but do you think it's worth
trying to learn a roll in this thing, or should I wait on that until I
have a better kayak?

Recreational kayaks can be pretty tough to learn to roll in. I know, I
have a Kiwi Kopapa, and it was my first kayak, and I wanted desperately
to prove to all the whitewater snobs that it was as good a kayak as any
of their fancy WW boats. And before the 8 week class I began in was
over, I'd ordered a Wavesport Extreme!

Rec boats can usually be rolled, but it's rather tough, cause they are
so wide and flat bottomed, designed to have great primary stability, but
no secondary stability.

Get into an easy to roll WW kayak if you want to learn to roll. It will
serve you well, believe me, I know! :-)

--
John Kuthe,
1st rule of Govt: protect people from Govt
2nd rule of Govt: protect people from each other
BUT: It must *never* become the job of Govt to protect people from
themselves!

Take your boat to the pool to practice wet exits and rescues, but
borrow a boat from someone else to try rolling. Chances are there
will be someone at the pool session who won't have a problem with
your hopping in the boat and giving it a try. A rec boat isn't the
boat to learn a roll on, if it's even doable.

--
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::
Mary Malmros
Some days you're the windshield,
Other days you're the bug.

mann ) writes:
I'm just kinda getting started in kayaking and I have a Dagger Bayou
recreational-type kayak. It's flat and short. I, of course, want to
get a real touring kayak at some time, but I can't really right now.

And here I was thinking all kayaks were "recreational-type" craft. Until I
learned in this newsgroup that for a few idots of lowered brain activity
it is not recreation at all but a substitute for religious experience,
without all the hard stuff like a theological structure and adhering to a
moral code.


Anyway, my question: want to take it to a pool session sometime within
the next month and work on some wet exits and rescues. I know you
don't know anything about me, physically, but do you think it's worth
trying to learn a roll in this thing, or should I wait on that until I
have a better kayak?

pool sessions are nothing more than a paddling extremist's substitute for
baptism. they dunk you in the water a few times in a boat, collect their
fee, and leave you feeling you have joined a fraternity of faith. its not
about skill. its about psychology and mental conditioning. let them get
you into a pool and they 've got you for life. you won't be able to paddle
a single stroke without first paying for lessons from the priests of your new
religion.

beware of ceritified paddling instruction. if you get hooked we do have
certified deconditioning agents but they cost a lot of money. we have to
isolate in safe house for up to 6 weeks for the therapy to work. I don't
recommend it except as a last resort. Better to avoid gettign hooked in
the first place.

--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
William R Watt National Capital FreeNet Ottawa's free community network
homepage: www.ncf.ca/~ag384/top.htm
warning: non-freenet email must have "notspam" in subject or it's returned

In 1979, when my son and I learned to kayak, we were taught the basic art
during eight 3-hour sessions, 6 students and 2 instructors, on successive
weekends by volunteer instructors who were members of the San Francisco
River Touring Chapter of the Sierra Club. Use of the Chapter's 6 kayaks and
paddles were included at a total cost to the students of the grand fee of
$25 plus gas for the instructors cars (filled with the students). There were
four separate classes on the weekend mornings and afternoons with just the 6
boats and paddles in the CA foothill streams and rivers. Every Tuesday night
all year long the Chapter rented the Richmond, CA, indoor pool for pool
sessions - mostly rolling practice at a very modest fee per attandee. After
the 8 lessons, a last graduation session for each class with four
instructors took the students down the South Fork of the Sacramento on the
"Gorge" run, a low class 3. The students were then included in the many
private trips planned each weekend during the year. Thus the Chapter added
24 whitewater kayakers in the spring and in the fall of each year. Many of
them complete addicts (and good comrades) boating 40 to 50 weekends per
year.

Many of the students helped in the following years as instructors. After we
learned the art, my son and I helped to train many future friends and
comrades.

The training I saw other kayakers getting from "professional" instructors
was far below the standard of the SF River Touring Chapter of the Sierra
Club.

John Adams

"William R. Watt" wrote in message
...
mann ) writes:
I'm just kinda getting started in kayaking and I have a Dagger Bayou
recreational-type kayak. It's flat and short. I, of course, want to
get a real touring kayak at some time, but I can't really right now.

And here I was thinking all kayaks were "recreational-type" craft. Until I
learned in this newsgroup that for a few idots of lowered brain activity
it is not recreation at all but a substitute for religious experience,
without all the hard stuff like a theological structure and adhering to a
moral code.


Anyway, my question: want to take it to a pool session sometime within
the next month and work on some wet exits and rescues. I know you
don't know anything about me, physically, but do you think it's worth
trying to learn a roll in this thing, or should I wait on that until I
have a better kayak?

pool sessions are nothing more than a paddling extremist's substitute for
baptism. they dunk you in the water a few times in a boat, collect their
fee, and leave you feeling you have joined a fraternity of faith. its not
about skill. its about psychology and mental conditioning. let them get
you into a pool and they 've got you for life. you won't be able to paddle
a single stroke without first paying for lessons from the priests of your
new
religion.

beware of ceritified paddling instruction. if you get hooked we do have
certified deconditioning agents but they cost a lot of money. we have to
isolate in safe house for up to 6 weeks for the therapy to work. I don't
recommend it except as a last resort. Better to avoid gettign hooked in
the first place.

--
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
William R Watt National Capital FreeNet Ottawa's free community
network
homepage: www.ncf.ca/~ag384/top.htm
warning: non-freenet email must have "notspam" in subject or it's returned

John Q Adams wrote:
...
After the 8 lessons, a last graduation session for each class
4 instructors took the students down the South Fork of the Sacramento
on the "Gorge" run, a low class 3.

Just in case anybody tried to run the S Fork of the Sacramento thinking
it is a class 3 run, I think John meant the South Fork of the American.
The S Fork of the Sacramento starts out class 5, then eases up to class 3
(but continuous) as it emerges from a bedrock gorge onto boulder fields
about 5-6 miles above Siskyou reservoir.

I don't know who put a burr under Mr. Watts saddle, but if you are in the
Maryland area, I would be happy to teach you the skills for free at one of the
Chesapeake Paddlers Association pool sessions.

Brian Blankinship

Kudos to whomever that was; It was my first belly-laugh of the day.

Padeen


"Blankibr" wrote in message
...
I don't know who put a burr under Mr. Watts saddle, but if you are in the
Maryland area, I would be happy to teach you the skills for free at one of
the
Chesapeake Paddlers Association pool sessions.

Brian Blankinship

Bill's right, of course. It was the S Fork of the American.

John Adams

"Bill Tuthill" wrote in message
...
John Q Adams wrote:
...
After the 8 lessons, a last graduation session for each class
4 instructors took the students down the South Fork of the Sacramento
on the "Gorge" run, a low class 3.

Just in case anybody tried to run the S Fork of the Sacramento thinking
it is a class 3 run, I think John meant the South Fork of the American.
The S Fork of the Sacramento starts out class 5, then eases up to class 3
(but continuous) as it emerges from a bedrock gorge onto boulder fields
about 5-6 miles above Siskyou reservoir.

Thanks people, and special thanks to the "extremist's substitute for
baptism" guy. Don't worry, I've avoided expensive instruction so far.
I have a few friends who should be at the pool to point out where I'm
going to kill myself. I guess I won't be attempting rolls there, but
I at least want to see what happens when the thing tips over. Can I
get out? Will the boat float if it fills with water? How far can I
lean before it goes over? Etc.

(William R. Watt) wrote in message ...
mann ) writes:
I'm just kinda getting started in kayaking and I have a Dagger Bayou
recreational-type kayak. It's flat and short. I, of course, want to
get a real touring kayak at some time, but I can't really right now.

And here I was thinking all kayaks were "recreational-type" craft. Until I
learned in this newsgroup that for a few idots of lowered brain activity
it is not recreation at all but a substitute for religious experience,
without all the hard stuff like a theological structure and adhering to a
moral code.


Anyway, my question: want to take it to a pool session sometime within
the next month and work on some wet exits and rescues. I know you
don't know anything about me, physically, but do you think it's worth
trying to learn a roll in this thing, or should I wait on that until I
have a better kayak?

pool sessions are nothing more than a paddling extremist's substitute for
baptism. they dunk you in the water a few times in a boat, collect their
fee, and leave you feeling you have joined a fraternity of faith. its not
about skill. its about psychology and mental conditioning. let them get
you into a pool and they 've got you for life. you won't be able to paddle
a single stroke without first paying for lessons from the priests of your new
religion.

beware of ceritified paddling instruction. if you get hooked we do have
certified deconditioning agents but they cost a lot of money. we have to
isolate in safe house for up to 6 weeks for the therapy to work. I don't
recommend it except as a last resort. Better to avoid gettign hooked in
the first place.