Yeah, the Animas is an old school 10+feet? boat, a good one for sure for
bigger water, but a WW boat for sure. WW boats are made to "spin" on a dime.
She\you will have no problem "tracking" it once you develop a good stroke.
ANY boat tracks if you know what yer doin'.
"Michael Daly" wrote in message
...

On 6-Oct-2005, "Roger Houston" wrote:

The guy at the counter of the
store whose owner put it in stock for sale said that it was not for
whitewater, and not for sea kayaking, but great for everything in
between.

Don't listen to that guy again. The Animas is a WW kayak. It may not
be the latest and greatest playboat, but it was a popular kayak at one
time.

The boat just spins on its center of rotation and
is very difficult to control as to direction of travel.

That sounds about right for a WW kayak. They are designed to handle in
rough water and will change directions fast. The price you pay is that
you have to learn how to control it. Every WW kayak will spin out of
control when paddled on fla****er unless you learn to correct the
motion with pretty much every other stroke. Tell your friend that she
will have to spend a lot of time in the kayak to get used to it.
If you switch it for a kayak that will track well, that will be a
kayak that is difficult to use in WW.

If she didn't want to do WW, then definitely get a different kayak.
WW kayaks are for WW.

Mike

On 7-Oct-2005, "Roger Houston" wrote:

"Stable, all-around river runner . comfortable cockpit for larger paddlers .
long waterline for speed and tracking . for those who prefer a longer, more
predictable kayak . choice beginner kayak or big water boat for anyone"

"Long waterline for ... tracking" "more predictable kayak" would seem to
imply a broader spectrum of usability than is actually the case.

There's nothing wrong with that statement as it applies to a whitewater kayak.
Your expectations are what's wrong. You have to do more homework before
jumping to the conclusion that this kayak is suitable for a beginner that
isn't prepared to learn how to handle a WW kayak. You didn't address the
issue that was commented on by a couple of us - is she looking for a WW
kayak or not?

Mike

Being as how our water is mostly brown, I guess I'd have to say "nah..."

The boat's for sale.




"Michael Daly" wrote in message
...

On 7-Oct-2005, "Roger Houston" wrote:

"Stable, all-around river runner . comfortable cockpit for larger
paddlers .
long waterline for speed and tracking . for those who prefer a longer,
more
predictable kayak . choice beginner kayak or big water boat for anyone"

"Long waterline for ... tracking" "more predictable kayak" would seem to
imply a broader spectrum of usability than is actually the case.

There's nothing wrong with that statement as it applies to a whitewater
kayak.
Your expectations are what's wrong. You have to do more homework before
jumping to the conclusion that this kayak is suitable for a beginner that
isn't prepared to learn how to handle a WW kayak. You didn't address the
issue that was commented on by a couple of us - is she looking for a WW
kayak or not?

Mike

Roger Houston wrote:
"Courtney" wrote in message
ink.net...

Why don't you check out www.dagger.com and www.wildernesssystems.com to
name
just two and research their touring and recreational boats. That should
help you with your choices.

As I mentioned in another post, I won't check out Dagger's site as a source
of primary information. Not knowing anything else about the boat, what is
written on their site at
http://dagger.com/product.asp?BoatTy...C&BoatID= 257
would lead one to believe that the boat tracks and is predictable for
beginners, neither of which proved to be the case with the boat in question.

I think I'll ask on here; the ng seems to have been a source of pretty
reliable information in other respects.

The fact that Dagger's site lists it among the whitewater kayaks didn't
suggest anything to you? As whitewater boats go, it's stable and
predictable. NO WW boat tracks well on fla****er, they are designed to
turn, not track.

I can understand that you and your friend are upset, but it's the
salesman's fault for misleading you, not Dagger's

--
Steve Cramer
Athens, GA

"Steve Cramer" wrote in message
...

The fact that Dagger's site lists it among the whitewater kayaks didn't
suggest anything to you?

In retrospect only. I navigated directly from Google to the product page at
http://dagger.com/product.asp?BoatTy...C&BoatID= 257.
That little tab at the top that says "Whitewater" is orange on red, a
minimally visible combination, and I saw it after the fact. Not an excuse,
but a reason.

I can understand that you and your friend are upset, but it's the
salesman's fault for misleading you, not Dagger's

As I said, I think the classification of the watercraft is less prominently
displayed than it could have been. This plus the salesman's obvious lack of
knowledge of the craft contributed to my being misled. I'm sure Dagger
appreciates your pro bono defense of them. Yes, it's all my fault, as I
acknowledged in a different post. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.
I don't know how many more people want to chime in and castigate me, but
have at it, I don't much care. You'll indulge my reluctance not to post my
GPS coordinates so you all can't come over, line up and spank me.

As I said, the boat's for sale and the (different shop) proprietor /
salesman is pretty confident he'll be able to sell it for me on consignment.
In fact, I think he has a buyer in mind, someone who knows what he wants and
wants a boat that does uncommanded donuts in the hands of a beginner but
will do exactly what an expert wants. And another boat, a FLA****er rental
veteran with lots of miles left on it, has my name on it for about the same
price. So everything is status quo ante except that I've revealed my
ignorance for all of you to point out, and some of you have had a chance to
display your blindingly superior knowledge of this discipline. I imagine
you were never beginners and of course you don't make mistakes.

Me, I'll be more careful whom I trust. Thanks to those who offered to
answer my questions on here. I hooked up with a fellow in real life who's
as kind and knowledgeable as most of you have proven to be. Kind AND
knowledgeable. A nice combination, and not universal attributes. Right,
Steve?

Maria Teresa Chupacabra wrote:

"Steve Cramer" wrote in message
...

The fact that Dagger's site lists it among the whitewater kayaks didn't
suggest anything to you?

In retrospect only. I navigated directly from Google to the product page at
http://dagger.com/product.asp?BoatTy...C&BoatID= 257.
That little tab at the top that says "Whitewater" is orange on red, a
minimally visible combination, and I saw it after the fact. Not an excuse,
but a reason.

I can understand that you and your friend are upset, but it's the
salesman's fault for misleading you, not Dagger's

As I said, I think the classification of the watercraft is less prominently
displayed than it could have been. This plus the salesman's obvious lack of
knowledge of the craft contributed to my being misled. I'm sure Dagger
appreciates your pro bono defense of them. Yes, it's all my fault, as I
acknowledged in a different post. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.
I don't know how many more people want to chime in and castigate me, but
have at it, I don't much care. You'll indulge my reluctance not to post my
GPS coordinates so you all can't come over, line up and spank me.

As I said, the boat's for sale and the (different shop) proprietor /
salesman is pretty confident he'll be able to sell it for me on consignment.
In fact, I think he has a buyer in mind, someone who knows what he wants and
wants a boat that does uncommanded donuts in the hands of a beginner but
will do exactly what an expert wants. And another boat, a FLA****er rental
veteran with lots of miles left on it, has my name on it for about the same
price. So everything is status quo ante except that I've revealed my
ignorance for all of you to point out, and some of you have had a chance to
display your blindingly superior knowledge of this discipline. I imagine
you were never beginners and of course you don't make mistakes.

Me, I'll be more careful whom I trust. Thanks to those who offered to
answer my questions on here. I hooked up with a fellow in real life who's
as kind and knowledgeable as most of you have proven to be. Kind AND
knowledgeable. A nice combination, and not universal attributes. Right,
Steve?

Whoo, touchy, aren't we? Perhaps you have gotten a lot of feedback you
didn't want, but such is the nature of usenet. I was merely commenting
on your blaming Dagger for the mistake. There's nothing about the Dagger
site that's misleading. Mea culpa doesn't work if you continue to blame
other people unfairly. Ask your local priest.

You might want to actually look at URLs before you click on them.
http://dagger.com/product.asp?BoatTy...C&BoatID= 257.
^^^^^^^
But you don't want any more advice from me, do you?

--
Steve Cramer
Athens, GA

"Steve Cramer" wrote in message
...
http://dagger.com/product.asp?BoatTy...C&BoatID= 257.
^^^^^^^
But you don't want any more advice from me, do you?

Nope.

And, as I said, I navigated from Google, so the URL I sent was originally
embedded in a link. I said fairly plainly that it wasn't an excuse but a
reason.

This is a friend's computer BTW hence the different username.

The kayak's gone, its replacement is on the way, but you still seem to be
here. There's the door.

Roger.

"Maria Teresa Chupacabra" wrote in
news:1128873819.6400fd394e268329017cac7a75936ab2@t eranews:


"Steve Cramer" wrote in message
...
http://dagger.com/product.asp?BoatTy...C&BoatID= 257
.
^^^^^^^
But you don't want any more advice from me, do you?

Nope.

And, as I said, I navigated from Google, so the URL I sent was
originally embedded in a link. I said fairly plainly that it wasn't an
excuse but a reason.

This is a friend's computer BTW hence the different username.

The kayak's gone, its replacement is on the way, but you still seem to
be here. There's the door.

First, what did you get to replace it?

Secondly, I've been reading this group for about 8 years and believe that
Steve has been here as long as I have or longer. Coming into a forum and
asking a long time regular to leave is not a very good way to gain favor
from him and other regulars. Now that you've got (or getting) a new kayak
you'll probably have a lot more questions regarding using it. I know that
at least I would be more likely to spend time providing answers if I thought
they'd be met with a bit more congenialtiy.

The statement that's on Dagger's web site for the Animas is for whitewater
boats and the statement is correct. It is a beginner whitewater boat and
tracks straighter than many other whitewater boats, etc.... If they had
used that description for recreational boats however it would have been a
false statement. Look under the "recreational" descriptions on the company
web pages, not "whitewater". You can even look under "sea kayaks" and get
something that is a beginner sea kayak. It will generally be shorter and
wider that the average sea kayak. It's kind of a hybrid between rec and
sea. If you have any questions about some boats that you're see just write
us and we'll give you feedback on them.

Courtney

"Roger Houston" wrote in message
et...

"Courtney" wrote in message
ink.net...
Why don't you check out www.dagger.com and www.wildernesssystems.com to
name
just two and research their touring and recreational boats. That should
help you with your choices.

As I mentioned in another post, I won't check out Dagger's site as a
source
of primary information. Not knowing anything else about the boat, what is
written on their site at
http://dagger.com/product.asp?BoatTy...C&BoatID= 257
would lead one to believe that the boat tracks and is predictable for
beginners, neither of which proved to be the case with the boat in
question.

I think I'll ask on here; the ng seems to have been a source of pretty
reliable information in other respects.

Maria Teresa Chupacabra wrote:
"Steve Cramer" wrote in message
...

The fact that Dagger's site lists it among the whitewater kayaks didn't
suggest anything to you?

In retrospect only. I navigated directly from Google to the product page at
http://dagger.com/product.asp?BoatTy...C&BoatID= 257.
That little tab at the top that says "Whitewater" is orange on red, a
minimally visible combination, and I saw it after the fact. Not an excuse,
but a reason.

I can understand that you and your friend are upset, but it's the
salesman's fault for misleading you, not Dagger's

As I said, I think the classification of the watercraft is less prominently
displayed than it could have been. [snip]

Well, in Dagger's defense, they probably made the assuption --
correctly in most cases -- that visitors would navigate to that
particular description after entering at their "home" page. In that
case the visitor would have had to actively press the white-on-red
"Whitewater" tab (which *then* changes to orange-on-red) to get to the
list of whitewater boats. The fact that you might have googled
directly to that page is a subtety their web designer should have
considered, but corporate management (boat-builders, right? Not
necessarily web-savvy) might be forgiven for having failed to consider
the possibility.

Don't feel too bad. When yer new to a sport, hobby, activity, it takes
a while just to discover how much you don't know (I understand yer an
experienced canoeist; I'm refering to your novelty wrt kayaking).
No-one -- least of all Steve Cramer -- in this newsgroup is malicious;
it's just the ol' hastily-typed written-communication-between-strangers
thing, the stuff flame-wars are made of, that doesn't happen in
face-to-face conversations between well-meaning people. Did I set a
record for "number of hyphens in one sentence", or must I keep trying?

But I digress. Even the fact of being steered wrong by the salesman is
not very unusual; I couldn't count the number of people I have heard
from who bought the wrong boat first time out. Including me (I mean,
it *said* "whitewater" right in the name of the model -- the Mohawk
Whitewater 16; how was I to know it was vastly inappropriate for solo
paddling of serious whitewater?) If there is any kind of livery or
kayak school in yer vicinity, yer friend could go a long way toward
nailing down her choice of boat by test-driving a few, and maybe taking
a class and discussing in detail with the instructor the kind of
boating she wants to do (of course, the validity of this can also vary
with the instructor; I've met a few who were so focused on their own
paddling style that they could not be trusted to make unbiased
suggestions).

-Richard, His Kanubic Travesty
--

================================================== ====================
Richard Hopley Winston-Salem, NC, USA
rhopley[at]earthlink[dot]net
Nothing really matters except Boats, Sex, and Rock'n'Roll
rhopley[at]wfubmc[dot]edu
OK, OK; computer programming for scientific research also matters
================================================== ====================