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Jayno55 wrote:
To respond to Peter's point specifically, I picked out the Vela and the Cat for their modest length (I want good tracking on the water, but also maneouvrability in confined waters like canals etc and manageability for dry carrying/loading) The simplest way to make carrying easier is to get somebody else to help you. If you'll be going out to sea at all with limited experience then that's another place where compnay is a Very Good Idea. Though "Less Than 3 Shall Never Be" is a guideline rather than a rule cast in stone there is a reason for it, and the reason is most pertinent with relative inexperience. I also thought they were different enough in construction materials used, form design and features, and rudder vs skeg etc., to offer an axis for discussion on their relative merits. Relative merits are just that, and where some people love rudders others find them an unnecessary complication, and for everyone who likes hard chines someone else doesn't, and so on. I understand you want the most informed choices possible but at the end of the day it's how /you/ like the handling and so on. I've been a sea paddler for 4 years now, and I still couldn't tell you my ideal boat if I decided to buy a new one. I bought one second hand having tried it and found it comfortable and stable, and knowing it would do what I wanted (the seller passed his 5* sea assessment in it!). I see Peter that you are involved in medical work: it was pleasing to see your interest in the comfort/ergonomic needs thrown up by my 'differentabilities'. It was in part concerning that, but only in part. I don't have any particular joint problems but there are boats I'm very happy to sit in and paddle for a couple of hours and boats where I feel I'll never walk again after 10 minutes (playboats admittedly, but some sea boats I find distinctly less comfortable than my own). There are various fiddles and faddles you can do to make a boat fit you better, but something where the default paddling position is one you find innately comfortable is generally going to be better than something you need to hack to find bearable. For me it's usually the angle my hips get turned out to brace myself in that makes the most difference, and in my own boat (a Selkie) the most comfortable position is also a good brace. Working these things out on my own can feel like a rather lonely pursuit. On the same line, I have recently bought Rocky Snyder's excellent book 'Fit to Paddle: the paddler's guide to strength and conditioning' but he writes for normally healthy folk, so I am still going to have to see a Physiotherapist or something to get help with the physical issues associated with arthritis and kayaking! A good instructor should be aware of this sort of thing, especially one with any experience of instruction for fully disabled paddlers. Good clubs have access to good coaches, and also a pool of boats to try and experience to tap, and people to paddle with while you get up to speed. Another thing an instructor will do /much/ better than a book is get your paddling as efficient as possible so you're using technique rather than brute force. This is important anyway, but if you're behind the curve for any reason it's even more important still. Developing a good touring paddling technique is probably going to be more important than honing muscles, not that that would be a bad thing. I'm still keen on learning from the comments of either of you two or any other reader, so please keep 'em coming. With the above in mind, look up a good club with a touring bias and then you'll be among kindred souls doing what you want with direct experience and Toys to play with. It'll also give you a higher possibility of a second hand boat which could save you a /lot/ of money, then maybe get a new one in a year or 3 when you've more idea of your own Perfect Boat. Another thing saving money will do is let you spend more on a better paddle. Something like a Lendal touring paddle with a G1F shaft is less stiff and thus less strain on your joints than a basic glass shaft, and their carbon/nylon blades are substantially lighter than the standard polypro or nylon ones, but they're also much, much more expensive. Some people like cranked shafts finding they lead to less wrist problems, others find they make things worse. Only way to be sure is try yourself. This isn't to say you can't get a good boat with a bit of reading and a few tries: one of the newer members of TSKC did just that (he got a plastic Perception he seems happy with), but I don't see he's better off than if he'd just used Club boats for a while until he could pin down what he really wanted. Pete. -- Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/ |
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