In article , Peter Clinch
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I realise I need to go for as narrow a boat as I can fit into comfortably
(to make the regular paddling angles as easy on my arms and shoulders as
possible).

It's not that simple.
A broader boat will probably be more stable and until you have more
experience keeping it up with your hips you'll have to do more work with
braced strokes to keep a narrower, more tippy boat upright. So if the
conditions are less than perfect you may end up doing /more/ work in a
narrower boat.

Not sure that I agree with you on this point - good forwards paddling
technique is what supports paddler and boat and, in open-cockpit boats, the
hips are not used for support or boat control. With support in the water
from the blade, the effective boat-width is the same for wide or narrow boats
(within sensible limits, of course - ie those which pertain to the boats
which I know). A brace stoke indicates a failure in paddling technique in
benign conditions at least, and a larger-volume boat will be more affected by
choppy conditions than a narrow one, so can feel more unstable to an
experienced paddler.

Obviously proper paddling techniques don't transfer to closed-cockpit boats
:-)


Allan Bennett
Not a fan of braces

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Allan Bennett wrote:

Not sure that I agree with you on this point - good forwards paddling
technique is what supports paddler and boat and

and good forward paddling technique is employed 100% of the time in a
racing context, but people out for gentle tours who might want to stop
and look at the wildlife or take an easy snack or sun-cream break will
quite often be pausing. In the case of the sun cream break not even
holding the paddle.

in open-cockpit boats, the
hips are not used for support or boat control. With support in the water
from the blade, the effective boat-width is the same for wide or narrow boats

Ah, but see above. My perspective on how one spends time in a cockpit
on a fairly gentle tour for a novice paddler is probably nearer the OP's
than yours. We're not all experts at forward paddling who apply that
expertise 100% of the time in the boat.

Obviously proper paddling techniques don't transfer to closed-cockpit boats
:-)

It does when one is paddling, but when I'm looking at the sea otters and
puffins, or consulting a chart, or undoing a pocket to get a snack out
then I'll freely admit it isn't up to much!

Pete.
a fan of stopping to enjoy the scenery.
--
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/