The Kayak Forum is Sponsored By
|
|
|
| |
Sea Kayaks Techniques Bulletin Board
Re: Sit On Top vs. Standard & Safety
Posted By: Shawn Baker In Response To: Sit On Top vs. Standard & Safety (Craig Bumgarner)
Date: Tuesday, 10 October 2000, at 10:51 p.m.
: - What is the technique for getting back in if you come out in open water?
: Can you just climb back in?This is as much a function of your balancing skill and the hull's stability as anything. Tippy hulls will be more difficult to get back on/in whether or not they have a cockpit. If you're doing a cowboy-scramble type rescue, a SOT would be a tad easier than a cockpit because you can plop your butt directly in the seat and it's a bit easier to get your feet in the footwells than into a cockpit.
: - Are these boats rolled or do you simply bail out and climb back in?
They can be rolled with a hip belt or thigh straps, or you can just bail out. I think a lot of people paddle SOT's because they have a fear of getting "stuck" during a wet exit.
: - Do you end up sitting in a puddle of water all the time?
Yes. Some have closed seats, some have scuppers. If you have a closed seat, you sit in water all the time. If you have scuppers, your but gets intermittently splashed.
: - Is the lack of protection on the lower body an issue or do you just wear
: protective gear such as a wet suit?Depends on the climate you paddle in! If it's very cold, you either wear immersion protection or you don't go out. Period.
: - Why is the SOT configuration so popular on surf skis? (Because they are
: easier to get back into?)I think it's due to the fact that they became popular in Hawai'i (where the climate was very conducive to such boats). I also think that a closed cockpit boat would be difficult to build over such a narrow hull. Wider boats have more room for your knees; I would think that building such a boat with room to get your legs inside would result in a very tall, yet narrow form--which would probably catch a lot of wind.
: I don't know the answer to these questions and am hoping some of you have
: experience and can steer me straight.I don't have the definitive answer to any of these questions, but you started a good thread...
Shawn
| |
Sea Kayaks Techniques Bulletin Board is maintained by Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks with WebBBS 5.12.
|
Kayaking Technique |
|
|
|
