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Sea Kayaks Techniques Bulletin Board
Re: Sit On Top vs. Standard & Safety
Posted By: JohnT In Response To: Re: Sit On Top vs. Standard & Safety (Ray)
Date: Wednesday, 11 October 2000, at 10:08 a.m.
: . . . [One] must have a backrest and leg
: straps to hang on to the boat with during a broach. Its not fun high
: bracing and having the kayak washed out from beneath you, which then
: deposits you onto coral ( ask me how I know..ouch). Can't beat a SOT for
: surf, and a single day with a SOT in surf will give most paddlers a
: season's worth of wave skill improvement, it did for me.Amen to all that. I paddle on sandy beaches (no coral) and haven't bothered to buy leg straps, but the backrest/seat is an absolute essential. I took my Wilderness Pamlico to the ocean after a few weekends with the Frenzy and found that I was automatically doing the right thing, and even when I did broach, I rarely capsized. I had been paddling for two seasons previous to that and always dumped over (and swamped - skirt or no skirt) if I broached the Pamlico. A little practice with a SOT in the surf is a very good thing for teaching wave skills.
: But for moderate calm water paddling, most longer SOT's I've tried feel
: heavy, wide and slow. I think the effort to learn and prepare for self
: rescues is well worth the reward of having a light, slim, fast,
: responsive, comfortable, dry, warm touring craft. I don't know anyone who,
: once having learned to safely paddle a responsive cockpit boat, will give
: it up for the relative discomfort of a SOT, except in tough surf/wave
: conditions where self rescue is an iffy prospect at best.I agree with all that. A closed cockpit boat is more comfortable and you never feel like a SOT is an extension of your body like you do in a closed cockpit boat. You don't feel quite as close to the water, either (well, because you're not - a couple inches makes a difference in that feeling). SOT's do feel wide, heavy and slow on flat water - at least the ones I've paddled. Of course, there are touring boats that feel wide slow and unresponsive as well.
A couple days ago, one of my neighbors asked me whether she should buy a SOT tandem, a tandem closed kayak or a canoe for her husband for Christmas. My "answer" was to ask a thousand questions about what she intended to do with the boat.
All three types of boats excel in certain areas and are deficient in others. You simply match strengths of the boat with your needs - then be sure to test paddle before you buy.
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