Re: eskimo roll

Posted by Rich on Oct 20, 2004

I wouldn't worry at all - if you're used to rolling successfully in the surf then you must be doing something right. I paddled an 18ft sea boat a while ago for four days having had no real experience of that particular boat. The first half day felt a bit like a learning curve between me and the boat as I tried to find the limits of the boat (and it found out what abuse it would be taking for the next three days!). It was a narrower boat than I'm used to (and about three times as long) and it felt 'tippy' to start with. After half a day I was as relaxed, sitting as if I was in a boat I'd paddled for years.

If you can roll (C1, K1 or Waveski) and you understand what makes it all happen, and why you appear back on the surface then transfering your abilities between craft should be fairly painless.

Don't let a thing like 'oooh I might not be able to roll it!' put you off buying a boat because once you're paddling it regularly it becomes more like a relationship where you see how far you can push the boundaries before you get into trouble, and even when you do get into trouble, you know how to right yourself.

I agree with the other comments in this thread though - padding, wedges, footplates, blocks braces and anything else to make sure you and the boat become one - make life a lot easier when it comes to getting back to the surface.

In Response to: eskimo roll by Craig Robinson on Oct 19, 2004

Replies:

• Re: eskimo roll by Craig Robinson on Oct 20, 2004