This reminds me of a situation I found myself in last week. Y'all remember Keith, the guy who I helped build the WD Solace 17EX. Well, Keith asked me what part of the river was the best to paddle on. He was thinking of taking his son and himself over to a nice launch point and paddling a 5-hr stretch of the river. I was somewhat put aback at his request but I was damned glad he asked me. I immediately suggested that he wouldn't be paddling the river without me. I spoke with him for a solid hour about the differences between lake and river hydrolics. I worked hard to put the scare in him so that he would stick to lakes until he got more experience. He is a natural paddler but still pretty darned green in my eyes. I am comfortable with letting them go on the river if and only if I am with them because I can use that occasion to teach them how to understand its currents and how to respect the safety gear they need but don't have yet. I am the last person who wants to read about two kayaks who disappear on the river during a nice quiet family outing. I think there are too many businesses selling kayaks without proper safety instruction and even more folks who think kayaks are fun watercraft that require no real skill to paddle. Yes, it is easy to get into a kayak and make it move but hey, when that thing tips over, you have less than one minute to think about your situation. I suggested to Keith that he needs to learn to bail and then to know what to do next: he is definitely a little more sober when he thinks of kayaks. I'll leave the rolling classes to someone else somewhere down the road.

Robert N Pruden