J

Et- You have a pretty big 'fleet' of boats (??).
Can you comment on the pros/cons of each?

if you were heading out for a day of 'rock gardening' - playing in rough conditions around rocks and caves, which would you choose?

...My oldest most bashed up boat... But seriously, probably the Ootek... I have done a lot of rock gardening in the North Star too, some of it while fully laden, mostly because I use that boat a lot. It is just the optimum boat for conditions around here, so it gets to do everything.

For a long day paddle in changing wind conditions?

... Ootek again, or maybe the POLEDANCER, if I wanted more speed, or the North Star if I thought it was going to get really rough...

For a multi-day trip where you were carrying all your drinking water?

... North Star... Or for a really long trip maybe my Nimrod 2...

For a rolling class?

... The Hunter: good for first half of the roll and the second half. Ootek is good too, also the Sheerwater.... My other larger boats are fairly roomy inside and one is not so locked in. They are also more stable.

For a kayak rescues techniques class?

... North Star, poledancer, ... I've used all the boats to rescue others, so not an issue really, but some are easier to re-enter dry. The Hunter for instance is very low in the water and can take on water during reentry if one is not nimble.

For leading a group of less experienced paddlers where you might need to rescue or help somebody?

North Star or Poledancer.

I have a fast boat that doesn't get much use because one just ends up waiting around for the rest of the group to catch up all the time.

I also have my fat boat which I give to people who are too fit for the rest of the group.

I also have an Explorer, which I don't use myself, ever ,really, not because it is not a nice boat, but because I have so many other home built options I prefer to use. The Explorer gets used quite a lot by visitors.

Since I have taken to using a greenland paddle more or less exclusively, deck height has become more of an issue. This is why I like the Ootek so much. I think the choice of paddle and paddling style has a lot to do with boat preference. For instance, I was going to build a Panthera, but since adopted the GP I have had second thoughts, as it really would be more suited to a wing paddle.

I think paddling style perhaps needs more consideration when choosing a boat. I gave my GP to a friend to try recently and he found he had to spread his elbows out to the side to avoid bumping them on the coaming of his rotomolded boat. The boat was just totally unsuitable for a GP, but was fine with his euro.

I think I will have to rebuild all my favourite boats with the GP in mind.

Et

Thanks
John