Honor Roll #2
P&H/Brian/Jon at Rutabaga
(unexpected dividend)
P&H/Brian/Jon at Rutabaga
(unexpected dividend)
As you know, I recently took delivery of a Cetus which, as it turned out, had a defective skeg control. Brian Day and P&H immediately set out to make things right. We picked a time and met at Rutabaga about a week ago and, in very little time, Brian had the old control box out and a new one glassed in place.When we arrived for the fix, Jon had the work bay heated up for us, and that made things go faster and feel more pleasant. Many thanks all around.
While I was sans a skeg, I paddled the boat several times and gradually found that I missed the skeg less and less. My technique improved as I made friends with the boat that, as one might expect, didn't paddle the same as my Romany. Brian made an interesting comment about white water paddlers liking the way the boat paddled. That made sense as I had a bit of the same feeling in the Cetus as I've had paddling a white water craft. Those little buggers don't behave like sea kayaks.
Now, I am waiting for the chill factor to moderate so I can get back out, with or without the skeg down.
Paddle safe...
DS
3 comments:
There is a school of thought that says skegs and rudders detract from your skill levels, that you can improve boat control by edging, paddling technique and weight distribution while on the go. Your blog shows that to be true if you could improve your paddling without the aid of a skeg.
Head for warmer water .
Steve
No argument here. It's what we teach and do (without thinking). Getting into a new boat forces me to consciously think about what I did automatically in the old boat. As for warm: It is many many miles away.
That Brian Day chap might just be worth his weight in gold.
Post a Comment