words readers Continued from page 8— “Sea Kayaking is Suf-
fering.” So here’s a challenge: Scott and John, go on a great little expedition to- gether. Come back and tell us how amaz- ing it was. Get in your kayaks and go! Hearing about you two great kayakers doing what you love is the thing that will inspire us to get in those truly seaworthy kayaks and expedite our dreams.
TERRY OLSON Ottawa, ON
I echo your editorial (“Selling our Soul,” Fall 2006). The big box store mini kayaks are the thorn in my side. I see the mul- titudes walk past our rental facility with grins on their faces excited to try out their $350 kayaks—usually not equipped with any safety gear. I recently had a customer show up for
a guided tour with their own kayak from one of these places. They were incensed that we would not allow them to accom- pany the tour and thought that their boat was perfectly acceptable. Little did they know that their nine-foot tub would not be able to keep up with the 16-foot kay- aks or handle rough sea conditions. It seems that more people are interest-
ed in day tripping and shorter excursions only. We are seeing sales increase in day paddling at opposite ends of the spec- trum: 1) The Putzer, who wants a cheap, small kayak to float around in; and 2) The Fitness Person, who wants to go out for a short workout. We have sold lots of rec kayaks ($600—$1,200) and lots of surf skis ($3,000–$4,000) with $500 paddles. They are both essentially doing the same thing just at different levels. Hopefully things will balance out and
touring kayaks will get back on track. Hopefully these new paddlers won’t be- come discouraged by the poor perfor- mance of these mini kayaks and leave the sport, and at some point they will take the opportunity to try a sleek tour- ing kayak, develop some paddling skills and learn what they have been missing.
BOB PUTNAM Deep Cove Canoe and Kayak Centre Deep Cove, BC
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WRITE US: Tell us what you think and we will send you a free sticker. Send cor- respondence to: Editor, Adventure Kayak, P.O. Box 70, Palmer Rapids, ON K0J 2E0 or email: editor@adventurekayakmag. com. Letters chosen for publication are subject to editing for style and length.
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