Shelley Johnson - The Complete Sea Kayakers Handbook

THE COMPLETE SEA KAYAKERS HANDBOOK
SECOND EDITION

SHELLEY JOHNSON

Copyright 2011 by Shelley Johnson. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBN: 978-0-07-174871-1

MHID: 0-07-174871-7

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For this new edition, I was fortunate to work with many of the same people who were so helpful the first time around in 2001. Molly Mulhern has been a constant source of support and positive influence as senior editor. Jim Dugan was again a joy to work with during photo shoots and during the computer photo editing and selection (this step has certainly changed since 2001). Cheryl Levin once again served as the primary model and graciously lugged boats one minute and then assumed a precise yoga pose for the camera the very next. Thanks to Ed Eaton for the loan of cartop equipment and then agreeing to show how its used for the camera; Stuart Lee of Accent Paddles for an hour-long discussion on the minutia of paddle design and materials; Vaughan Smith for the loan of paddles and accessories that I always seem to need the night before a photo shoot; and the crew in the paddlesports department of Maine Sport for helping move boats around and covering for staff stolen from the sales floor and put in front of a camera. Kayakers are good people.

This book is the result of years of goofing around in boats, fielding questions from students and prospective kayak gear buyers, and pestering everyone from kayak designers to meteorologists with my own nagging questions. Ive reaped more than my share of help from fellow paddlers, industry colleagues, and friends. In particular Id like to thank the following people:

Vaughan Smith for his unerring eye for technique explanations and a very sharp blue pencil; Lee Moyer for his patient and exhaustive explanations of boat design and the engineering reality behind it; Derek Hutchinson and Brian Henry for their good-natured support; Kevin Bedford for his insightful feedback during the original manuscript development; Stuart and Marianne Smith of Maine Sport Outfitters and their staff for allowing me to paw through merchandise, grab customers for photos, and clutter their lawn with gear; Matthew Levin, Cheryl Levin, Vaughan Smith, and Ben Fuller, who served as superb models for kayaking techniques during photo shoots (and cheerfully jumped in and out of chilly water on a cold, raw day); all the manufacturers and individuals who provided photos and samplesCurrent Designs, Necky Kayaks, Eddyline Kayaks, Ocean Kayak, Wilderness Systems, Accent Paddles, Kokatat, MTI, Paddle Boy Designs, Seattle Sports, Stearns Manufacturing, Thule, Mark and Celeste Rogers of Superior Kayaks, Cheri Nylen and Janet Zeller of the American Canoe Association, Mark Theobold, Tamsin Venn of Atlantic Coastal Kayaker, and Karen Knight.

Ten years have passed since the original edition of The Complete Sea Kayakers Handbook was published. During those ten years, the sport of kayaking has undergone some meaningful adjustments and adapted to shifts in lifestyle and economic realities. But the act of putting paddle to water with only the human body for power is elegantly simple and will never change. Instead, our ability to find the time and place for these pursuits and wring every ounce of enjoyment from them mark a notable shift in the paddling world. The past ten years have seen the development of new materials, boat designs, and even where and how kayaks are sold.

The aging of the paddling population has driven the need for lighter-weight materials, smaller and more manageable boats, tools for cartop loading and carrying kayaks, and much more comfortable seats and practical cockpit designs. The ready availability of information and shopping via the Web have created a heightened price consciousness among many consumers. This has often driven the sale of kayak equipment from the local enthusiasts shop into the larger chain stores and outlets as kayaks became commoditized. Although this has brought kayaking to the masses, the important safety and local paddling information that was usually included with each kayak sale was often lost.