Why

Why buy this kayak? The question was first posed by me to me, and now by some of my paddling friends. Actually, the greater matter is why did I pursue it for almost five years?

It is unforgiving to paddle. It rewards precise technique and punishes lapses. Good. You learn from tough taskmasters. I have several moderate boats in my fleet but almost always find myself pulling out the difficult ones when it comes time to rack up. As with sailing and rowing, you can master a thoroughbred or just float along in a barge as ballast. I find the former to be more fun.

It’s weird. Someone described it as the reason you don’t design a boat when on acid. Fine with me. I push the envelope myself in a quest for better results. I can appreciate the work of someone else doing that.

It’s far from a popular model. The only place that has in my equation is potential resale. The smart thing to do is to hedge your bet with radical designs by paying nothing but bottom dollar. That’s the reason the deal took years to consummate. The seller had to come to terms with the fact that he had paid too much and would have to take a haircut.

In some ways, I look at this as a metaphor of life (surprise). You get the most out of life by stretching yourself and not ruling out the unconventional. But, you think it through ahead of time.