"stevej" wrote in message
...
I've always wondered how one would do in a capsize with a tandem kayak.
Especially in cold water, I'd feel much safer with two singles because
one person can assist the other.
I don't understand how dealing with rocks and low water has anything to
do with whether the boat is tandem or not.
Why go with a tandem at all?
If it's all flat water tripping, an open canoe makes more sense for two
people. If you want the additional sea worthiness of a decked boat, for
rougher water, than a double will be more dangerous than two singles.
Then again, sometimes one paddler just wants to sit there and be paddled
around by somebody.
SteveJ

....stuff deleted
Steve,

Tandems can hold a greater variety of (camping) gear than two low volume
boats. Sometimes a long broad beam boat is useful. Also, if there is an
injury to a paddler (tendinitis, for example), a tandem is easier to paddle
solo than it is to tow a boat. I've been on some trips with both and, while
I greatly prefer a single, can see some advantages to bringing tandems along
for their different applications. If I was paddling with just one other
paddler, I'd probably go in two singles. If I was paddling in a group, I
would certainly include at least one tandem in the group. It just makes the
group more versitile. It also enables the group to spell a paddler now and
then or to reorganize the dyanmics.

Your points about safety are valid. Tandems can be rolled, but it takes two
pretty savvy paddlers to do it. They are more difficult to recover in the
event of a capsize and having two paddlers in the water is certainly more
risky than one. Having rescued paddlers from capsized 2-person canoes on
river trips, I can certainly attest to that. Still, with adequate safety
gear (pfd's being just part of same, of course), judgement, and the like,
they can be a welcome addition to a multi-day trip.

Rick