Brian....

You've not seen me. I am a BIG guy who just doesn't fit into a narrow
kayak. At least I've not found one that I fit it yet. When I'm ready to
move up in quality of kayak, I'll do so more shopping. However, for now,
the Old Town Adventurer 139XT is a great boat for me....although it's
certainly not in the "high performance" boat category, I suspect.

Barry

"Brian Nystrom" wrote in message
...
Barry wrote:
I'll take your advice, Dave. I can do a roll in calm waters but have a
heck
of a time in rough conditions. A river kayak is so much easier to do a
roll
with than my rather wide ocean kayak. However, I love paddling in the
ocean. There's a feeling of serenity and solitude that I find appealing
at
this point in my life. I am also drawn to the strength and vitality of
the
ocean. It appeals to me...but I have a healthy respect for its
strength. I
live in a great area for ocean kayaking...at least in terms of the
beauty of
the coastline. However, it's a treacherous coastline as well...one that
has
taken the lives of a number of persons in more stable craft than an
ocean
kayak.

Stability doesn't equal safety. In fact, narrower kayaks are better
suited to rough conditions than wide ones, in the hands of a skilled
paddler. They're also much easier to roll. That's one reason why high
performance sea kayaks are typically 22" wide or less. If your boat is
more than 23"-24" wide, it will definitely hamper your ability to edge,
lean and roll. Such boats fall more into the "recreational" class than
in the "sea kayak" class.