"Barry" wrote in
link.net:

....guess I should become more confident in my roll....not just for the
sake of keeping cool but for safety reasons...and I'd feel more secure
as well. Right now, I go out with a couple of guys that have more
experience than I do and they are helping me along. I suppose in the
mean time, I'll swelter in the sun while they enjoy a roll in the cool
water g.

If you're paddling with someone else you can use the bow of their boat to
tip over, put your body in the water, and hip snap back up. It's good
practice for your hip snap so will help with your roll too. You can also
use a paddle float. Just put it on, hold the paddle perpendicular to the
boat, and lean toward it until your body is in the water, then do a hip snap
to come back up.