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Whither Sea Kayaking?

I not sure how to build a safer Kayak.
Maybe it has nothing to do with safer kayaks. Maybe leave it on the land, about as safe as possible. Safety is knowing how to kayak safely. Know how to do rescues efficiently.

I've had two incidents where it was "get it right or someone dies". Dramatic? No. Just doing a 2 boat rescue properly. Very easy to do if you know how.

Do you?
Maybe some kind of industry standard and ratting system build safety confidence in the general population. It is always better if an industry self regulates then pass new laws.
Fit proper decklines to start with.

I presume your decklines are there and all the way round the hull, tension adjustable and of a suitable dimension (thickness).
 
It would mean new gear (is that a bad thing?) but with today's technology, they could "code" the area transmissions - in ham radio it's called a "tone" - and you could set codes in your radio so you only hear the weather transmissions of the areas you are interested in. That way you don't have to listen to minutes and minutes of transmissions that have nothing to do with your area. They wouldn't come any faster, there would be longer gaps because the transmission of the whole report would be the same, you just wouldn't hear most of it. That way you could focus on what was important to you.

So many times I hear the voice drone on, only to have it camouflage that one tiny piece I was listening for. In fact, it would also be technically easy to add a digital recorder that is triggered by receiving the transmission. That way, if you did miss it, you could just play back the recording.

Save's batteries on a safety device that is limited by it's battery power.
 
^ I currently use a separate digital recorder to capture output from my ham radio - no drain on marine radio, and I copy the exact forecast. But it is still time consuming, and imprecise.

Regarding safety, how are you going to persuade lily dippers that they are not experts?
Remember the Dunning-Kruger effect
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning–Kruger_effect
 
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Taking some of your points Bluefoot, I've been thinking along the lines of trying to make access to the water and interesting paddling areas as easy as possible especially near high population areas.

Hence all the time spent on trying [and beginning to succeed - along with loads of help at every level] to get Howe Sound as a paddling area as well as now recently having spent 2 full weeks [after much prior work] investigating and confirming that Jervis-Texada-Sechelt is a prime paddling area - that they are all immediately adjacent to large population centres and that they are all accessible without really the necessity of the car but just a short ride down to the nearby beach.

And hopefully getting them displayed on the BC marine trails map.

There are new people showing up and a reasonable proportion are younger - my thoughts are to make it as easy and accessible and interesting as possible to encourage getting out theres. And to be inclusive of all types of beachable water transport.
You just sparked an idea. What if shops would get permission to set up a little kayak demo area at parks and put ins? Let people try 12-14’ kayaks without spending a dime instead of buying the cheap hunks of plastic? I bought a fairly good rec boat and knew 2 minutes on the water I was going to be a kayak enthusiast for life. If we could replicate that experience in people without them wasting a bunch of cash buying junk we might generate some interest.

Another observation I made as a newbie. When I encountered other kayakers on the water I would paddle over and try to engage them but quickly realized they were not friendly at all. It might just be a Seattle thing but the vibe I still get from others on the water is “get lost.” Maybe we could make a conscious effort to be friendly and outgoing especially to onlookers who are watching us at put ins. I have started conversations with people who are watching us getting boats to the water etcetera. Usually they start asking lots of questions about the sport.
 
While I miss reading Sea Kayaker Magazine, otherwise the decline in the numbers of sea kayakers is of little concern to me. Mostly a solo paddler, my experience is colored by paddling in the 1980s and stealthily exploring waterways usually unobserved or ignored by the general boating public after a brief look-see. We are reverting back to being The Few, The Proud, The Mariners; the Dúnedain of the Tides--mysterious, self-confident, self-reliant. As long as we can build our boats, craft our paddles, read a chart, and embrace the responsibility of being out on big water in a very small craft, we'll keep paddling until.......
 
I thought InReach had its own Weather Report option built in

I think we should form a coalition to ban resorts/rentals from calling what they offer "kayaks". We all know they are more like a barge. Calling them kayaks gives first timers the wrong impression.

Things that could be improved for me would be NOAA VHF weather reports being more clear about what area they are describing so I can more readily identify the information pertinent to my location. Also a more flexible payment system if you have to pay per day to park. We cannot always be certain how many days we'll be out. I don't mind prepaying for X number of days, but if weather demands I say out X+1 days, I don't want to pay a huge fine (or find my car towed) when I get back.

Sea Kayaker magazine was a big loss. For those of us who don't live near the water, spending winter months reading about adventures to blue water, white sand, locales was so inspiring. And the safety column kept me from complacency.
 
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