Get this book: The Complete Book of Sea Kayaking, by Derek C. Hutchins, 1995

Get this video: Performance Sea Kayaking, by Kent Ford, et al

Hal’s mind flashed back to last summer’s feeble attempt at learning to roll his sea kayak. Armed with Derek Hutchins’ book on kayaking, and "Performance Sea Kayaking" video, he had tried first to practice with the wife on the beach. One swipe, two swipe, then a wet exit and reload. Then she got cold and went back to the cottage. Then he got a couple of friends to spot him, making it possible to try it several more times, but still no luck. And now he finds a group lesson cost eighty five bucks, for maybe 10 minutes of real attention...

Hal put on his thinking cap. He mused, dawdled and daydreamed away, almost hit a tree, then realized he was almost all the way to work. He glanced down, made sure he had pants on, and pulled into the parking lot. "Whew! Better get this smelly old hat off my head." and he whipped the battered fedora into the back seat and wove a new path to the front door. On the way home, he must have put the thing back on his head, because he suddenly found himself wandering down the railroad tracks, hungry and dishevelled. "Maybe if I wash that thing once in a while... Naw!"

His thoughts were interrupted when he stubbed his foot on a chunk of metal. It was one of those plates they spike down to the railroad tie to hold the rail in place. "Hmmm." thought Hal. He picked it up and hefted it, stroking his chin with his other hand and cocking his head to the side. Then it came to him: "I’LL CHEAT!" He grabbed the chunk of metal and ran home.

The plan unfurled in the sunlit meadow of Hal’s front yard. He had his kayak out, the chunk of metal, his roof straps, a garden hose with one end flattened from being left in the driveway, a variety of minicell foam blocks & glue, and his nephew’s snorkel and mask. Pulling out his February 98 issue of Sea Kayaker, he set to work padding his cockpit to fit his own hips, knees and feet (You can order your own back issue at Sea Kayaker Magazine). Next, he strapped the chunk of metal the the underside of the boat. "Haw! Look at that! That’ll make the sucker come around a little easier!" Then he sawed the straight section off the snorkel and attached about 3 feet of garden hose to it. (You can buy a real breathing tube at Radical Gear, though Scooter and Hal have not tested this piece of equipment.)

About Liability: Obviously, this is risky business. Hal seems to have survived it, and learned something from it. You wanna try it, go ahead, but don't blame me when you drown, get run over by a train, or otherwise ruin yourself in the process.

Hal also grabbed his paddle float on his way to the pond. First he bit down on the mouthpiece and breathed through the tube as he worked. He threw the hose over his shoulder, and then put on his spray skirt and pfd. The end of the hose extended to about mid-thigh. He put the boat in the water, then hopped in and arranged the hose so it sat inside the cockpit, put the mask on, and secured the skirt. He put the float on one end of the paddle and inflated it. In the map case was the page with the diagram out of Derek Hutchins' book.

He paddled out a little way, then leaned forward, to the side, and tipped. "Now this is different!", he thought, breathing the musky air from the cockpit, looking through the mask at the upside down underwater world around him. With no panic, no sense of hurry, Hal studied the diagram, positioned his paddle so the float was at the business end of it, and WOOSH! the first try found him right-side up, able to breath unflavored air once again. "Man, I oughta patent this thing." He rolled and rolled, enjoying the sensation. Finally, he felt ready to graduate, paddled ashore and removed the weight. "Whoa, this is a bit harder!" But Hal was now used to the maneuver and the motion, and just had to spend a little extra effort at his hip snap and keeping his head down til the last. Finally. A bomb-proof roll in 1 hour!

Want more? See also:Eskimo rescues