Due Diligence in Testing Kayaks
Friday, February 15th, 2008“Due Diligence” is a term you learn in business school. It’s used in the context of public accountants who must investigate a company’s situation seriously and responsibly before issuing a report on its situation.
In the world of kayaking and kayak fishing it would mean testing a new kayak with an open mind and a will to learn it thoroughly, while allocating sufficient time for the job. It means to distance oneself from possible preconceived ideas about the boat, its capabilities and the proper way to use it, and report one’s findings fairly and accurately.
On some occasions I’ve seen some professional paddlers and reporters express themselves in a way that showed overconfidence in their ability to learn, judge and evaluate the W kayak instantly or within a very short time - too short for due diligence.
The following pictures show Topher Reynolds (c), who took part in a series of tests for Paddler Magazine (see: Testing The W Kayak by paddling guru Ed Wesley). The reason I like these pictures is because they show Topher successfully performing tests that I’m incapable to perform myself, and that’s what I’d call a good example of due diligence.
Yoav
