-----Original Message----- From: Keith Kaste <kkaste_at_slip.net> To: Craig Olson <craigo_at_az.com> Cc: WaveLength <wavelength_at_lists.intelenet.net>; PaddleWise <PaddleWise_at_lists.intelenet.net> Date: Wednesday, January 28, 1998 4:48 PM Subject: Re: Wave~Length: touring boats >I just demoed a Looksha III for a couple hours last weekend. I found it to be fast and >tippy. I also found that it would start tracking in its own direction and I would have >to lean pretty hard to get it back on course. I'm sure that would cease to be a problem >once I got comfortable with its secondary stability. The Caribou I demoed right after >that seemed a whole lot more even tempered. I didn't get a close look at the Looksha >III hull but I'm guessing it gets some of its speed from a low amount of rocker. That >must be where it gets its tracking, too. The difficulty I had bringing it back on >course probably had to do with its rounded bilge (compared to the Caribou and my hard >chine stitch and glue) and the low amount of rocker. > I demo'd the Caribou in 25 knot winds on protected water. It weathercocked terribly. Extremely hard to hold on course. Try it in wind before you buy. Jerry *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net ***************************************************************************
Gerald Foodman wrote: > I demo'd the Caribou in 25 knot winds on protected water. It weathercocked > terribly. Extremely hard to hold on course. I don't have any trouble holding a Caribou on course. I've paddled a Caribou in everthing from gentle breezes to a full gale, and on bodies of water ranging from a lake to the open ocean. As for your difficulties, several possibilities come to mind. First, any tendency to weathercock will be exacerbated by a wind blowing over a short reach (such as when you are paddling in a strong wind behind a protective jetty or on a lake). Second, the Caribou is somewhat sensitive to trim. It paddles better when loaded a tad stern heavy. Third, the Caribou is extremely maneuverable. While this makes it easy to correct for course deviations, it doesn't have the "locked on" feeling of less maneuverable boats. This doesn't bother me, but then again I don't find it all that difficult to paddle a whitewater boat in a straight line, and the Caribou tracks like it is on rails compared to my whitewater kayak. While some folks don't like boats with "soft" tracking, I much prefer a highly maneuverable boat to a boat that sacrifices maneuverability for tracking stiffness. I have a Sosltice that tracks stiffly but I seldom use it anymore--It doesn't feel very lively. To each his own. > Try it in wind before you buy. This is always a good idea! Dan Hagen Bellingham, Washington *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net ***************************************************************************
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