John Winters wrote: > ...SNIP... > Andy Knapp's experience is a good example of a test that establishes a > rational need for a rudder in his case but would be unreliable in > establishing a rational need for a rudder in another person's (or boat's) > case. ... I agree with this, but I suspect that some folks might be inclined to overgeneralize from his results. In certain conditions there are some boats that are paddled more efficiently by using a rudder. I would also suggest, however, that there are some boats that --for some paddlers--are paddled more efficiently without the use of a rudder (even in windy conditions). I would hope that everyone understands that demonstrating the first proposition does not disprove the second. Finally, I would suggest that there are some folks (such as myself) who simply *enjoy* paddling without a rudder, regardless of the implications for efficiency (while acknowledging that there are others who feel differently, and who get more enjoyment by using a rudder at times). I guess this makes me one of those anti-rudder religious purists. Happy paddling! Dan Hagen Bellingham, Washington *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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