.Jerry wrote; (SNIP) > > >Yes, but this begs the question. Is an experienced, competent, but perhaps >tired, paddler less likely to be knocked over in rough conditions in a >relatively stable narrow boat like a Solstice GTS or Mariner II than in a >relatively tender narrow boat like a Looksha II or Nordkapp? Maybe not at >the ultimate expert level of skill but I think yes at the moderately expert >level of skill. Whether he will be capsized or not depends upon the shape of the stability curve, the paddler's experience with the boat, and his overall ability. That is why the nature of the boat relative to the paddler and the paddler's objectives is so important. It is always possible to postulate some condition where one or the other is inadequate to the objective and that is the direct result of using boats that are not self righting and rely upon the occupant for power, control, and stability. For instance, a boat with high form stability is always at greater risk of capsizing in breaking beam seas until the paddlers are tired and then it probably doesn't make much difference what boat you have. A tired paddler might well be better off in a more stable boat but when he isn't tired he may be better off in a less stable boat. A boat with higher form stability may actually cause an increased chance of sea sickness due to its quicker motion so even though the boat might seem safer it may contribute to creating an unsafe situation. Postulating that one or another boat is best for any given set of environmental circumstances is always full of risk because the boat and paddler are a system not separate and discreet entities. Cheers, John Winters Redwing Designs Specialists in Human Powered Watercraft http://home.ican.net/~735769/ *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Fri May 22 1998 - 07:10:39 PDT
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