Re: [Paddlewise] What's it called ...

>     Am the new owner of an almost new Ocean Kayak "Scrambler" --- a high
>     volume sit-on-top.  Lots of fun --- just what I wanted for the
>     knocking around I'd like to do.  But I'm also a Pintail driver --- low
>     volume, high maneuverability, not "fast" but very quick.  Wow, what a
>     difference!
>
>     Took the Scrambler out on the post-frontal passage St. Mary's River
>     this evening --- 12 knots solid down the river with gusts five to
>     eight knots over that, low chop --- about a foot.  Interesting
>     phenomenon --- running downwind, the boat seemed to be showing a
>     weather helm, with a solid indication that it wanted to come all the
>     way around and back into the wind.  But it didn't --- just went into a
>     "broach helm" (if there is such a thing), beam to the wind and
>     parallel to the seas.  Interesting!  Then I tried it into the wind ---
>     and, left to its own devices, it neutralled out basically the same
>     way, abeam the wind and parallel to the troughs.  This does <not>
>     happen to the Pintail, and I'm a little confused by this tendency to
>     sit abeam the wind and parallel to the seas.  Is this a natural
>     tendency for most boats?  Any ideas to correct it?
>
>     Jack



I own a scrambler XT that I bought when they first came out. You think
that's interesting...wait 'till you get into the surf. If you don't have a
perfect 90 degree angle with the wave, the boat turns sideways
automatically. Within seconds, you're riding the wave sideways without a
chance of correction. The boat is super stable though, and I've had 8 foot
waves break on top of me as I was sideways, and I never tipped.


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