Jerry Foodman wrote, Consider the Eddyline Raven (used without rudder) and the Mariner Express. Both are playful designs. Neither is stiff tracking. Both are easy to turn. Yet the Express is infinitely easier to control down weather. The comparisons should not be made between stiff tracking and playful designs. Rather between good and poor designs within a tracking category. To Respond: Of course there are other factors. The Raven has soft chines and relatively more volume in the stern compared to the Express. So here is one very important factor that many designers seem to overlook: volume and windage of the stern. When traveling downwind, surfing, or with a side wind, control of the stern is paramount. A long, high-volume stern will cause problems. I think most designers have simply decided to "solve" the problem by slapping on a rudder. That's OK if you don't mind mushy footbraces, moving parts, dragging an appendage behind you, and fixing broken and bent parts after surfing. John Lull *************************************************************************** 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 Mon Oct 12 1998 - 11:33:35 PDT
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