Kevin wrote; >> >So why exactly do whitewater kayaks require more effort? Reasons why a white water boat might be slower than a sea kayak would be (in no particular order since the degree of each will vary between boats) 1. Shorter waterline length. 2. Even shorter effective waterline length, 3. Blunt angle of entry. 4. Generally low prismatic coeffcients. 5. Steep buttocks (some boats) that can cause separation drag. 6. Longitudinal Center of buoyancy forward of 50% coupled with fine sterns which can cause large trim changes that alter form coefficients . 7. Large waterplane coefficients that lead to significant lift which is a waste of energy unless one can plane. 8. Full forward sections can cause premature (relative to sea kayaks) pounding and pitching. 9. Lack of directional stability can require greater effort expended on control. In addition, when the boat travels with significant leeway through the water its drag can be greater than when traveling true. There may be other less significant reasons such as higher wetted surface but that too varies with the boat. All of the above presupposes speeds similar to sea kayak cruising speeds. Those of you with old issues of Sea Kayaker can read the resistance figures for a whitewater kayak in their first boat test report. I don't recall that they identified the boat. 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 Tue Oct 13 1998 - 12:26:01 PDT
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