Re: [Paddlewise] peception eclipse

On Mon, 19 Oct 1998, Mark Zen wrote:

> On Mon, 19 Oct 1998, Joy E. Hecht wrote:
> 
> > Being tight in the boat makes a huge difference in the ability to lean it
> > and prevent weathercocking.  I paddled a Sea Lion for a year.  I'm 5'3" 
> > and not slim, but not tall enough or top-heavy enough to lean the boat at
> > all well.  In bad conditions I had to use the rudder to avoid really
> > getting tired trying to go straight.  The Arctic Hawk is a lower volume
> > boat and therefore tighter and easier to lean, but still not perfect. 
> > Recently I've begun paddling a Recluse, which is a _very_ low-volume boat
> > and it's definitely tight.  It's a breeze to lean and make it track in any
> > wind.  That is probably also related to other features of boat design, but
> > it does suggest that padding your wife's boat a lot so she is tight in it
> > will help. 
> > 
> > 
> > Joy Hecht
> > Arlington VA
> 
> joy, how do those boats compare to a shorter [14'6"] wider[unkown?32"?]
> boat with a couple inches rocker? the traveller you borrowed, or to mike's
> seda viking [15'6" x ?32?"] i'd love to hear the comparison. we had a
> moderate wind, and while the traveller "seemed" much slower, my time for
> the lake crossing was only 5 minutes less than last year.

Hi Mark!  Good to hear from you again.  

I don't know if I can make a sensible comparison with your boats, because
I didn't paddle them enough to tell, and they are so different from mine. 
As you know, I couldn't make your little boat go anywhere at all, much
less in a straight line.  Mike's Viking (isn't that yours now?) is a
higher volume boat than any of mine, and I don't think I could lean it
that well.  It did weathercock some, though not as much as the Arctic
Hawk, I don't think.  The Hawk and the Recluse are both definitely faster
than the Viking.  I could certainly have controlled the Recluse more
easily than either of yours, and probably the Hawk. 

What boat were you in when you were five minutes slower?  Is that the
traveller vs. the Spectrum?  (The traveller is the one I was in, right?)
The spectrum isn't a big boat, not that much longer than the traveller. 
When I paddled one once I found it spun around a lot and was quite slow
compared to the Sea Lion which I then paddled regularly. Length makes an
enormous difference - the Sea Lion is 17'2", the Hawk 17'11", and the
Recluse 19'.  I'm pretty sure the Recluse is the fastest of the three, and
it definitely tracks the best. 

That's not a very good comparison, but I hope it helps!  Come to 
Washington sometime, and you can try my boats and see what you think 
about the differences.

> 
> and while on that subject, [sort of!!] let's start a new thread here, like
> a "floating, internet membership" for local clubs, so travelling club
> members can join other club's trips, even though not a member of the local
> club. sort of "virtual memberships"
> 

Gee, I think anyone can go on CPA trips - you don't have to be a member. 
(Greg, correct me if I'm wrong!) There are lots of CPA folks on
paddlewise, so just send out an email for info if you're going to be in
the area.  And make sure you've got the right cold water gear, CPA is
strict about that. 



Joy Hecht
Arlington VA
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