Lightning Paddles' web site (http://www.paddles.com/library/straight.html) has an interesting treatise by Clark Bowlen entitled "Paddling a Sea Kayak in a Straight Line --Straight Talk". Food for thought. I'd be interested in reaction from folks who have studied efficient paddling. Excerpt follows my signature. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR -- Begin Most paddlers think that going straight is primarily a function of boat design. Tracking is probably the most sought after characteristic in sea kayaks. Stores are loaded with long, straight keel lines, tippy cross-sections, and lots of rudders. Most paddlers would argue that my rudderless, rockered, rubber kayak is no match for a Kevlar rocket when it comes to tracking, and they would prove it to themselves by paddling both boats one after the other. And sure enough, they would be right -- for them. -- End *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Dave Kruger wrote: > > Lightning Paddles' web site > (http://www.paddles.com/library/straight.html) has an interesting > treatise by Clark Bowlen entitled "Paddling a Sea Kayak in a Straight > Line --Straight Talk". Food for thought. ...<snip>... Thanks for calling this to our attention. This is a brilliant piece. Brother Clark is truly enlightened. "Tracking is 80% paddler and 20% boat". Amen! Engrave that on your hull. He goes on to state that "kayaks actually foster bad technique, to the point that their designs must compensate for it." As he points out, many kayakers give up agility and playfulness in their boats to compensate for poor technique. If you want a kayak that tracks straight, learn how to paddle. Thanks, Hank, for putting this on your web site. Dan Hagen Bellingham, Washington *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Consider that most of my experience is in ocean going sailboats, and a great deal of it short handed or singlehanded. Operating any vessel that requires constant attention and subtle application of skill to keep in control extracts a heavy toll in crew fatigue. The crew will simply get tired sooner and must stop operation of the vessel before getting too tired to handle the vessel well. You trade versatility for endurance, or the other way around. I personally like boats that have at least one (preferably more) mode where the boat will take care of itself, and with a little luck me also. For long distance trips, the ability to navigate, eat, cook, relieve oneself without the need to be overly attentive to the boat is required. When crossing an ocean, crew fatigue is often the greatist risk factor. Tired people do dumb things, so anything that the vessel can do to make life easier for the crew will nearly always make the trip safer. I will not sail a Laser across an ocean, nor will I sail a 30' ocean going trimaran down a whitewater river. Develop your skills, but pick a boat for the task at hand. michael dkruger_at_pacifier.com wrote: > > Lightning Paddles' web site > (http://www.paddles.com/library/straight.html) has an interesting > treatise by Clark Bowlen entitled "Paddling a Sea Kayak in a Straight > Line --Straight Talk". Food for thought. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
>Most paddlers think that going straight is primarily a function of boat >design. Tracking is probably the most sought after characteristic in sea >kayaks. Stores are loaded with long, straight keel lines, tippy >cross-sections, and lots of rudders. Most paddlers would argue that my >rudderless, rockered, rubber kayak is no match for a Kevlar rocket when >it comes to tracking, and they would prove it to themselves by paddling >both boats one after the other. And sure enough, they would be right -- >for them. I agree with what Clark had to say. For a given boat, the ability to control that boat has more to do with the paddler than the design. I recently installed a retractable skeg in a customer's (Donna) boat. She likes it and she says it helps her. I finally got a chance to try it myself, and I decided I felt more in control with it retracted than with it deployed. So when Donna paddles the boat she finds it easier to control with and I find it easier without. I never have any trouble with tracking with this design and deploying the skeg makes fine tuning more difficult, where Donna does not have the skills yet to maintain the more gross control over the boat in adverse conditions, so the skeg provides that for her. I predict she will use the skeg less as she gets a better feel for how the boat responds. BTW, I sort of like the idea of the skeg, even though it is a moving part that will probably fail eventually. It provides a fairly inobtrusive means of fine tuning the performance of the boat. If it does fail, barring a rupture of the skeg box, it shouldn't disable the boat. Maybe with more time to get used to the skeg I might start using it more as I learned how I could tweek the performance with different amounts of skeg exposure. Because it is another form of control, with practice it should provide more degrees of control instead of fewer. I'm still anti-moving parts, but I think a skeg is worth investigating further. Anyone have a boat with a retractable skeg have any additional comments. Nick Nick Schade Guillemot Kayaks c/o Newfound Woodworks, 67 Danforth Brook Rd, Bristol, NH 03222 (603) 744-6167 Schade_at_guillemot-kayaks.com http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/ >>>>"It's not just Art, It's a Craft!"<<<< *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
> > Anyone have a boat with a retractable skeg have any additional comments. > Nick I installed a retractable skeg in the canvas version of Nick's stitch&glue boat, and the Valley Skerray that I have in Spain also has a skeg. Benefits: I can make the boat insensitive to wind. At any time I can tune it to retract it to weathercock, or release it to weatherelm, or take it to the point where the wind does not affect it at all. The skegs adds additional stability in following seas and while surfing. Drawbacks: You have to stop paddling and use one hand to deploy the skeg. The mechanism fails when sand or gravel gets in the slot, which becomes serious after the paddler has gotten adicted to the skeg. The skeg box reduces the storage capacity of the aft part of the hull, which is a concern when going for multiday expeditions without support. When upside down, the skeg might be confused with a female shark's dorsal fin, and male sharks might attempt to mate with the kayak. Jackie Felton's kayashark is the result of one of such encounters. :-)) - Julio *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
On Fri, 9 Oct 1998, Nick Schade wrote: > Anyone have a boat with a retractable skeg have any additional comments. I've got one in my PinTail. I rarely use it but it gets regularly used by people who borrow the boat, same scenario you are seeing. Bill Low (a lurker on this list) externally attaches a skeg to his skin/frame boats. The skeg is basically a quarter circle that attaches to the stern of his boat. While it's still a moving part it's external so it's much easier to repair than a skeg hidden is a skegbox. kirk *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
nick I find the skeg in my Nordkapp gives me the option of fine tuning the tracking for the wind conditions but I rarely drop it more than an inch. If I am coasting while I have a drink or check the GPS, etc, I drop it and the boat will maintain the track to a couple of degrees. I wouldn't buy a boat without one.. cya *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Hi Nick, In response to your inquiry about retractable skeg users, I built a Seguin a couple of winters back which is designed with a retractable skeg. I changed the design sowewhat from a semicircular plywood pivoting one to a narrow aluminum drop down one in order to eliminate one of the control lines. I really enjoy using the skeg in those conditions where it is necessary. The one negative aspect probably has more to do with my redesign of the skeg more that anything. I was cruising along at a good clip with it about half deployed when it snagged on a lobster pot buoy line bringing me to an abrupt halt. The origional design would have allowed it to kickup I believe. mark *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
At 6:08 AM -0400 10/13/98, Mark H. Hunt wrote: >Hi Nick, >....I was cruising along at a good >clip with it about half deployed when it snagged on a lobster pot buoy >line bringing me to an abrupt halt. The origional design would have >allowed it to kickup I believe. Kick-up seems to me to be pretty crucial. Catching seaweed can be a drag. For most sea-kayaking I think any rudder or skeg should be designed to release floating stuff and be able to handle running aground. This may not mean it needs to be kick-up, but that is usually the easiest. Nick Nick Schade Guillemot Kayaks c/o Newfound Woodworks, 67 Danforth Brook Rd, Bristol, NH 03222 (603) 744-6167 Schade_at_guillemot-kayaks.com http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/ >>>>"It's not just Art, It's a Craft!"<<<< *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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