Indeed the 12 knot shell I was referring to would be an eight, which can easily keep up this pace for a three mile race. The reason it has difficulty maneuvering is not because everyone is facing aft (the cox faces forward and he steers) but because the hull is very long and the rudder is very small. A single can do the same course at approximately eight knots. It would appear that you are basing your assertions on the usual formula used for displacement hulls (i.e. 1.33 x square root of LWL). However, when hulls become very narrow (a racing single has a beam of only 11") this formula is no longer accurate, as is demonstrated by Hobie cats all the time. If you look at an eight moving at speed, you do not see the usual bow wave that displacement hulls cannot climb over. While some racing kayaks are very narrow and fast, most of the folks here are paddling boats with 23" beams. When I'm out in the harbor in my rec racer (13" beam shell), the kayakers stop paddling to see if they have run aground. The only way you could think your kayak was just a hair slower than a shell is if you based your conclusion solely on theory or were racing against an Alden Ocean Shell. Ken Cooperstein *************************************************************************** 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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