Re: [Paddlewise] Canoe "Tip" Report

My own case isn't quite this extreme, but at 200 lb., I've often kept my 7-9 year old daughter in the bow.  She actually got pretty good at bow ruddering.  To effectively balance to weight I turned the boat around.  I sat in the bow seat and she was way forward in the stern seat.  7 year olds don't take much leg room.  To complete the trim adjustment, I adjusted the position of the icechest and emergency kit.  

An overloaded bow sucks.  An overloaded stern sucks too, but not nearly as badly as an overloaded bow.  If you must use a very heavy paddler in the bow, try having him paddle kneeling just behind the bow seat.  This latter solution has several advantages:
1. Helps center the heavy weight fore & aft.
2.  Allows the presumably big/strong paddler a very powerful paddling position.
3.  Takes the strain off the gunwales.
4.  Lowers the center of gravity.  Do the math, a tall person sitting on a canoe seat has way too much mass too far above the waterline.

My free advice, your mileage may vary.

jerry.


At 12:44 PM 01/24/2000 -0800, D. Key wrote:
>IN reference to the very large bow paddler, I believe you have a trim
>issue.  I have seen a similar situation in the reverse.  Can you imagine a
>6'8" 290lb man paddling stern with a 90lb 13 year old in the bow?  I swear
>I could see air under the front seat.  Even if your situation is not this
>extreme, the effective waterline beam changes with your trim.  The
>beamiest part of your canoe, which provides all of that initial stability
>is just barely in the water.  It is not deep enough to provide any lateral
>roll resistance.  The effective beam of your canoe is whatever it is
>between the center and the bow, probably about 24", which is why it felt
>like a kayak.
>As far as a solution, ballast under or behine your seat to trim would
>help.  However, it would probably be easier to move your friend closer to
>the center fo the boat so that you are balanced.  There are many
>commercial and homemade seats that could be used for this.  Moving him
>onto this other seat could also help lower him (and thus your center of
>gravity), but I really don't think that is too much of a problem.
>
>Daniel
>
>
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