Re: [Paddlewise] Canoe "Tip" Report

A couple of thoughts

I'm guessing that your stout friend weighs quite a bit more than your
fiancé.  I'm also guessing that you weigh quite a bit more than your fiancé.
When you paddle with your fiancé your end of the boat sits much lower in the
water than the bow.  When you paddle with your friend the boat is closer to
being trimmed and may actually be bow heavy.  This change in trim can
dramatically change your perception of the boat's stability.

Depending on the boat and the relative weights involved you may actually be
higher above the water line when paddling with with your fiancé.  This will
amplify to you any movement of the boat.

I would suggest that in shallow water you lean to one side and get a feel
for both the primary and secondary stability.  You will probably find that
it has not substantially changed.  With more paddling time with the modified
balance the boat will again feel solid.

A second alternative is to get a pad, get off the seat and learn to paddle
from the kneeling position.  This has a couple of benefits.  It lowers your
center of gravity.  It gives you a better and more accurate feeling of the
boats actual movement.  It makes it easier to shift your weight to stabilize
the boat.

I would not recommend ballast.  Even the famous Canadian Ballast Rocks have
been noted to shift.  This makes a bad situation worse.
-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Holman <holmanj_at_ohsu.edu>
To: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net <paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net>
Date: Monday, January 24, 2000 2:27 PM
Subject: [Paddlewise] Canoe "Tip" Report


>My fiancé and I enjoy canoeing in our 17' Clipper Tripper.  The canoe is
very stable, and we have ridden out powerboat wakes (on the Willamette
River) coming from many directions without a problem.
>
>Well, a few weeks ago a friend wanted to go canoeing.  This friend had no
previous canoeing experience.  And he's a husky guy -- built like a bull,
with big shoulders.  I'm going to guess that he and I together probably make
a 600 lb. load.
>
>So anyway, we went canoeing on a calm lake.  But with my friend up front,
the canoe felt very unstable.  In fact, I felt like I was in a kayak for the
first time.  I had this feeling like, if anybody moved the wrong way, we
would tip over.  Strangely enough, I don't think he felt that way at all.
Maybe he thought that's how a canoe works.  At one point a motor boat went
by.  It didn't leave much of a wake, but I felt like we came about as close
to tipping over as you could, without actually going over.
>
>My friend seemed to enjoy the outing.    I enjoyed getting safely back on
dry land.
>
>After this experience I started wondering about a way to go canoeing with
this friend, without feeling like we're going into the drink at any moment.
I figure the problem is that this guy, because of his build, makes the canoe
"top heavy," so to speak.  So I've been wondering if some ballast in the
bottom of the canoe might help, and if so, how much I might need.  I would
appreciate any advice.
>
>Thanks.
>
>jim
>
>
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