[Paddlewise] "Tippy" and seaworthy boats

I'm adding my two cents to this discussion based on my younger-days,
whitewater kayak racing experience.





I competed in both slalom and downriver events.  My skill in slalom far
surpassed my ability in downriver, but there is a very obvious diffence in
boat performance that I think is pertinent to "tippy" and "seaworthy"
discussion.   A slalom boat typically has a much more rounded bottom;
downriver is very V-shaped.  Slalom-style boats are much more stable to sit
still in, but of course spin and turn much better than the longer and
v-shaped-bottom downriver boats.  The mega-difference comes as one blasts into
a hydraulic or big waves, or paddles at top forward speed.  That V-bottom boat
is far more stable and knifes on through;  the slalom boat turns and/or rides
up over a wave, going a longer distance from point A to point B than the
straight-tracking V-bottom boat.  If you're at a starting gate for these
races, you'll note the tippi-ness of the downriver boats until they get up to
speed.  





It's very noticeable from the cockpit how much more stable the v-bottom boats
are in waves and chop.  They're harder to steer, but if I'm heading into "the
big stuff", I'd much rather be in a downriver-style boat than slalom-style!





Natalie Wiest


Houston TX





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