Matt Broze wrote: > I didn't word that quoted passage very well. What I meant to get across was > that the further the kayak could be leaned before reaching maximum stability > the more likely an expert kayaker would say it had good secondary stability. > By my definition even a very unstable kayak can have good secondary > stability as long as the point of maximum stability is shifted enough to the > right that a kayaker can't easily lean the kayak beyond it. This is far > different than the "overall stability" (the total energy required to cause a > capsize) which can be measured by measuring the area under the curve. This > feeling of secondary or final stability to a kayaker takes in to > consideration that the kayaker wants to intentionally lean her craft. Low > initial stability allows this to be done easily so there is no big hump that > has to be overcome to get the kayak leaned to there but an even further lean > would be resisted by a still increasing righting force. > > Once beyond the peak righting force it is hard to stop a capsize because > each degree further you lean the less the stability becomes. Secondary stability means different things to different paddlers and, Matt, your description really sheds a lot of light on this. As far as I can tell, secondary stability is something that a better paddler can take advantage of for sculling, leaned turns etc. But it would be a mistake for a less able paddler to think he or she has some level of stability that will kick in to keep them upright after they move from initial stability to this "secondary" stage. It really is only there if you have the abilities. In a part that I snipped from your writeup, you wondered out loud whether Sea Kayaker might want to add a component to the stability curves that reflects what a more expert paddler would do with his or her body to control the boat at this secondary stability stage. Your thought on that underlines how closely related the "stability" of the secondary stage is to the actions/skills of the paddler. ralph diaz -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Wed Nov 15 2000 - 09:41:35 PST
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