Reading the "chine posts" makes me ask, "Am I nuts???" My Arctic Hawk has chines anyone would call "hard", and it has a ton of secondary stability. I always thought the combinatin of hard chines and flare was a recipe for secondary stability. I also thought the whole point to soft chines was less initial and secondary stability so that it is easier to push through the rough stuff and that both types of stability came from resistance. rwmct, who is a little confused by all of this. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
RWMCT wrote: > Reading the "chine posts" makes me ask, "Am I nuts???" My Arctic Hawk has > chines anyone would call "hard", and it has a ton of secondary stability. I > always thought the combinatin of hard chines and flare was a recipe for > secondary stability. I also thought the whole point to soft chines was less > initial and secondary stability so that it is easier to push through the > rough stuff and that both types of stability came from resistance. This discussion resulted from just this belief which, unfortunately doesn't apply in all cases. As some have tried explain (possibly not as clearly as we could) chines do not "make the boat" and that one can duplicate the characteristics of both types (chined and round bilge) with the other type. Most paddlers experience a sensation and try to associate to with a single design feature. If only boat design were so simple!!! We must learn to treat boats as systems involving the complex interaction of shape, paddler and environment. Drawing conclusions about boats based upon one's experience with a limited number of boats, hearsay, and superstition has similarities to the stereotypes and prejudice we form about people. Hence dumb blonde jokes, Newfie jokes, aggie jokes, racial prejudice etc. etc. etc. Cheers, John Winters *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
I don't think there is a generalized "point" to hard or soft chines with regards to stability. If there is, there shouldn't be. You can not accurately say "This boat has X chines there for it's stability is Y." There is much more to stability than whether or not it has an give chine configuration. Initial stability is dependant almost exclusively on waterline width. Two boats with the same waterline width and shape will have the same initial stability regardless of chine shape. Obviously, parameters such as seat height and other factors effecting the vertical center of gravity will also have an effect. Secondary stability, no matter how it is defined, is effected by the distribution of volume in the cross-sectional shape. Chine type will only effect stability to the extent that it effects the distribution of volume. Is a boat with a 2" radius between the bottom and side "hard" or "soft" chined? I'm not sure, but it would not change the distribution of the volume much from a boat with a 1/4" radius at the chine. I feel secondary stability tends to be effected the most by the distribution of volume above the waterline. Factors like flare and deck height tend to have more effect than chine shape. Chine shape has become a convenient short hand for kayak marketers. It is like saying a boat is "Greenland" style. It doesn't mean much but evokes an useful image. Nick At 8:43 PM -0500 11/15/00, RWMCT_at_aol.com wrote: >Reading the "chine posts" makes me ask, "Am I nuts???" My Arctic Hawk has >chines anyone would call "hard", and it has a ton of secondary stability. I >always thought the combinatin of hard chines and flare was a recipe for >secondary stability. I also thought the whole point to soft chines was less >initial and secondary stability so that it is easier to push through the >rough stuff and that both types of stability came from resistance. > rwmct, who is a little confused by all of this. > -- Nick Schade Guillemot Kayaks 824 Thompson St, Suite I Glastonbury, CT 06033 (860) 659-8847 Schade_at_guillemot-kayaks.com http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/ >>>>"It's not just Art, It's a Craft!"<<<< *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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