Re: [Paddlewise] paddlefloat photo

From: Michael Daly <michaeldaly_at_rogers.com>
Date: Sun, 23 Dec 2001 01:37:51 -0500
From: "Robert Livingston & Pam Martin" <bearboat2_at_attbi.com>

> > Does anyone have any
> > experiences which would tend to cast doubt on it?
> 
> Yes.  The Ursa 350.  :)
> 
>  This kayak has three features that make it stable when there is water in
> the center area where the paddler sits.

 [order switched...]

> The second is that the rear bulkhead wraps around the paddler so that the
> kayak retains an air pocket on each side of his/her thighs (a continuation
> of the rear compartment) - Dare we say built-in "sponson"?

This can provide additional bouyancy to prevent sinking, but it will not contribute
to stability.  The water on the outside of the hull doesn't know what's inside the
hull.  Adding a sponson to the _outside_ of a hull can make a difference.

> The first is a large amount of flare which comes down into the water as the
> boat gets heavier,
> 
> The third is that there is a central extension of the paddler compartment
> that extends back low in the midline, invaginating the posterior
> compartment. (Designed for holding shoes) When this fills with water it
> places additional weight in the mid-line with air on each side.

These two assume there are no free surface effects.  I rather doubt that any kayak
will be more stable when flooded.  If the kayak heels, the water is free to move
to a new position.  Unless you've got lots of baffling to prevent the water from moving
around, you're in trouble.  If you've got sufficient baffling, you've got nowhere to sit!

I thought we've been over this before?  And the conclusion every time is the same:
flooding a kayak is a bad thing.

Mike

***************************************************************************
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 Sat Dec 22 2001 - 22:30:03 PST

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:30:46 PDT