[Paddlewise] paddlefloat photo

I see that the discussion of boat stability with water in the cockpit has
taken on a life of its own!  Let me clarify what I meant:  My Eddyline Falcon
18 does not become more stable with water in the cockpit, it just isn't
negatively enough affected to be a terribly serious problem.  I regard it as
less risky to paddle-the-hell-outta-there, than to sit and pump.  I brace
well, and my previous boat was a Falcon 16, which was quite tender normally,
so to have a slight increase in tippiness is no big deal.  There are 3 reasons
why the Falcons are not too awful when full of water.  They have a lot of
flotation in the ends, they have a lot of rocker, they have a very deep vee
cross section.  These elements are present to an even greater degree in the 16
than the 18.  The 16 might actually be more stable with water.  Certainly, it
is no worse--at least in my experience.  Please bear in mind that I have made
my own seats for both boats, and that these are slightly lower than the norm,
which is extremely significant when discussing stability.  Also, the center of
gravity, and the weight of the paddler are very significant.  The question of
stability can be debated endlessly, but until you put water in the cockpit and
go paddle, you won't know much about it.





Ken Rasmussen


kayakfit_at_fidalgo.net


www.kayakfit.com 





***************************************************************************
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/
***************************************************************************