[Paddlewise] modification to reduce weather cocking

I was out in a wind that blew from my starboard aft quarter a few days ago,
and had to paddle several miles at that attitude.  It required constant
correction to overcome a persistant weather cocking tendency, and I grew weary
of the extra labor.  I'm thinking of reducing the sharpness of the keel line
in the front quarter of the boat where it is quite pronounced, in order to
create a more neutral balance between the bow and stern.  This would be a
similar effect to lowering a skeg in the stern, except that it is actually
raising a bow skeg, so to speak.  Before I undertake this correction, which
involves structural work to the boat, I'd like to hear any arguments against
the idea, especially regarding the possibility of some other adverse steering
problem I might create.  Let's presume for the sake of the discussion, that
I'm going to do sound structural work, and that I'm not going to remove so
much material as to overcorrect.





Ken Rasmussen


kayakfit_at_fidalgo.net








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