RE: [Paddlewise] Skin on Frame Boats...

I'm certainly in no position to make strong assertions or form convincing
arguments on this subject. My questions were really intended as questions.

There is a swimming stroke (can't remember the name) where the swimmer
flexes their body in a traveling wave like motion that may not be dissimilar
to vertical flexing. I have seen snakes swimming in a similar fashion
excepting that the wave is turned on its side like side-to-side flexing.

It seems unlikely to me that this flexing would be timed properly (is
resonance the right word?) to return the energy in the form of forward
thrust.  

On the other hand, if the paddler can sense this energy storage and return,
there may be an unconscious tendency to paddle in a way that actually gets
the benefit.

Not an assertion, just wild out-loud thinking.
 
Steve Brown
 

....... That vertical flex might possibly cut some extra drag caused by
burying the bow but compared with a stiff kayak with adequate lift at the
bow I doubt there is any significant advantage. Unless the side to side flex
(that's robbing energy from the paddle strokes) could be reduced to that of
a hard shell while the up and down flex was allowed to remain there would be
a net loss. I'm not positive of all this. I'm certainly willing to listen to
any arguments to the contrary, but I'll be very skeptical. There is a reason
racing kayaks are made as stiff as possible for a given weight.

Matt Broze
www.marinerkayaks.com
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