"tnksng" wrote: <Snip>>>>>I would also suspect that the design has some interesting handling characteristics in following seas, and may not be as inclined to broach. The high profile makes me wonder though about handling in a wind. It would seem to have a significant lee helm, which may be undesirable, but would have to be proven in sea trials.<<<<<<<Snip> I would guess that it was designed to lean into turns to carve them. If that is the case the kayak should broach quicker (all other things being equal) because staying upright while angling across the wave would mean it would want to carve into more of a broach rather than work to resist broaching. The far stern position of the paddler should work against the normal tendency to weathercock. How well it does that or if it lee cocks will have a lot to do with the underwater shape as well as the windage balance, the cockpit placement, and the trim. I'm in full agreement with Nick on this, I love to see innovation. The proof will be in the paddling, but it is always fun to try to predict the performance of a kayak by looking at it (or even at a few pictures of it that don't even show the hull). I'm also betting on a wet ride in short steep waves from both green water coming over the low downward sloping bow deck and from spray due to the extreme flair forward flinging water off the hull to the side and into the wind. It should have great secondary stability with all that flair out towards the ends but I suspect a more traditional shape will likely be faster. I could be wrong here though, that coke bottle shape may be just what it needs to help it break the wave barrier. Hey, I'm not just making this up, there may be a precedent here, a coke bottle shape supposedly helped jet airplanes slip through the sound barrier easier. That was the theory back in the 50's or 60's anyhow, I don't know if that theory has stood the test of time. If you lean it the opposite way to turn it (than you do most kayaks) then expert paddlers will likely not like it, especially at first, because it will contradict their internalized prior learning. The picture from the stern reminded me of a wasps abdomen. What is a hidden waterproof bulkhead. At the very least it is a diversion from your normal, hum drum, look-a-like kayaks. It is already generating a lot of buzz, at least on Paddlewise. Matt Broze http://www.marinerkayaks.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/ ***************************************************************************Received on Mon May 09 2005 - 00:05:03 PDT
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