Re: [Paddlewise] Evolution Kayaks

From: John Fereira <jaf30_at_cornell.edu>
Date: Tue, 10 May 2005 06:38:24 -0400
At 03:52 PM 5/9/2005 -0700, Dave Kruger wrote:
>From: "PeterO" <rebyl_kayak_at_iprimus.com.au>
>
>>First I may be confusing the effects of primary and secondary stability, 
>>[snip]
>>
>>Pinning down 'comfortable ride' When paddling in flat water my Pittarak
>>feels quite tippy compared with a hard chined wooden boat that I borrow
>>occasionally.
>>
>>When paddling these boats unloaded, through 1 to 1.5 meter rebound, I mostly
>>use my hips rather than a brace stroke to 'edge' the boat vertical leaning
>>into the waves a bit. With the tippy Pittarak this is done unconsciously and
>>came naturally with no need to practice. With the more stable chined boat I
>>need to work consciously and harder with my hips or else allow the boat to
>>tip from the vertical, which is mildly disorienting and encourages the need
>>to low brace.
>
>Peter, I believe your "more comfortable" corresponds to the boat which is 
>less affected by changes in the angle of the sea surface from horizontal 
>... meaning:  the boat with lesser initial stability (the Pittarak) 
>demands less conscious effort on your part to maintain an even 
>keel.  OTOH, the greater inital stability of the hard chined wooden boat 
>makes it rotate more around its long axis in response to seas ... which I 
>think makes it feel "less comfortable" to you.
>
>I don't believe in either case are you describing the boats on edge, so it 
>is mainly their initial stability which you are comparing.

Agreed.  And just so there is no confusion:  initial stability is the same 
thing as primary stability.  Both terms describe the amount of resistance 
there is to moving the kayak from a "resting" state to a tilted state.   A 
boat with high initial (primary) stability would provide more resistant to 
edging toward a wave.  With more resistance the boat will tend to follow 
the shape of the wave, moving your center of gravity away from your center 
of buoyancy, resulting in a more uncomfortable ride.
John Fereira
jaf30_at_cornell.edu
Ithaca, NY
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Received on Tue May 10 2005 - 03:38:35 PDT

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