RE: [Paddlewise] A question of trim

Hi Mike,

In case you (or perhaps some lurkers) are not familiar with the effect of CG
placement on your paddling experience, here's what happened to me last year.
We were on a three-day camping excursion down the Peace River here in
Florida, and we carried our water as well as the normal camping gear. My 14
ft Wilderness Systems Cape Horn was loaded to the gills and then some. But
since it was a flatwater trip I didn't mind.

Day 1 was great, my packing strategy worked. No issues.

Day 2, I drank a couple gallons of water by then, and packed everything
where it was the day before. The empty water containers were ahead of my
foot pegs in the cockpit where they had been before, but full of water. This
day I couldn't get the boat to go straight. Anytime I put any speen on, I
mean like three mpg or so, the bow would fall off to one side or the other.
Quite frustrating. I was glad when we stopped for the day.

Day 3, suspecting that I was loaded too heavy aft, and having consumed more
water, I put what water I had left forward, determined to prevent the
problem I had the day before. And that I did. I couldn't get the boat to
turn without a LOT of effort on my part. It was obvious I had too much
weight forward this time.

I still couldn't tell you by looking when I have the boat loaded properly.
But I can tell you by paddling it when I've got it wrong!

Hope this helps.

Carey

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net
[mailto:owner-paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net]On Behalf Of Melissa Reese
Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2007 2:10 AM
To: Paddlewise
Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] A question of trim


Hi Mike,

On Sunday, November 04, 2007, at 10:06:44 AM PST, you wrote:

> How does one tell if their kayak is trim, is the something I should
> be aware of?

It seems to me that the important thing about trim is boat behavior
and handling. In some of the Mariner boats, Matt and Cam installed a
sliding seat, so that the trim could be adjusted with the
placement/weight of the paddler (in addition to careful packing).

For boats without a sliding seat like that, careful weight
distribution in packing is the way to go. You really have to get to
know how your boat is balanced "as is", and how it behaves, then
adjust accordingly.

Most of my paddles are local day trips, so my boats are usually very
lightly packed to begin with; just the stuff I might need for the day.
Since my boats can have a tendency to weathercock in certain
conditions, I might put a bit of ballast just behind the aft bulkhead,
shifting the CB slightly aft. Some People will place ballast even
further aft...it all depends on the boat, the conditions, and what
you're happy with in terms of boat handling.

--
Melissa
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