G'day Paddlewise, There's a very popular sea kayak in Oz called a Mirage and it has a rudder built and shaped so that it is effectively a moveable extension of the hull. The boat has an undeserved reputation for being hard to turn, but when the rudder is removed or allowed to flop loose it turns on edge very well. With the rudder fixed in the "dead ahead" position it is not quite as easy to turn without a very accentuated edge. A couple of us were wondering if fixing the rudder in this "dead ahead" manner would increase the hull's limiting speed, or whether it's really the cockpit to bow length that tends to govern a kayak's hull speed? In other words would removing the rudder slow the boat down on a calm water surface with negligible wind or current. Be glad to hear the answer if anyone has time. All the best, PeterO *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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