Plumb Bow Question

I know what a plumb bow is, but I am wondering why I would want one? I am not critical of the design, I have just not been able to reason out why they are produced. There must be some mechanical or efficiency issue that makes them desirable. Can anyone give me a primer on plumb bow design and it’s place in our world of paddling? Many Thanks

Upside .downside

– Last Updated: Jan-02-04 7:49 AM EST –

upside is maximizing waterline length for a given overall length. Longer waterline length meens a greater potential top speed especially on flat water. Downisde is rougher transitions in waves. potential to catch seaweed, Inability to slid over ice or beaches as easily, no frontal surface to prevent weathercocking. blunter front entry. Classic close to plumb bows Qccs Westside EFT's many racing boats. Note that racing boats have length or l/beam classes, so the above is important. Racing boats are also special purpose designed and most racers may well wish they had more than one racing boat to handle differing conditions.

Pointy boats offer smoother transition in rough water (translates to great rough water speed for me) finer entry and exits offer more efficiency at all speeds Classic "pointy boats" include most other true sea kayaks (not to say that plumb bows are not) and especially my romany explorer. (a true general purpose boat, which is not the "thing" on flat water but is the thing for me, until I try a tempest 170 or impex issues the susqehanna the way I like it, (day hatch and heavy kevlar lay up), or I meet a mariner I can test or....).

Most native canoes paddled flatter waters and had plumber bows. Most native kayaks paddled rougher waters and around ice and had pointier ends, might tell you something

or might not…
tell you anything.



Racing surf skis tend to have bows about the same entry angels as the QCCs - and those skis are big water designs. WSBS T-bolts are also designed for open water racing.



None of these are really plumb though (not even close, just more plumb relative to a Brit/native design). For truely plumb you’d have to check out a Loki, which goes way too far for me (but looks designed to cruise knuckle out anyway which changes everything)!

Yes but
Any person genuinely asking this question is most probably (99.99%) not going to be racing in big water in a t-bolt for a couple years, (or even an EFT for tht matter)



These boats are built for racing as a first principle, and then to be able to race in big water, (with the EFT being probably faster in nasty conditions than the t-bolt for all but the most elite racers, from what I hear.) This makes them different from a boat designed to handle big water as a first principle.



By the time a person is seriously considering a T-bolt in big water, she will know more than me. I’m a middling-decent paddler but if I could be shoehorned into an EFT and were paddling one in steep three foot swell (or three foot breakers, heaven forbid), I’m sure I would not be a happy person at that moment. Almost anything is possible with dedicated practice (and in my case a lot of weight loss). Such conditions would be fine for me now in my boat, but would certainly focus my attention.

Pic of TB bow
Not very blunt but the angle coming up from the bottom is sharp, not a gradual rounded transition.



http://www.grovestreet.com/jsp/onepic.jsp?id=332167

OT thanks nice to see

– Last Updated: Jan-02-04 11:35 AM EST –

look at that flare and reserve bouyancy above waterline. Man does that look (dare I say it) sexy.

So what do you think about the t-bolt in rough water A: for racing. B: for touring or general paddling.

You can feel free to e-mail me if you do not want to go public.

what is a tb
bow?

TB

– Last Updated: Jan-02-04 12:43 PM EST –

Thunder Bolt

Your Silhouette is a nice touring boat.

Most often the “plumb bow” …
…reference comes up in regards to the QCCs when mentioned here on P’net. Unlike race skis and T-Bolts, they ARE options for less than elite paddlers.



The QCC bows are designed for efficiency. For covering distance. Fastest of the line, the Q700, was originally conceived of as a long distance gear hauler more than a race boat. Same design elements apply to racing as efficiency is key to speed and/or distance.



A more plumb bow gets you the cruising speeds of a longer kayak in a smaller package. How it affects wave handling is somewhat subjective. They handle like a longer kayak. If you expect that they are predictaable, if you are used to less watertline they’ll feel a bit harder to turn, etc.


More Info on the TB
Where can I find out more about the thunderbolt? I have been looking for a flat water racer. Don’t want a surf ski as I live in a cold climate. Too much swimming on (or off) a ski. Neet picture by the way…need to see more!

Thanks

Tony

You don’t need to be elite
to paddle a ski. You just need to put in the time and have a high tolerance for swimming until you get the hang of the thing.

no doubt
I’m not elite, but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night.



I’ve had a blast learning the ski and even manage to make it go fast sometimes. And the ski I’ve learned is tippy enough that it tends to flop over on its side when un-occupied in the water.

OK, maybe not elite

– Last Updated: Jan-02-04 8:18 PM EST –

but you know what I meant (and I did limit it to "race ski").

Maybe I'll give a ski a go this summer. I need work on my swimming!

imagine
if QCC took the 600 or the 700 hull and made a surski. do you think you would be falling in the water all the time? Since you already paddle a QCC, you would know the answer. The advantage to the ski now is: If you do fall over, then you can get on quciker and be on your way. Not to mention the value out in the coean when you are coming into the beach and want to get off and get off in a hurry. The Mark 1 which I’ve been paddling the last 3 months, is a litle tippier than the 700, but it is also faster and equally well built. Skis are truly the most versatile of the two types: kayak vs surfski. for those that want to learn how to roll, it is not a good option.

The way I imagine it
that hull is also stretched to be several inches narrower and a few feet longer. Being wash deck - the seat is also higher.



A bit more of a transistion imagined that way, no?



Given the weather here, I will eventually explore ski options. I’m plenty busy with exploring the performance of a 21" beam to push it much more right now though. Heck, the boat prior to this was 28"!

Sexy Bow ?
Peter k, and all the time I thought it was me.

Seat height
Wash deck does not necessarily mean high seat. Most skis have low seats. The reason they don’t fill up with water is that there just isn’t much room left after you get your butt and feet inside. Some also have venturi drains in the footwells.



Give a ski a shot when you get the opportunity–it might surprise you.