Can u get used 2 tracking of small boat?

review stars
You should always take buyer review stars on vendor sites with a grain of salt, especially with “entry level” gear like recreational kayaks. Most of the people who post their impressions of their new “toy” have no experience of any other boat and are just pleased to have it out on the water (as well they should be). But their personal enthusiasm should be interpreted with that limited awareness in mind.

Sure!
I used to help teach a beginning whitewater class. At the start of the first day nobody could get th boat to go straigt for more than a couple of strokes. We saw dramatic improvement in a few hours of paddling.



Sit up straight

Use a high-angle stroke and keep the blade close to the boat

In at the toes, out at the hips

Look well ahead

Make small corrections with every stroke – don’t wait for a turn to become obvious.

Straight ?
It seems as though some are not straight,

others are. Read CEWilson again, also JackL.

Reviews
I notice that among kayak users there seems to be a strong impulse to rate one’s kayak very highly, no matter what the kayak is. Pnet is full of 9 and 10 ratings.



One reason for this could be that in fact the buyers chose wisely for their specific needs. Another could be that once you’ve committed yourself to a purchase, there’s a strong subconscious need to believe you bought the right item. It’s also possible that people are just plain uninformed about kayaks or kayaking or unskilled. Finally, people aren’t always truthful, whether consciously or unconsciously.



Ratings are all about perceptions and there are many things that influence our perceptions.

I am straight
and I respect the others opinions. However it IS possible to get a short boat to go straight. Its easier with a long finer tracking boat, but the OP has other issues re transport that seems to null that possibility.



For a beginner a short boat is not that going straight friendly but with stick time it will come.

anything can be paddled straight

Yes
In addition to what others have said, the more you paddle the boat the more your brain learns how to make corrections without explicit thought. So small things like changing the blade angle on a stroke a small amount to add a bit of turning force become second nature. Sensing that the boat is about to turn uncontrollably because of how the bow is behaving and correcting before it is too hard. Many boats, especially WW boats, but short rec boats ass well, have a greater tendency to turn the faster you go. So to start out with go slowly. Have a coach or experienced paddler watch you paddle and give you feedback on whether your strokes are symmetric, your paddle angle is high, and whether you are rotating.

"In at the toes, out at the hips"
this is the key. As a beginner it’s often best to exaggerate at first to get it right. So try really reaching far but keep the stroke short by pulling out of the water even before your hips. Any stroke behind your hips contributes little to speed but tend to turn the kayak. A key point on the higher angle of the paddle is to NOT accidentally be sweeping the blade wide which will turn the kayak. Periodically practice this with exaggeration then go back to just having fun. Be patient… eventually you’ll just notice you’re going much straighter than you used to.

Take it back
Unfortunately you bought a crappy boat, and as several have pointed out it is especially crappy for you because of your diminutive size.



Fortunately, LL Bean has a painless return policy.



Take it back. Get a boat that is better suited for you.



You’ll be much happier.

I agree.
A much nicer boat, also 10 ft, is the Eddyline Sky 10. Basically a Skylark but two feet shorter.

Very good point. That’s how I get ww
kayaks to run straight, and it’s how I paddle ww canoes without having to J stroke.



Pull 'em forward by the nose.

Mostly true, but I have a Noah with
hard chines and slab sides that, at full speed, will knife right through an eddy and out the other side. It, and my slalom c-1, have to be managed actively to get them to turn up through an eddy and through a gate.



I actually find that my ww boats are more cooperative about tracking once they have a decent turn of speed.



Of course, it is true that once a ww boat at speed exceeds the stability zone, it is going to skid out.

Unanswerable. Skegs and rudders.
No one in the galaxy can answer the question as to whether YOU can “get used” to paddling a short kayak straight.



Two things are known:


  1. Some people can get used to paddling a short kayak straight using the techniques described.


  2. It’s more difficult to paddle a short boat straight than a longer boat – too much so for some people’s enjoyment.



    Putting a rudder on a short hull or buying one with a pronounced molded-in stern skeg will help tracking.

Yep, ANYTHING STRAIGHT
Yes any boat can be paddled straight. I was taught “boats don’t go straight, but PEOPLE PADDLE THEM STRAIGHT.” I believe that. Some boats (shorter and/or more rocker for example) will take more time and effort and focus to learn on, but learning it is worth it!!

Kinda funny when a 10 foot kayak is
not regarded as “short”. Example. An old school Dagger Animas is 10 feet 5 inches. My old Perception Corsica is about the same length. Both track pretty well, for ww boats.



So now, a ten foot rec kayak is “short”.



Go figure.

going straight
This is an opportunity to learn how to effectively paddle a kayak. With the strokes, paddle a little harder on the countersteer side and if necessary put a little dip on the side of the kayak to help steer as you paddle. Keep paddling both left and right sides at the same reps/speed., With some trial and error, it’ll come to you and you’ll be a better than average paddler for it, inasmuch as you will be able to paddle most anything with ease and without a rudder. Trust me, this is good stuff and you will be amazed at how quickly it will come to you. Note: The tilting/putting your boat on a slight edge, is more effective during the cadence of a paddle stroke. However, to get an idea of how the boat handles with a lean, just tilt the kayak while it is moving… best wishes.

sounds more like weather-cocking fix
OP is talking about the tendency of short boats to vary roughly equally both sides of going straight (or so it sounded). With weathercocking you can use a combo of different power (or leverage by varying paddle length on one side) while edging; but that’s a different problem.

probably not possible
Based on the dimensions of that boat (the Manatee is a deep, wide and gaping barge with no thigh hooks) and the diminutive size of the OP, I seriously doubt she could put the thing on edge. The kayak model is just far too sloppy of a fit for her. She might as well be trying to paddle a livestock water tank.

I think I am going to bed now
That’s a good analogy!

I think it would be fun…
to have a class in a kayak race just for Keowees and equal 9 footers.



jack L