I normally go sailing if the wind picks up. But occassionaly, I am stuck with the choice of paddling in high winds. I find my short hulled craft to be superior for that effort as I feel there is less wind resistance, always less starting effort and lower effort to point windward or leeward. This may be all my personal impression but I feel the shorter craft easier to handle in miserable wind conditions. I paddle both canoes and kayaks.
I noticed though, that others with a choice may frequently select their longest boat for windy conditions.
Which length hull do you prefer in high wind and wave conditions and why?
Upwind or down?
– Last Updated: Jul-16-07 4:51 PM EST –
Upwind, short is easier. Downwind, long is a blast.
And BTW: miserable???? 20-25 knots of tailwind is pretty much paddling nirvana.
why is short easier upwind?
Please explain. If you are going directly upwind, the length of the boat should have no effect on the amount of wind drag produced.
I guess if your forward speed is reduced to less than 3 knots, a shorter boat might have an advantage as a result of less wetted surface and thus less water drag. So maybe I’ve answered my own question. But I guess it depends on the speed at which you are able to paddle despite the wind. If you can still maintain 4 knots or more, a longer boat would be preferable, I would think.
sailboat or a row boat
I really like sailing but if not that then rowing is my second favorite thing to do on a windy day. Most row boats are really much easier to control in the wind when compared to paddling in the wind.
Maybe theoretically
– Last Updated: Jul-17-07 2:19 AM EST –
If you're pointed directly into the wind and waves--precisely on the nose--then I suppose you're correct that wind is only affecting speed. Given the sail area of body and bow, it's still a lot tougher to move a boat fast upwind. The bigger problem is that wind and waves usually aren't perfectly aligned and perfectly on the nose, so you have twisting forces on the hull from, e.g., wind a few degrees off the nose when your stern is buried in a trough and bow is up in the air coming over a wave. That long hull is more leverage for forces on the ends and more opportunity for the two ends of the boat to be in different places with respect to wind and waves.
Long, low, and rounded deck canoe is
what I prefer in wind. It just seems to work the best for me. For example: http://superiorcanoes.com/
:^)
Mick
downwind paddling??
I have heard of this downwind paddling. I sure would like to experience that sometime. Seems no matter which water I choose, nor which launch ramp, nor end of the lake, the wind decides to head in my face. When I reach my goal, stop for lunch, load back up to head in, it changes direction and I paddle back to windward again. So, where is this alleged downwind?
nice site
didn’t know about superior. thanks for the info.