True
but I’m not sure if Barton can attain as much fph (fun per hour) as I can.
(Reached an almost record-breaking fph just today!)
Hmm
Going to have to take another look at my surfskis when I get home. Last I checked, those bows looked pretty darn plumb.
Waterline VS sexy lines
– Last Updated: Jul-20-06 12:20 AM EST –
My friend bought an 18"10" kayak with 16'6" waterline. It was the raked Greenland type bow that hooked him. I tried to push him towards a 19"+ model which lost only about 4" or 5" of footprint. He now complains when placed in a race class with no regards to real waterline length. I just tell him to race it anyway, plan on another boat for next year & keep both.
Rocker or not?
Please enlighten me. Is this article saying the opposite? Here is an excerpt:
“Buoyant bow with a rocker (curvature of the keel at the bow) reduces the tendency of a kayak to ‘broach’ in following seas. This means that when you paddle with the waves coming at you (or) from your back, and when the wavelength of the waves is about 1 to 1.5 times the length of the kayak waterline(LWL), the bow buries itself in the wave trough (while the stern is over the peak and out of the water) pivoting the kayak sideways and flipping it.”
Full article here: http://www.oneoceankayaks.com/kayakpick.htm
That article agree with EPIC/QCC
on this point.
QCC/EPIC type hulls have MORE buoyant ends that will rise more and NOT get caught/buried in the waves as much. When combined with ample rocker it does help resist broaching and pearling MORE than a finer ended kayak.
Great page you linked to. Anyone even marginally interested in this stuff should read the entire “Advanced Paddling” section.
Good stuff in the section before the one you posted:
“As far as hull shape is concerned, a full waterplane and higher volume stern and bow sections are yet another design feature I felt was very important to incorporate into the kayaks in order to qualify them as ‘seaworthy’.
Waterplane refers to the shape of the hull where it intersects the surface of the water (at ANY draft of depth!). Its shape affects the volume at the ends of the kayak and thus contributes to stability, buoyancy, performance in waves as well as safety. You may have noticed that many kayak designs have a distinctly slender or ‘pinched’ ends (top kayak in the picture below) with the middle of the kayak ‘bulging’ out. This may give the design a certain aesthetic appeal but it contributes nothing to its seaworthiness.”
Another great section farther down:
“High performance cruising and touring kayaks on the open sea also require a long waterline for speed, good directional stability as well as paddling comfort. The shorter the kayak, the more it yaws (turns left and right) with every paddle stroke. A lot of paddling energy can be wasted on course correction alone not to mention the frustration when this goes on and on. A longer kayak is said to have a larger Longitudinal Inertia (Il) or resistance to this motion.
A long hull has also a larger submerged ‘lateral plane’. This gives it a bigger bite in the water to resist turning while the kayak is upright. Leaning the kayak on its side, changes the shape and size of the plane which allows the paddler to turn and maneuver.
The same goes for pitching (rocking back and forth) in waves. A kayak with longer waterline and waterplane passes over shorter waves without being caught in them and ‘rocking’ with them. The long distance between the paddler and the tips of the kayak creates an effective arm (lever and moment) to lift the bow out of the water with less effort, giving you a much drier ride in waves than in a shorter kayak.”
orange II the record breaking catamaran
has plumb ends, google it in images. awesome boat built to no rule except ‘as fast as possible’ sailboats and kayaks obey the same rules of fluid dynamics. overhangs are old school. having said that, hey, i’m old school too, my personal favorite boat is my greenland style ‘charlette’ which has plenty of overhang on both ends. i do not make any claims about its ‘ultimate performance’
More contradictions?
The article, as quoted by Greyak reads: (1)“A kayak with longer waterline and waterplane passes over shorter waves without being caught in them and ‘rocking’ with them. . .” and (2) “The long distance between the paddler and the tips of the kayak creates an effective arm (lever and moment) to lift the bow out of the water with less effort, giving you a much drier ride in waves than in a shorter kayak.”
1 & 2 seem to contradict each other, unless they are talking about different size waves. But if (2) is true and the longer lever arm of the plumb bow makes it easier for the wave to lift the bow, then a plumb bow boat would tend to lift and pound in the waves more than an extended bow boat (shorter functional lever arm) of the same overall length.
The higher volume, more buoyant bow of the plumb bow kayak does seem to lift more than a pinched extended bow, at least in some wave conditions.
No Comparisons
I paddle a QCC700 and I don’t have much experience with other boats. I have been practicing beach landings and lauches this season and have maybe twelve sessons of practice so far. My intention is to combine this practice with a hard learned roll to become more comfortable paddling in and out of our Inlets and up and down our coast.
I have been out twice when the conditions were more than I was happy with. Beach waves of shoulder, head, and higher are difficult for me and resulted in a higher percentage of knockdowns. Knockdowns are not all bad in this situation because a big part of what I am attempting to learn is to roll back up after a knockdown. A roll in these conditions is differant than a roll in calm water. Most of the stuff I have been learning in has been waist high waves and less. Smaller waves allow me to place myself into less than perfect situations on purpose. Practice back-paddling into dumping waves, bracing into dumping waves, and turning while going on the face of a wave are all things that I have been working on. So far, the QCC is way ahead of me.
I have read with interest the accounts of how ones boat rides in comparison to other paddling along side. My experience paddling offshore has not left me with any comparisons to state. I think looking at another boat paddling in sloppy conditions does not provide the perspective to compare, (for me anyway). It would be interestiong to have a video of my boat vs a boat paddling next to me from a third position.
Lots of words to say that the plum bow, plum stern, and limited rocker of the QCC make it a good boat in calm and sloppy offshore waters. A shorter boat that turns on a dime would be more fun on beach waves. I don’t know what boat would be more fun or better in sloppy offshore conditions but I am sure they are out there.
Happy Paddling,
Mark
How plumb is plumb?
Neither Orange II, Epic or QCC700 have plumb bows, although much less raked than many sea kayak bows they’re still raked. For a totally plumb bow you need to look at the ICF racing kayaks in sprint, marathon and wildwater. These are totally plumb above the waterline as the designers try to squeeze every millimetre of waterline length the rules allow.