So Kevlar on inside
Means that the Kevlar be the inner most layer? Outside first with a glass or poly?
I extremely rarely drag my boats.
I lift them out of the water. Of course, I rarely have more than 20 lbs of gear in a boat that weighs no more than 50 lbs.
The thing about weight is not draft.
– Last Updated: Jul-02-11 1:59 AM EST –
The boat should "feel" just as heavy no matter what. I seriously doubt that the difference in density between salt water and fresh water is enough to notice, but even if it were, the same mass of water is displaced in either case, and the same mass of water gets pushed aside as the boat moves. A little less skin friction due to floating higher MIGHT be enough to notice, but I doubt it. Anyway, the big problem with weight is the weight itself. It simply takes more energy input to move a large weight a certain distance than a small weight. As one example, that's even one reason car makers spend millions trying to shave mere ounces off the weight of modern cars. Ounces removed from numerous places becomes savings in pounds, and it all adds up. As a more pertinent example, I have compared my Royalex Supernova to Sloopsailer's composite version. Others here have pointed out that the hull shapes of the two versions of this boat are virtually the same, but Sloop's boat does in-place pivot turns much more easily, simply because there is a lot less "swing weight" when you want to make the boat rotate about a fixed point or change the heading very quickly while underway. I'd rather put a 20-pound pack near the center of a light boat than incorporate that same weight into the hull so that the weight is located out toward the ends too.
Minor Edit
GuideBoatGuy is correct, except that the word “mass” should be used instead of the word “weight” for most of the explanation.
I find it interesting that some people claim to like heavier canoes because they are more stable. While it is true that greater mass will be slower to respond . . . it will be less responsive as well.
???
Never drag…I take the gear out and walk out of the water with the boat on my shoulders when possible. So the great majority of those who drag choose to do so.
Portaging and cartopping ease are two virtues of having canoes.