-- Last Updated: Oct-25-10 10:30 PM EST --
I normally paddle long lake cruisers. Depending on the boat I can have a bit of a challenge when a wave comes at my rear quarter, with out me seeing it. With an 18'6" J-boat or my 16'8" K-boat I will be swimming if it hits me with out knowing it is coming.Even in an 18'6" comp cruiser tandem rear quartering waves are dicey. On fuller boats, like a 18 foot Crozier designed Sundowner or a Kunz designed Merlin (at 15'6") I have not had notable problems with rear quartering waves sending me into the drink. I am wondering on how the Bell Magic @ 16 ' and the Bell Merlin-2 @ 15' (Yost designed) handle surprise rear quartering waves?
Magic
I can say that the Magic handles them well. I recently raced it on some smallish lakes with quite a wind blowing (25+mph gusts) with some good sized whitecaps coming from every direction at some point. It handled rear quartering waves well, only giving me one near dump when I let my attention wander and it broached.
I also have a Crozier C1 and Stenso V1 proboat and while I’ve kept them out of big wind and waves for the most part I know how “interesting” it can get, especially the C1.
I always feel confident in the Magic and it’s nice to have a boat that can be raced in a pinch and then loaded up with gear and a dog for camping and fishing next day.
Alan
DY is pretty savvy on seakindliness
– Last Updated: Oct-25-10 10:53 PM EST –
and works it into all his boats to avoid ejection.
Thats the use of gentle curves to avoid surprises. My Merlin II (I sold it) was fine if trimmed properly.
Every year in May in LaVerendrye it was windy. I only had trouble when I had an equal load in back and front. As the front load was a large dog, it was not possible to subdivide. Waves were two to three feet with winds of 30 mph and stern quartering.
When I left the dog home the Merlin II was fine.
The Magic may..just may (I have not had access to one in wind) be harder to pull back in line with a sharp stern draw than the Merlin II was when it got off course with that stern quartering wind..
Which I think is the single hardest wind direction to deal with.