Stability
This might be interesting:
http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/guillemot/information/kayak_design/kayak_stability
For me, a boat that feels “stable” is NOT necessarily one that wants to remain perfectly upright. I like resistance that builds in a predictable fashion as the boat heels and stability when on a steep edge.
My Avocet does that. So does my Bell Morningstar canoe. I can paddle that canoe solo “Canadian style” with one gunwale just a couple of inches off the water because it’s solid and predictable there. Most flat-bottomed canoes are NOT happy in that position
Flat-bottomed canoes and kayaks can feel very stable on flat water, but tend to have an abrupt “tipping point” when heeled. They also want to stay parallel with the water surface, which is great on flat water but doesn’t work as well when waves start to build.
Hard-chine (4-panel)designs are interesting. The ones I’ve paddled had an abrupt transition from the bottom to the side, but were very stable on their side. The chine can be used for carving on waves.
Keep at it!
I went from a plastic SOT recreational kayak to a fiberglass with a 19.6" beam. I went for a swim on my first try. I took advice from here and other places and ended up near the shore just deep enough to use my hands as a paddle. Sit with no paddle and look all the way behind you as far around as you can get, then move to the other side, practice repeatedly. It is all about comfort. After four months I can drink from my water bottle, rummage through my gear, release all tension from thighs and feet, etc. I never thought I would be able to relax like that when I started. All you need is seat time, it will be more rewarding in the end!
Great link, thank you
We should all pay attention to this:
"Just knowing how to read the stability curve is not going to tell a novice paddler what boat to buy. You must first understand how the curve relates to your paddling style and skills. If you can calibrate yourself by trying several boats and reading their stability curves and then being aware of how their stability changes as you lean the boat, you can learn to relate that knowledge to the stability curves of boats you have not tried yet."
In short, you can only tell so much by looking at a kayak hull.
Ballast?
I’ve never paddled a Chatham 18. It is a big boat and from your post…”12 to 15 hours in the boat” I am assuming that you are taking it on part day outings – probably not heavily loaded. If you are not a big person, you may want to add some ballast. You could try some water bladders in the fore and aft hatches. Best if you use some float bags or something above them to hold them in place. Others more familar with the boat may be able to help here. As above – seat time.
Good advice!
Seat time won’t help
As stated previously , ballast will. Have rented many times from NWOC in Seattle, my usual rental is a Seda Ikuma, a few times back, they were all being used, so the guy at the desk, said to try the Chatum 18, since I own a QCC 700, I thought why not. Anyway spent a lot of time bracing just to stay upright, if anything over light chop. Turning the boat in I mentioned the stability issues I was having. He had me get back in the boat, and told me The boat was sitting too high in the water. Added about 10 pounds ballest aft, and 5 pounds forward, paddled great after that. Tim
trying to fix things with ballast…
I have fixed one of my boats with ballast, more for tracking than stability but the process yields the same results. If the boat is not hitting it’s intended waterline, something which no one on this forum could tell without a photo, weight will get it there. But that would mean that the paddler will always be moving a boat with more volume than they need. Over a long paddle, that is needlessly tiring.
But don’t know if that is the case here. Might be a right sized boat that is just a big challenge for a paddler new to sea kayaks.
Don’t stay level
Most sea kayaks are not stable in a level position. If you’ll just lift one knee a bit it will edge the boat over a littel and you’ll find the boat settles into a stable position. If you try to keep it perfectly level then it is a lot of work like balancing on a knife edge.
As you progress, you’ll become used to changing edges in a dynamic and useful way to help move the boat as needed, and you will rarely have the boat sitting level.
Try edging it hard enought to tip over. Actually practise tipping it over a few times in warm clam water. You’ll learn a lot from that.
you mean the oper. yes?
sandman95’s advice
He suggested paddling in shallow water using no paddle, only your hands, perhaps for several hours. This sounds weird, but it has been suggested by a well known, respected kayaker and kayak designer (Grahame Sisson). I’ve never tried it, but I’ve heard it works.
Sorry
Also meant to say, you will have no stability issues in the WS Tempest, or Explorer, likely none in the Chatham 17 either. Unfortunately you have the 18. Life is too short to paddle around in the, wrong for you boat, get a different one. Chatham 18 should be an easy sell, it’s a great boat, for a paddler with more mass than you, or me. Tim