Hi
I have a tandem kayak and we will be racing in a few weeks.
it is an old necky tofino.
I want to go as fast as possible obviously!, but I am not the best paddler, My partner is much stronger than me,
My question is, must he sit in the back?
He is 6’7 (220lb) and I am 5’7 (140lb)
For him to sit in the back we would need to move the rudder pedals to the front for me to steer. ANyone done this before?
thanksin advance
you need to trim the boat
You certainly don’t want to be markedly bow heavy, but neither do you want to be way bow light.
I would push some weight into the stern stem of the boat and have your friend sit it the front. Put the boat in the water and have an observer look at your trim. You could put water in one or more gallon milk jugs. Push the jugs way out to the stern stem inside the boat. You could secure them there with an air bag or bags, if you have them.
My wife and I also race a tandem
Why can’t he steer from the back?
And like the previous poster said: you should get the boat as trim as possible
Jack L
too big
he can’t steer from the back because we cant move the pedals far enough forward for his long legs.
but he can fit in the back if he did’t need to use the pedals.
racing
Trim the boat. You’ll be fine. If your racing on a river you’ll want the rudder for sure, and on the ocean for that matter. And really for any condition. Sync your strokes and keep paddling. You can move the pedals but it is a pain, especially if you don’t have enough wire.
Good luck.
Ryan L.
Stronger paddler in front
It’s advantageous to have the strongest paddler in the front.
The front paddler only creates forward momentum, while the back paddler creates forward momentum and steers. So when the strongest paddler is in front they can focus all their effort solely on forward momentum.