Wow, I agree with George, and Chris and Dave seem to be in agreement.

Unless you are already in the top 10 finishers at major races, there is no point in trying to tweek a good design. The best you can hope for is a very slight improvement, and this is at best a 50:50 proposition. You are just as likely to make the boat worse unless you plan to do some serious analysis of your changes.

Assuming you are in as good shape as possible, you can improve your boat by:

First, make sure your boat is fair with as few major changes in curvature as possible to disrupt flow. Then make your finish as even as possible. Keep it that way. A few scratches in the bottom will slow the boat much more than any tweek in shape will speed it up.

If you want to save weight, take a dump before going for a paddle. Over all, weight is only going to make a slight difference regarding speed. A heavier boat will sit in the water deeper and thus have more wetted surface, but the difference achievable will not win a race for you if you would be paddling in the middle of the pack anyway.

> I wanted to say thanks to all who helped me out with my winding problem. I
> have read most of the posting and they contain a wealth of information.
> One question that I have goes out to any other speed demons out there.

> Has anyone made any minor modifications (Patuxent 19.5) to their kits that
> improve the hull speed. Found graphite mixed with epoxy option very
> interesting. I also recall a conversation with a builder aways back about
> adjusting the rear camber by a few degrees.

> If anyone has played around in this area could they post their results to
> me? Interested in that and any feedback on the Patuxent 19.5 Thanks...

> Dave Abbott