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ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS-NO!
By:Mike Scarborough
Date: 5/13/2001, 10:12 am
In Response To: ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS (Dave M)

I just got the Robert Morris book too, and it does have some good anthropometric information. There have also been some extensive discussions on this topic on this BBS within the last year. If I recall correctly, the jist of those discussions was that anthropometric measurements were not really the best tool for designing a kayak. Take a look in the BBS archives.

Some of the concerns were centered around the fact that today we build kayaks for a wide range of body types that are not at all like those of the typical Aleutian seal hunter. Many of us are taller than the average Aleutian and few of us have the upper body strength that these men who paddled hard every day. Height tends to make for larger boats, but if we are proportionately 5% larger than the average Aleutian and we increase our boat's dimensions by 5% we wind up with 116% more volume, which may not be the right answer. Today we also have women paddlers, whose wider hips might indicate wider boats, but whose lower center of gravity might make a narrower boat sufficiently stable, and also more easily driven through the water.

There are some good reasons to built a kayak using anthropometric measurements, one of which is the experiential learning process, which gives insights into how the original kayakers built their boats. But there are probably better tools today to design a kayak to fit the specific needs of a specific paddler.

Messages In This Thread

ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS
Dave M -- 5/11/2001, 11:11 pm
Re: ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 5/14/2001, 10:30 am
Re: a boat to fit you
Dave M -- 5/14/2001, 3:55 pm
Re: a boat to fit you
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 5/15/2001, 10:00 am
Re: a boat to fit you
Greg Stamer -- 5/15/2001, 11:48 am
Re: a boat to fit you
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 5/15/2001, 7:03 pm
Re: a boat to fit you
Greg Stamer -- 5/16/2001, 4:10 am
Re: a boat to fit you
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 5/16/2001, 1:39 pm
Re: a boat to fit you
Dave M -- 5/15/2001, 8:36 pm
Re: a boat to fit you
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 5/16/2001, 1:54 pm
Re: a boat to fit you
risto -- 5/15/2001, 9:31 am
ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS-NO!
Mike Scarborough -- 5/13/2001, 10:12 am
Re: Modern tools for measurements
Dave M -- 5/15/2001, 1:42 pm
one hog + half a hog = "anthro" hogwash
Paul G. Jacobson -- 5/16/2001, 4:04 am
one bad formula + another = "techno" hogwash
Greg Stamer -- 5/16/2001, 12:20 pm
Just start building.
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 5/17/2001, 10:20 am
True :)
Paul G. Jacobson -- 5/17/2001, 3:48 am
Re: True :)
Mike Scarborough -- 5/19/2001, 11:00 am
More thoughts on "anthros" (long)
Greg Stamer -- 5/20/2001, 10:43 am
Hips + 2 fists?
Richard Boyle -- 5/20/2001, 12:17 pm
Re: Hips + 2 fists?
Greg Stamer -- 5/20/2001, 11:02 pm
Re: First Edition
Roger Nuffer -- 5/20/2001, 1:51 pm
Re: True :)
LeeG -- 5/17/2001, 7:56 am
Re: ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS-NO!
Greg Stamer -- 5/14/2001, 10:55 am
Re: ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS-NO!
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 5/15/2001, 10:15 am
Re: ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS-NO!
risto -- 5/14/2001, 9:25 am
Re: ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS *Pic*
Roger Nuffer -- 5/12/2001, 10:23 am
Re: ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS
Dave M -- 5/12/2001, 5:35 pm
Re: OK, I admit it!
Roger Nuffer -- 5/12/2001, 7:17 pm