: I'm building a stich and glue kayak, hull complete but not yet decked. On a
: trial float to determine seat/cockpit placement, I found the fore-aft spot
: where the trim looked right. But when paddling, there was a noticeable
: tendency to weathercock (bow turning into the wind). Now the question:
: generally speaking, will shifing weight aft reduce the problem? Thanks

This is one of my pet subjects just check the archives. It all has to do with where the crosswind center of effort on all of the above water surfaces is compared to where the lateral resistance of all of the under water surfaces is. When the lateral wind drag is behind the lateral water resistance the boat will weathercock. The following all will DECREASE the tendency for a kayak to weathercock.

Higher front deck, lower rear deck, shallower front keel, deeper rear keel, a skeg, moving the paddler back, adding rear ballast, adding light-weight cargo on top of the front deck, removing light-weight cargo from the top of the rear deck, and loading gear in the compartments with more weight in the back.