: Dave,
: I thought the above was an excellent description of the ideal! I have a
: question though. I haven't built a boat (yet) but the production boats
: I've paddled seem to weathercock more or less depending on the strength of
: the wind. My Avocet for instance weathercocks slightly in light winds, but
: at 15 to 20 mph it seems wind neutral. That, and variations in loading
: gear, seem to make some kind of "on the fly" adjustability -
: skeg, rudder or seat - desireable. Do you find that once you get your
: boats balanced they stay that way in all conditions?
: Will

Will
There are a lot of kayak designs out there and I have paddled just a few. And it is hard to really to evaluate a kayak justly without taking it out several times in varying conditions. So the couple kayaks I have paddled regularly I have trimmed to be wind neutral. They seem to be quite manageable in varying conditions without mid-channel adjustment. However wind and waves do not always add up the same and the amount of edging and sweeps can vary with conditions. Especially rear quartering white caps that like to shove the stern sideways. I have discovered in quartering conditions when kayaks like to wallow around, I can anticipate corrections on each swell. By starting the edging a second early the amount correction is greatly reduced. When doing a 6-hour crossing on one heading there is a lot of opportunity to try different techniques to offset the wind and wave combination efficiently. Packing cargo is always a concern. Before launching I pick up the loaded kayak by the coaming to check the balance point.