: The baidarka is a funny design, you either like it or think it's
: odd looking. I happen to like it.

: Bill H.

Hi Bill

Another point re downwind performance. I was out recently with a friend who was using my North Star, so I got to see it from the outside for a change.

It may be a subtle point, but I got the definite impression that, when being lifted by a following sea, the boat would rise in the stern and then suddenly surge forward. I was in my West River 180, which is a very well behaved boat, but was not getting the same effect. Watching for a while, I came to the conclusion that this is a product of the fish-form nature of the NS. As the water builds up along the sides of the boat, the fullness forward seems to be compressed by the surge and spits the boat forward. The West River which has the fulness aft does not respond in this way.

I also noted that when going upwind on flat water the bow seems to depress the flow of water downward and around the hull rather than just parting the water to either side. This seems to mitigate what the rocker should be doing to slow the boat and may account for the feeling of buoyancy. The cross section is also a fairly fast shape with no real flatness so this also helps I think.

This said, I would say that the NS is particularly suited to rough conditions, a feeling of being on the water rather than in it, and actually feels faster in rough water than it does in flat conditions, especially since one can just relax and power away as it really looks after you.

Et.