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Re: length vs speed.
By:anewhouse
Date: 5/7/2016, 9:24 pm
In Response To: Re: length vs speed. (Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks)

Actually, length is speed potential. Speed is really power. If a novice paddler is not strong, no amount of length will make them fast. For most paddlers, the speed potential of anything over 14' of waterline is really beyond their ability to use.

That confirms what my practical experience and my theoretical calculations tell me about the ideal length for the average recreational paddler.

I suspect that what confuses a lot of people about the relationship between length and speed and about the benefits of extra length is that often when a kayak is designed to be shorter, it needs to be made wider to maintain roughly the same stability. It is often the width that is slowing it down at all speeds rather than just the lack of length reducing the potential top speed.

It is also worth remembering that it isn't just the maximum beam or even the maximum waterline beam that determines stability. A very important factor is how much of the kayak is almost as wide as the maximum.

The Night Heron (my first strip kayak) is a brilliant example of that. It may be only 20" wide, but a lot of the length of the kayak is almost 20" wide.

My experience with the Night Heron confirms what others have said about it behaving better with a paddler who weighs more than my 62kg. While I never found it a problem, I was often conscious when in less than perfect conditions that the kayak was sitting on top of the water rather than in the water.

I firmly believe that a kayak is easier to control if the paddler is the right weight for the design.

Messages In This Thread

S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Etienne Muller -- 5/5/2016, 3:59 pm
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Mark N -- 5/5/2016, 5:44 pm
Nice lawn *NM*
Jaybabina -- 5/5/2016, 6:13 pm
Re: Better Picture of my lawn
Mark N -- 5/6/2016, 3:31 pm
Re: Better Picture of my lawn
Dan Caouette (CSCWC) -- 5/7/2016, 9:53 am
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Etienne Muller -- 5/5/2016, 6:29 pm
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Justin -- 5/6/2016, 4:33 am
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Dan Caouette (CSCWC) -- 5/6/2016, 7:40 am
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Etienne Muller -- 5/7/2016, 11:08 am
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Mike Bielski -- 5/6/2016, 7:54 am
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Bob Johns -- 5/6/2016, 10:29 pm
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Alex Ferguson -- 5/7/2016, 5:52 am
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Etienne Muller -- 5/7/2016, 11:15 am
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Etienne Muller -- 5/7/2016, 11:59 am
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Alex Ferguson -- 5/7/2016, 6:58 pm
Re: length vs speed.
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 5/7/2016, 8:32 pm
Re: length vs speed.
anewhouse -- 5/7/2016, 9:24 pm
Re: length vs speed.
Alex Ferguson -- 5/7/2016, 9:36 pm
Re: length vs speed.
anewhouse -- 5/7/2016, 9:52 pm
Re: length vs speed.
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 5/7/2016, 10:17 pm
Re: length vs speed.
Etienne Muller -- 5/8/2016, 4:16 am
Re: length vs speed.
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 5/8/2016, 10:51 am
Re: length vs speed.
Etienne Muller -- 5/8/2016, 11:59 am
Re: length vs speed.
Bill Hamm -- 5/8/2016, 8:32 am
Re: length vs speed.
Roy Martin -- 5/8/2016, 10:41 am
Re: Fine Ends
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 5/8/2016, 11:28 am
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Jaybabina -- 5/8/2016, 11:11 am
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Etienne Muller -- 5/8/2016, 12:16 pm
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 5/8/2016, 3:00 pm
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Etienne Muller -- 5/8/2016, 6:24 pm
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
jaybabina -- 5/8/2016, 6:52 pm
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Bill Hamm -- 5/8/2016, 9:19 pm
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
bsoderholm -- 5/9/2016, 9:40 pm
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Howard Spira -- 5/9/2016, 10:24 pm
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Alex Ferguson -- 5/10/2016, 3:35 am
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Etienne Muller -- 5/10/2016, 5:25 am
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 5/10/2016, 10:37 am
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Etienne Muller -- 5/10/2016, 4:46 am
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Alex Ferguson -- 5/10/2016, 5:51 am
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Bill Hamm -- 5/10/2016, 6:46 am
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
JohnAbercrombie -- 5/10/2016, 11:22 am
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Alex Ferguson -- 5/10/2016, 9:09 pm
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Alex Ferguson -- 5/10/2016, 9:33 pm
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 5/11/2016, 9:07 am
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Alex Ferguson -- 5/11/2016, 6:28 pm
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Paul D -- 5/11/2016, 11:43 pm
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
JohnAbercrombie -- 5/11/2016, 12:50 am
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Alex Ferguson -- 5/11/2016, 1:01 am
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
Justin -- 5/10/2016, 7:38 am
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
JohnAbercrombie -- 5/10/2016, 11:31 am
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies.
JohnAbercrombie -- 5/10/2016, 1:48 pm
Re: S&G: Looking for feedback from skinnies. *PIC*
Etienne Muller -- 5/10/2016, 5:47 am
Re: S&G: CirrusLT *PIC*
Etienne Muller -- 1/3/2017, 10:33 am