Good article on canoe design.

[Idiot Savant]

I was looking for something to read while riding my exercise bike and came across this.

Anatomy of a Canoe: Essentials of Good Design (Canoecraft Excerpt)

One does not have to be a naval architect to understand the basic principles of canoe design. They are relatively simple, yet vitally important – especially to the builder. The curves of a well-designed canoe are its calling card – a proclamation of the kind of paddling it does best.

www.bearmountainboats.com

Good info for anyone looking for a new canoe.

 

[memaquay]

Hmmm, I wonder if the opening line One does not have to be a naval architect to understand the basic principles of canoe design was a shot at J. Winters and his asymmetrical designs.

 

[Idiot Savant]

Hmmm, I wonder if the opening line One does not have to be a naval architect to understand the basic principles of canoe design was a shot at J. Winters and his asymmetrical designs.

Having read the article, it's not clear to me that he's against assymetric canoes.
I think he's just trying to reassure readers that he's going to explain things so that a layman can understand.
I've read most of what Winter's has published, on line, and did so way back in the late 1990s.
Because of his articles, I bought a Swift canoe and a Swift kayak designed by him. To be honest, I never liked the canoe that much but I was very happy with the seakayak. It still comes down to personal taste. Apparently what Winter's liked in a canoe isn't what I liked.

 

[memaquay]

John's canoes are not for everyone, but that wasn't why I made the comment. It just struck me weird, because John is often referred to as a Naval Architect, and if one wants to read some of his articles on canoe design, they will be quite a bit more difficult to wade through than Ted's.

A divide does exist in the canoe community between traditional boats and those that are "yacht-ish" in flavour. I like to think they all have their uses in particular situations.

 

[Cruiser]

I doubt he was making that shot ... a lot of the designs he hosted/sold were asymmetrical hulls