Measuring and changing rocker

[MagicPaddler]

I have KeelEazy keel guards which are about 1/16 thick and if they were removed the negative rocker would be gone so the boat is not badly hog back. It also does not have what I expected when I used the manufactures specks to choose a boat. My guess is it is a misprint on the manufactures web site.
It is the correct length and the bow is taller than the stern.
It is plain to see this boat does not have any rocker over the center 14 foot of canoe.
I have measured the rocker with 7 different gunnel widths and there is very little difference in rocker over the range I feel safe in spreading the gunnels. (like Mike said)

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Glenn
Thank you for the response.
I like the way a canoe paddles with a little rocker and was looking for experience other may have had in changing the rocker on a canoe.

Well, I refocused on paddling technique when you stated that you had trouble controlling two different canoes.

If you just want to talk about rocker for some reason, I've seen many paddlers, mostly whitewater paddlers, try to increase rocker by lengthening the thwarts. It always seemed to me that this worked better on Royalex canoes than composite canoes, but that it didn't work significantly. In addition, it undoubtedly changes other paddling characteristics and also puts permanent stresses on the hull -- especially a composite hull -- because hulls want to remain the shape of the mold they were formed in.

The way you measured rocker in your OP suggests to me that your canoe has basically a flat bottom for most of its length, but is slightly hogged due either to manufacturing defect or pressure injury. This photo of the Northstar Polaris seems to visually confirm that there's no or insignificant rocker (in the banana sense) along most of the keel line:

Some manufactures call slight uplift only at the ends "longitudinal deadrise" rather than rocker. I'm not sure the Polaris even has much of that. I'd question the veracity of the manufacturer's claim of 2.5" of rocker in the bow and 1.5" in the stern, and I'd also question whether, regardless of some end lift deadrise or "rocker", whether Polaris's come out of the mold slightly hogged in the middle. Too bad you didn't take your measurements before or upon delivery.