What should one expect when paddling a canoe that is hog backed?
I recently spent 20 days paddling an Old Town Penobscot on which the stems were about 1.5" (3.8cm) lower than the belly of the boat. Old Town specs the Penobscot as having "minimal" rocker, but not negative rocker, so I think this Penobscot was "different."
I thought I liked paddling Penobscots, but I did not enjoy my time paddling this particular boat. The boat is configured as a "big-boy, solo, tripper" and was loaded for multi-day river tripping, including about 60 pounds of water. I tried to load the boat stern heavy, hoping I could get the bow to slide across the current, but I seemed to never be able to get the stern heavy enough.
The term that best described how it paddled is barge-like. With double blade, it went along in a strait line well enough, but what a graceless way to paddle, and I found it tiring. My arms/shoulders tired from the paddling stroke (with the necessarily long (280cm) double blade, and I got tired of sitting locked in one paddling position. There was water dripping all over, and in the seemingly perpetual head winds a lot of the water blew back onto me and into the boat. I could move the boat pretty well, but didn't enjoy it.
So, mostly I single bladed. I heeled the boat to the paddle side. I normally expect a boat heeled over like that to quickly react to a twist of the blade at the end of the paddle stroke. On this 'Nob, I needed more of a pry to keep it on line, and my downriver progress was delayed by this longer stroke/correction.
What I'd like to know is, what is the normal impact of a hogged hull on canoe handling characteristics?
I recently spent 20 days paddling an Old Town Penobscot on which the stems were about 1.5" (3.8cm) lower than the belly of the boat. Old Town specs the Penobscot as having "minimal" rocker, but not negative rocker, so I think this Penobscot was "different."
I thought I liked paddling Penobscots, but I did not enjoy my time paddling this particular boat. The boat is configured as a "big-boy, solo, tripper" and was loaded for multi-day river tripping, including about 60 pounds of water. I tried to load the boat stern heavy, hoping I could get the bow to slide across the current, but I seemed to never be able to get the stern heavy enough.
The term that best described how it paddled is barge-like. With double blade, it went along in a strait line well enough, but what a graceless way to paddle, and I found it tiring. My arms/shoulders tired from the paddling stroke (with the necessarily long (280cm) double blade, and I got tired of sitting locked in one paddling position. There was water dripping all over, and in the seemingly perpetual head winds a lot of the water blew back onto me and into the boat. I could move the boat pretty well, but didn't enjoy it.
So, mostly I single bladed. I heeled the boat to the paddle side. I normally expect a boat heeled over like that to quickly react to a twist of the blade at the end of the paddle stroke. On this 'Nob, I needed more of a pry to keep it on line, and my downriver progress was delayed by this longer stroke/correction.
What I'd like to know is, what is the normal impact of a hogged hull on canoe handling characteristics?