Paddling advice for long, flat, skinny boats

[lowangle al]

Single side isn't my strong suit and while it sometimes feels very easy on a hard tracking hull I also think it sometimes feels harder because it's more difficult to get the canoe to react when it gets off line.

Alan

The easier a boat turns the less energy it takes to get back on track. I’ve wondered if this could be an energy saver compared to a straight tracker. My guess is it would, more so for single side paddling than hit and switch.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

The easier a boat turns the less energy it takes to get back on track. I’ve wondered if this could be an energy saver compared to a straight tracker. My guess is it would, more so for single side paddling than hit and switch.

In my limit experience, it's only an issue in significant wind. It's definitely easier then to keep the Wildfire on track. But lacking that, the Moccasin moves faster with less effort and less correction. But yeah, when I was out on the lake in 20+ mph wind, I was kind of wishing I had chosen the Wildfire instead of the Moccasin.

It's a bit more complicated than that though, I think. The Solitude is much less of a problem in wind, due at least partially to its low shear. And it's more neutral regarding leaning in turns, even though it lacks rocker. Maybe being Swedeform has something to do with that? Idunno.

 

[gumpus]

The easier a boat turns the less energy it takes to get back on track. I’ve wondered if this could be an energy saver compared to a straight tracker. My guess is it would, more so for single side paddling than hit and switch.

I asked this exact question to Shawn Burke, author of The Science of Paddling because I have the same suspicion as you. His answer was "I don't know, it's complicated". I respect his honesty.

I remember reading that K1 kayaks lose 11-14% efficiency due to yaw losses so I'm curious about rocker and also wonder if I should put more priority on keeping the boat pointed straight.

 

[tketcham]

Brought home a new-to-me Advantage today. Seems like this will be a very different paddling style than I'm used to; glad to have this thread as reference. Very interested to see if I cotton to this boat and style.

Congratulations! I don't have much to add to this thread, mainly my experience paddling an Advantage.

It's a fun canoe but as you're expecting, it's much different than paddling a rockered tripping or sport canoe. You just have to adapt to the boat's strengths and weaknesses. It flies along with good hit-and-switch technique but you have to train your brain to stop trying to keep it going in a straight line using correction strokes. Traveling fast in a solo cruiser results in a series of shallow arcs as you switch sides, and with practice you can get five or six (or more) strokes per side before switching. Turns seem to work best using a combination of a hard stern sweep and post while heeled to your onside.

Wind and waves adds a bit of challenge but once you figure out how to use the force of the wind and waves against the bow to offset yaw, you can actually fly along without having to switch very often. It's sort of like tacking into the wind with a sail boat. It sometimes takes a strong stern sweep to nudge the canoe back on track. And paddling down wind can be a lot of fun, basically surfing the waves. Pay attention to fore and aft trim depending on the direction of the wind; think of your canoe as a weather vane and weight the wind end. It won't keep the canoe tracking on its own but it helps.

 

[Tsuga8]

Great advice, thanks @tketcham . Got out today and was pleased with the performance. Feel like I need to learn to use different muscles sitting with a footbar though.