So here's my story of a hogbacked hull...
I have an old woodstrip pro boat. I've enjoyed paddling it from time to time but I do notice that it is a PAIN to get it around the tight twisty corners of our tiny local river. Awhile ago I took a look down the keel-line and noticed that it has at least 1" of hog in it -- the ends are well lower than the middle of the hull. Ouch! That makes me think it would run straighter than straight. So I unfastened all thwarts and seat-braces and have wedged the gunnels wider -- about 2.5" in the middle and 3" about 5' from the ends. Now the hull is pretty flat. The hull made some strained sounds as I wedged those gunnels wider but in general they seemed fairly flexy and nothing has cracked. I haven't permanently lengthened my alum-tube thwarts yet.
Now, given our twisty river I'm wondering if it might be nice to actually have a touch of rocker in this hull. It might be neat to be able to actually whip around my turns. Or maybe I should be happy with just getting it flat again.
Anyway, do you think I'll find that it turns a lot easier now that it's back to being flat rather than concave?
Not many people really lean a touring hull and they talk about "tracking" so maybe there's more going on with turns than just getting the ends out of the water in a lean. Well, either way, hogging can't be good.
Widening my tumblehome or whatever it's called might also increase my final stability, not that we need much of that. But we're not edgy racers anymore. I like a light fast boat still but the old pro boat might behave more kindly when it's loaded than it used to. Now I can be rewarded for tossing a cooler and duffles in it rather than getting scared!
I hope the hull won't mind the stresses of the wider thwarts. It's under new tension.
It was an old garage sale find so it won't be such a big deal of something odd happens. ...I wonder what I could do to relieve the tension or if it will eventually warp/adapt to it. It has a glassed exterior.
I have an old woodstrip pro boat. I've enjoyed paddling it from time to time but I do notice that it is a PAIN to get it around the tight twisty corners of our tiny local river. Awhile ago I took a look down the keel-line and noticed that it has at least 1" of hog in it -- the ends are well lower than the middle of the hull. Ouch! That makes me think it would run straighter than straight. So I unfastened all thwarts and seat-braces and have wedged the gunnels wider -- about 2.5" in the middle and 3" about 5' from the ends. Now the hull is pretty flat. The hull made some strained sounds as I wedged those gunnels wider but in general they seemed fairly flexy and nothing has cracked. I haven't permanently lengthened my alum-tube thwarts yet.
Now, given our twisty river I'm wondering if it might be nice to actually have a touch of rocker in this hull. It might be neat to be able to actually whip around my turns. Or maybe I should be happy with just getting it flat again.
Anyway, do you think I'll find that it turns a lot easier now that it's back to being flat rather than concave?
Not many people really lean a touring hull and they talk about "tracking" so maybe there's more going on with turns than just getting the ends out of the water in a lean. Well, either way, hogging can't be good.
Widening my tumblehome or whatever it's called might also increase my final stability, not that we need much of that. But we're not edgy racers anymore. I like a light fast boat still but the old pro boat might behave more kindly when it's loaded than it used to. Now I can be rewarded for tossing a cooler and duffles in it rather than getting scared!
I hope the hull won't mind the stresses of the wider thwarts. It's under new tension.
It was an old garage sale find so it won't be such a big deal of something odd happens. ...I wonder what I could do to relieve the tension or if it will eventually warp/adapt to it. It has a glassed exterior.