Thoughts on the Dragonfly 15

[dutchlennart]

Sadlly i am of limited help. As far as i know no Dragonfly mark 1 or 2 have made it into europe. Certainly i did not paddle one.

I find the topic very interesting. As I like paddling in similar fashion. Altough i have a couple of decades before i am 77. I admire your love of paddling and nature and the quest of a how to keep going at your age and the same for Glenn

 

[Bill Fryer]

Glenn, the Dragonfly just rounds up into the wind strongly, and I struggle to even stay off at an angle. Maybe I am dealing with more wind than is common back east (east of Nebraska). I have been living in Wyoming, eastern Washington, Nevada, and now the mountains of Colorado. I’m fine until the wind kicks up into the upper teens and my problems become a struggle in the 20’s+, which is very common. I thought the increased bow height of the 15 was meant to help balance that out.

 

[Alan Gage]

I've found the best way to counteract the bow wanting to point into the wind is to add more weight to the stern. A dry bag partially filled with water often does the trick if there is no gear to shift rearward. Some boats require more counter weight than others.

Alan

 

[NikonF5user]

I've found the best way to counteract the bow wanting to point into the wind is to add more weight to the stern. A dry bag partially filled with water often does the trick if there is no gear to shift rearward. Some boats require more counter weight than others.

Alan

My Boy Scouts canoe instructor used to say "weight towards the wind" - wind from the front, weight in the front - wind from the rear, weight in the rear...

 

[Steve in Idaho]

I am also watching this thread closely. The DF 15 seems to be a real good candidate for me to take traveling to multiple waters on a single trip. I wish there was a Swift dealer closer out West though.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

I'd also like to see a head to head comparison between that and the Phoenix.