Boat Building Forum

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Re: Strip: kayak racing length
By:rob bennett
Date: 12/26/2009, 9:59 pm
In Response To: Re: Strip: kayak racing length (Craig Robinson)

Too Funny, Boof and Kudzu are both on the KF forum as well. I guess building your own surf ski or non tradiotional kayak is a pretty tight circle!!

Ok so I appreciate all of the feedback. I've been cruising this and other forums for probalby 10 years and any search of the forum for the words "kayak length" will get a lot of responses about wave speed and longer being more efficient at higher speeds. I am sure that is true, but according to KF, if I go from 16.5 feet to 21 feet I only save about .25 lbs of resistance at 6.5 knots. I might have a horrible design (pretty sure it is in the range of normal) But I have always had the impression from reading forum posts that extending the kayak to the 20 or so foot range makes some amazing gains. .25 lbs hardly seems worth it for the extra drag at low speed for me. I live in the Pacific Northwest. The only swell I ever see is when the San Juan Ferrys are going by. Or once a week when the Alaskan Ferry travels through. And believe it or not, there are a number of kayakers who plan ahead and surf those waves in. We are pretty hard up for waves in Bellingham!

So I think I will modify my plan for the most efficient speed to be at around a 4.5 knot target speed.

Messages In This Thread

Strip: kayak racing length
rob bennett -- 12/23/2009, 7:18 pm
Re: Strip: kayak racing length
Paul Hansen -- 12/27/2009, 8:42 pm
Re: Strip: kayak racing length
Bill Hamm -- 12/28/2009, 1:45 am
Re: Strip: kayak racing length
Bill Hamm -- 12/28/2009, 1:42 am
Re: Strip: kayak racing length
Bill Hamm -- 12/27/2009, 7:21 am
Re: Strip: kayak racing length
Bill Hamm -- 12/27/2009, 7:48 am
Re: Strip: kayak racing length
Allan -- 12/26/2009, 10:37 pm
Re: Strip: kayak racing length
Pete Notman -- 12/25/2009, 2:50 am
Re: Strip: kayak racing length
Craig Robinson -- 12/26/2009, 4:55 am
Re: Strip: kayak racing length
rob bennett -- 12/26/2009, 9:59 pm
Re: Strip: kayak racing length
Kudzu -- 12/27/2009, 8:40 pm
Re: Strip: kayak racing length
Will N to Go -- 1/6/2010, 4:11 pm
Re: Strip: kayak racing length
Reg Lake -- 12/26/2009, 11:05 pm
Re: Strip: kayak racing length
Kudzu -- 12/24/2009, 9:53 am
Re: Strip: kayak racing length
JohnK -- 12/23/2009, 11:01 pm
Re: Strip: kayak racing length
Chuck Gandy -- 12/24/2009, 9:58 am
Re: Strip: kayak racing length
Bill Hamm -- 1/4/2010, 12:44 am