Boating and Sailing.pdf - Moja ladja

Canoes that have rocker in the keel, a curve
upward at the bow and stern so that the boat actually
can be rocked when placed on flat ground, are
designed for easier turning, needed for whitewater
use. These boats don’t track well, so they’re
not favored by casual paddlers who use their canoes
for wildlife watching, fishing, or general voyaging on
lakes and ponds. Most recreational or family canoes
have just a bit of rocker, making turning reasonably
easy without sacrificing tracking.
Is Wider Really Better?
In general, wide or beamy canoes are slow but stable
and capable of carrying heavy loads. Narrower
canoes are easier to paddle and faster, but less stable
and have lower load capacities.
Chapter 10: Paddle Power: Canoes, Kayaks, and Rowboats
An unusual measure of width is often applied to canoes, the “width at four-inch waterline.”
This is a measurement of the beam of a canoe measured with the boat in the water
and loaded so that the lowest point of the bottom is four inches below the water surface.
This measurement gives a better idea of how the canoe will perform than the width measured
at the gunnels. The measure is usually an inch or two less than the gunnel width for
touring and white-water hulls, as little as a half-inch for general-purpose models.
Typical family canoes are 36 to 40 inches wide at the gunnels. Performance or whitewater
models are usually 34 to 36 inches wide at the gunnels, and solo pack models as narrow
as 31 inches.
Hulls that are considerably wider at the gunnels than at the four-inch waterline are said to
have flare, which helps knock down spray and also helps right the hull should it tip very
far to one side. Most family models are flared.
The sides of some canoes curve inward from waterline to gunnels, making it easier to
reach into the water with a paddle, particularly for those with short arms. This inward
curvature is called tumblehome. Canoes with lots of tumblehome can be a bit more tippy
than those with lots of flare, which is the outward curvature of a boat’s sides from waterline
to gunnels or topsides, usually most acute near the bow. They also don’t knock down
spray as well, so they may be a bit wetter for the occupants. Many family canoes have
straight sides, which make them reasonably easy to paddle yet less tippy than those with
narrower beam at the gunnels.
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Boater-ese
Most canoes do not
have visible keels, but designers
speak of the keel line when they
refer to some design features
such as rocker, which is the
upward curve of the keel line
from bow to stern. A canoe that
has a flat bottom from bow to
stern has no rocker and tends to
travel in a straight line easily.
One with a rockered keel line
turns easily, but does not travel in
a straight line well.