www.iska.ie

Sun in the sky and above the island, indicating West with another larger island further out and SW - are we getting warmer????

Post edited by: conorsmith, at: 2012/11/29 19:55

Caher?

Sweform is Swedish Form of seakayak which typically has a sheer stern to increase the waterline, thereby increasing the speed and facilitating a rudder which is preferred in Sweden. They dont handle the following seas of the British Isles as they are broken out head to wind continually by big following sea. Not a problem generally in the Baltic sea where big following sea is rare and easily avoided by sheltering in the many islands there. The British Form seakayak has swept up bow and stern which does not facilitate a rudder but handles the following sea better, hence our proclivity for skegs over rudders in our neck of the sea. I have not seen Nordkapps with rudders as even the old pre Jubilee Nordkapp had a built in permanently deployed skeg as part of the keel together with a swept up stern. You know better though Dave as you know the guys in this photo. Really hard to identify the third boat in the photo as all I can see is the bow topside.

Post edited by: chancer, at: 2012/11/29 23:14

Not Crump and not Caher, sorry guys.

Thanks Chancer, I knew I’d heard the term Sweform before somewhere. I thought it concerned the location of either the widest part of the hull, or perhaps the cockpit, relative to bow and stern. I wonder is that a design issue and if so what is the term for it? Its great to learn something new.

I am in the kayak on the right, Paul Butcher in the one on the left, and Fred Cooney took the shot. All three boats were identical in everything save colour, a job lot so to speak. To fit the rudder they simply chopped off the end and screwed it on. I’d had a rudderless Nordkapp before that boat, and it was as you say. The advantage was what amounted to a permanent skeg, with no moving parts, the preferred choice of kayakers of that generation who didn’t like moving parts of any kind. Nothing to break down. It was common creed in those days that kayakers thought of themselves as always paddling alone, and they practised everything as though doing it solo. I believe Fred and I “introduced” into Ireland the notion of helping each other in and out of our boats, landing and launching. The idea of routinely stabilising the other guy’s boat while he stepped out of it, say at a steep slipway or beach, was SO NOT the army way back then.

Note the plastic bottle on the rear deck, called a BDH, for added storage. The jacket was then state of the art, and the buoyancy was underneath. It was June 1993. Note the “ocean” cockpit, a tiny little thing, hard to enter and exit, a factor which contributed significantly years later to the most serious incident, or at least the closest shave, I ever had while sea kayaking.

Any of that any help ?

DWalsh

Duvillauns? (Belmullet)

No, Jamie, no.
Sorry.
DW

Guys, you are going to shoot me.
I received a guess privately, and which I think may be correct.
I put in the shot beiving it was island(s) X but now I am uncertain.
Someone says island(s) Y.
Only problem is, if its Y, its inverted ........
Try looking at it in a mirror.
This wasn\'t intentional.
I amn\'t sure this new situation is correct, but .......
Sorry.
DWalsh
PS Its still not anything already guessed.

Thanks Dave, yes I recognised and smiled at the use of the old BDH. They were originally used to hold drugs for hospitals and chemists (British Drugs Houses) and were the only way to keep your essentials dry, pre dry bag days. Those and the army anti tank shell holder which was also in great demand as a dry container but not so readily available. You would have been proud of the way the ECSKA used the assisted landing on a surfing steep slipway on a recent trip to Donegal where everyone got out dry despite a lot of fearful looks on approach. The ocean cockpit was so dangerous and is well acknowledged as being lethal especially during one of those steep landings.

Perhaps this is the correct orientation ? [img size=999]http://www.irishseakayakingassociation.org/m2/components/com_simpleboard/uploaded/images/PhizzQuizz20_Small_2.jpg[/img]

Hi Chancer,
I always thought Swede form referred to the cockpit position in relation to the widest part on the boat.

Per Valley website:
The Etain is a conscious departure from previous Valley designs. Valley kayaks were traditionally more “fish-form” i.e. widest point slightly forward of centre. The Etain is more neutral, in fact very slightly Swede form i.e. widest point rear of centre. Swede form kayaks have a different feel, slightly more glide and a perception of speed that is more noticeable because you are now paddling in a narrower part of the boat.

Rogue Paddler: http://www.roguepaddler.com/choose.htm
Symmetry: Sym, Fish, or Swede?

\"Symmetry\" describes the shape of the kayak from bow to stern, looking down from overhead. Imagine yourself looking straight down on the kayak, and pretend that the kayak has been cut in two equal halves: the front half (bow) and the rear half (stern). If the shape of the front half matches the shape of the rear half, the kayak is symmetrical. If the two halves differ in shape, the kayak is asymmetrical. Generally speaking, symmetrical kayaks are more maneuverable than their asymmetrical counterparts because, on a symmetrical kayak, the cockpit is very closely aligned with the true middle of the kayak (equally spaced from both ends). This means that you (and your paddle) are positioned as close to the true pivot point as possible, making it easier to turn and maneuver the kayak.

Asymmetrical kayaks are divided into two categories: Fish-form and Swede-form. These terms describe the location of the kayak\'s widest point in relation to its true middle. If the kayak is widest forward of true middle (closer to the bow), it is a Fish-form kayak. If the the kayak is widest to the rear of true middle (closer to the stern), it is a Swede-form kayak. Fish-form kayaks have roomier cockpits and greater directional stability, meaning that they tend to hold a straight course better. Swede-form kayaks will tend to ride drier, cruise at slightly faster speeds, and feel as though they have slightly better stability, but they will require more effort to turn. Having said that, applying a slight lean to \"carve\" a turn in a Swede-form kayak can compensate for its turning disadvantages. If a wave alters your course in a Fish-form kayak, you may actually find it harder to correct back to the correct course than you would if you applied some corrective lean in a Swede-form kayak. Of the two asymmetrial types, I consider Swede-form to be the more desirable performer.