www.iska.ie

As I will shortly be returning to the shores of lovely Erin I am wondering what boat to buy and found this interesting - for the speedsters among you all - piece of information.
Interesting Data on Kayak Speed
Some really interesting data on resistance and speed of more than one hundred kayaks at http://www.unold.dk/paddling/articles/k ... ocity.html
The chart points out that a speed of 3 knots, there is very little difference in the resistance of various hulls -- about a half pound of drag difference in all the boats tested. At 6 knots, there is a difference of more than 7 pounds of drag between the most and least efficient hulls. And this is a huge difference, considering the average paddler can only work against about 5 pounds of drag for long distances.
What does this add up to? If you\'re not in a hurry and paddle at speeds of 2 - 3 knots, there is no advantage in you having a a long, sleek kayak. On the other hand, if you are interested in racing or paddling at speeds above 4.5 knots, you should pay a lot of attention to hull design.

Mick, for the sake of the rest of us, get something short and fat (no names, no names!), and the same sort of kayak, mebbe a Carolina or one of those yokes I slagged off last week.

Can\'t believe they letting you out on parole after only two years. :huh:

Sorry I was away for a weeks seakayaking in the Elephite Islands off the Croatian coast. Same trip we did last year with the Carragher Gang. Don\'t worry, two years in stir have slowed me down considerably -a Carolina might just be the thing for me now. According to the article a Carolina or anything will do if you keep the speed to a reasonable level. What about all this glide factor mumbo jumbo we believed in for fibreglass boats? Are we wasting our money.

:woohoo:

Mick buy a plastic aquanaut - Des has cosmetic seconds at a good price. No maintenance and cheaper to buy. good handling and capacity.thanks for invite to the islands. Pat.

YES

Thanks Pat will consider that. Trip in Croatia came with 24hrs notice to me! Sorry about that.