I know that I:3's aren't build for speed, but I can only afford one boat,
and that's the one I liked! Is there anyway I can adjust the fitting (seat
position etc) to make me faster in the water? I'm going to hit they gym far
more and do lots of upper body work before we start going out on flat water
again with the club but any help is a bonus! I really feel myself lagging
sometimes behind the group. I understand about short boats being slower and
stuff, but there must be some tricks here!

Charlie.

--
Kallistos: Contemporary Jewellery Design
http://www.kallistos.co.uk
eBay: http://kallistos.notlong.com

"Charlie" wrote in message
...
I know that I:3's aren't build for speed, but I can only afford one
boat,
and that's the one I liked! Is there anyway I can adjust the fitting
(seat
position etc) to make me faster in the water? I'm going to hit they
gym far
more and do lots of upper body work before we start going out on flat
water
again with the club but any help is a bonus! I really feel myself
lagging
sometimes behind the group. I understand about short boats being
slower and
stuff, but there must be some tricks here!

Hi Charlie.

I'm not familiar with I:3's but in general every hull shape will have an
optimum speed. Once you reach this speed more effort simply makes more
wash and doesn't make much difference to your speed. Are the others in
your group who are faster, paddling different boats? If so you may
never be as fast without changing your boat to something like the boats
the others are using. Wing paddles are more efficient for flat water
paddling so you may gain an advantage by trying wings. They do take a
while to get used to and some training is advisable to gain the most
benefit. Wings will not get your boat moving faster if you are already
at it's optimum speed. You can trim the boat by moving your weight
backwards (or forwards but unlikely) within the limits of you fitting
into the cockpit. IMHO the boat should be trimmed either level or bow
slightly raised. Bow downwards will create extra drag (a bad thing).
Cleaning the crud off the boat will help your speed too. When we train
as a mixed group and wish to stay together, the fastest boats are
handicapped by fastening a bungee (used to secure the boat to a V-Bar
roof rack) around their hull behind the paddler creating extra drag for
the fast paddlers. That way everyone can work out but paddle as a group.

David Kemper
Not a fan of falling behind.

The 1:3 is a river / play boat from Pyranha.
It should be fine around other play boats.
Now if you arr trying to keep up with an NDK or P & H sea kayak you may
have to spend some time at the gym.

It is a play boat so will not be real fast. It is likely good at
surfing or whatever.

Well, loads of them use play boats, including my mate in another (larger)
I:3. I think I might just need to hit the gym, I'm only a 5ft tall lass so
I don't think that helps either. I might try notching the seat back an inch
or two to see if that brings the nose out a little more, I'm flat in the
water at the moment.

Charlie.

wrote in message
oups.com...
The 1:3 is a river / play boat from Pyranha.
It should be fine around other play boats.
Now if you arr trying to keep up with an NDK or P & H sea kayak you may
have to spend some time at the gym.

It is a play boat so will not be real fast. It is likely good at
surfing or whatever.

Charlie wrote:
Well, loads of them use play boats, including my mate in another (larger)
I:3.

If it's a larger I:3 it'll probably have more waterline length, which
generally translates to a greater hull speed...

I think I might just need to hit the gym

Technique tuning of your forward paddling is probably going to get you
up to the optimum hull speed (assuming you're not already there) better
than just yanking harder.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

"Charlie" wrote in message
...
Well, loads of them use play boats, including my mate in another (larger)
I:3. I think I might just need to hit the gym, I'm only a 5ft tall lass
so
I don't think that helps either. I might try notching the seat back an
inch
or two to see if that brings the nose out a little more, I'm flat in the
water at the moment.

If you trim your boat to lift the bow, you dip the stern. So the stern get
dragged under the surface by the stern wave sooner, thus you ultimate
optimum speed may be less. Also, with a lower stern those little waves that
you hopped across can catch you back end and get you practicing hip flicks
and braces etc. :-)

I think flat in the water is good. Others may have different opinions.

Ewan Scott

"Ewan Scott" wrote in message
...

"Charlie" wrote in message
...
Well, loads of them use play boats, including my mate in another
(larger)
I:3. I think I might just need to hit the gym, I'm only a 5ft tall
lass
so
I don't think that helps either. I might try notching the seat back
an
inch
or two to see if that brings the nose out a little more, I'm flat in
the
water at the moment.

If you trim your boat to lift the bow, you dip the stern. So the stern
get
dragged under the surface by the stern wave sooner, thus you ultimate
optimum speed may be less. Also, with a lower stern those little waves
that
you hopped across can catch you back end and get you practicing hip
flicks
and braces etc. :-)

I think flat in the water is good. Others may have different opinions.

I agree with this. The only reason I suggested trimming bow up (and only
very slightly up at that) was to avoid the bows submerging which creates
a lot of drag. Level trim is preferable if bow diving is not a problem.

Question for Charlie: Do you know what wash riding is and what positions
on the wash you can take advantage of? If you don't I will try to
elaborate in another post.

David Kemper
Not a fan of preaching to the converted.

"David Kemper" wrote in message
...
I think flat in the water is good. Others may have different opinions.

I agree with this. The only reason I suggested trimming bow up (and only
very slightly up at that) was to avoid the bows submerging which creates
a lot of drag. Level trim is preferable if bow diving is not a problem.

Question for Charlie: Do you know what wash riding is and what positions
on the wash you can take advantage of? If you don't I will try to
elaborate in another post.

Nope, I'm a pretty inexperienced kayaker. I'd love to know what wash diving
is! I'm one of these people who is annoyingly curious about everything!

Charlie.

Nope, I'm a pretty inexperienced kayaker. I'd love to know what wash
diving
is! I'm one of these people who is annoyingly curious about everything!

The best way to see what happens is to watch someone in a short boat paddle
as hard as they can past you. If their boat is trimmed to keep the nose out
of the water, the stern dips. However what you watch is the series of waves
created by the boat. The obvious one is the bow wave. But behind the boat,
just rear of the stern is the transverse or stern wave,. As the boat speeds
up this wave becomes a "hole" behind the boat. The stern of the boat as it
dips, drags into the hole and gets held back. Hence every hull shape has a
maximum speed that cannot be exceeded no matter how hard you paddle.

You can get close to the boat in front and sit on the bow wave and surf
along, easing the load on your paddling. However, I find it difficult to
maintain position for any great distance. Alternately you come up behind the
boat in front an surf in his stern wave. This is easier, but you tend to end
up running into the back of the boat in front.

It is very similar in theory to riding a bike in another rider's slipstream.
I find it can give some releif from paddling, and can help slower boats keep
pace with faster boats - for a time.

At least that's my understanding.

Ewan Scott

"Ewan Scott" wrote in message
...

Nope, I'm a pretty inexperienced kayaker. I'd love to know what
wash
diving
is! I'm one of these people who is annoyingly curious about
everything!

The best way to see what happens is to watch someone in a short boat
paddle
as hard as they can past you. If their boat is trimmed to keep the
nose out
of the water, the stern dips. However what you watch is the series of
waves
created by the boat. The obvious one is the bow wave. But behind the
boat,
just rear of the stern is the transverse or stern wave,. As the boat
speeds
up this wave becomes a "hole" behind the boat. The stern of the boat
as it
dips, drags into the hole and gets held back. Hence every hull shape
has a
maximum speed that cannot be exceeded no matter how hard you paddle.

You can get close to the boat in front and sit on the bow wave and
surf
along, easing the load on your paddling. However, I find it difficult
to
maintain position for any great distance. Alternately you come up
behind the
boat in front an surf in his stern wave. This is easier, but you tend
to end
up running into the back of the boat in front.

It is very similar in theory to riding a bike in another rider's
slipstream.
I find it can give some releif from paddling, and can help slower
boats keep
pace with faster boats - for a time.

At least that's my understanding.

The above is a pretty good explanation.

Marathon paddlers use wash riding (not wash diving, Charlie) to ease the
amount of effort required to travel long distances and to get a rest
without stopping. Sprint racers get disqualified for wash riding.
(Sprint racing takes place in buoyed lanes on a regatta course and
paddlers are not permitted to get within 5 metres sideways distance of
another boat)

A boat produces a wash which is shaped like a V with the bow of the boat
at the pointed part of the V. This wash is highest and has the steepest
slope close to the boat. To surf the front edge of this wash you first
need to climb up and over the back of the wave. A trick to this is to
cross the wash a fair way from the boat you are going to hitch a lift
from. As you get onto the front of the wave, gradually ease closer to
the other boat. you will find as you get closer you start to gain more
help from the wash. The front edge of the wash is getting steeper so as
you get closer you can go faster for less effort. You should be able to
get within a couple of feet of the lead boat, just leaving enough space
to get your paddle in the water. Several boats can do the same trick
ending up like a flight of ducks. Anyone who allows the wash to pass
them will slow down rapidly as they then find themselves paddling up the
wave instead of down it. This is known as falling off the wash.

Another common technique is to stern wash. You basically fall into the
hole left by the boat in front as it moves forward. This can be done at
almost any speed. Practice with a friend or two at low speeds to get the
hang of it. Chains of paddlers can all take advantage of the work the
lead boat is doing. It is normal for different paddlers to take the lead
position so that the work is shared with every paddler getting a rest.

If 4 paddlers go out as a group, one leads, two wash ride at the sides
and the fourth rides behind in the V wash. This 4th position gains wash
from all 3 boats in front and is the position needing the least effort
to stay with the group. It is possible to have bigger groups but 4 is
optimum, with the lead being regularly swapped. In a marathon race the
fastest paddlers will try to get in front of the rest and form a group
of 4, cooperating to complete the course, sometimes not paddling very
hard at all, just making sure they stay ahead of the other paddlers. The
real race comes at the very end when it is every man for himself and a
mad sprint for the finish happens.

What I've been describing is from seeing and paddling racing boats which
are very long so the stern doesn't dip perceptibly. The same principles
will apply to shorter boats but may be harder to put into practice. Try
it and report back. We all learn from others experiences.

David Kemper
Not a fan of falling off.