Lightweight but seaworthy boat

[ThomasL]

Guys and Gals,

I love my Quest and it meets all my needs except one. I'm 65 now and having worked with my body and hands for all the working years, I have, as they say, "lost my grip". I'm more than capable of hoisting any of my boats including a rather weighty 17 foot canoe, but my reduced grip strength and the discomfort involved in utilizing it keeps me from just lifting and walking to the water. Helen's little 13' Walden is about right, but I find it a bit uncomfortable in even moderately choppy conditions. Since I enjoy solo excursions I need a sea worthy boat of around 40lbs. I have the nifty carts with high flotation tires etc, but miss the old days when I simply picked it up and walked. Searching the net I find that there all sorts of super light "racing/sprint" boats that don't even see the need for a skirt, and do not look like what I would feel comfortable in less than dead flat water. I'm looking for a sea boat suitable for day touring. Expedition storage capacity is of no concern as I have the Quest, but I want something that takes a skirt and has sufficient length/wetted surface to allow for easy long distance cruising. Any suggestions I will appreciate. There are too darn many boats out there!!

Tom

[leong]

Guys and Gals,

I love my Quest and it meets all my needs except one. I'm 65 now and having worked with my body and hands for all the working years, I have, as they say, "lost my grip". I'm more than capable of hoisting any of my boats including a rather weighty 17 foot canoe, but my reduced grip strength and the discomfort involved in utilizing it keeps me from just lifting and walking to the water. Helen's little 13' Walden is about right, but I find it a bit uncomfortable in even moderately choppy conditions. Since I enjoy solo excursions I need a sea worthy boat of around 40lbs. I have the nifty carts with high flotation tires etc, but miss the old days when I simply picked it up and walked. Searching the net I find that there all sorts of super light "racing/sprint" boats that don't even see the need for a skirt, and do not look like what I would feel comfortable in less than dead flat water. I'm looking for a sea boat suitable for day touring. Expedition storage capacity is of no concern as I have the Quest, but I want something that takes a skirt and has sufficient length/wetted surface to allow for easy long distance cruising. Any suggestions I will appreciate. There are too darn many boats out there!!

Tom

Five light weight sea kayaks to consider:

QCC 700X in carbon weighs 41 lbs. + 2.5 lbs. if a rudder is added. But you can special order it to be lighter. They built my 700X with a rudder to weigh 39.5 lbs. Probably the best all around 18’ sea kayak that’s suitable for both touring and racing.

QCC 600X in carbon weighs 40 lbs. + 2.5 lbs. more if a rudder is added. Same special order applies. Probably the best all around 16’ 8” sea kayak that’s suitable for both touring and racing.

Epic 16X Ultra (16’) weighs 35 lbs.

Epic 18X Ultra (18’) weighs 36 lbs. This is very tippy, especially in rough water. It’s probably suitable only if you race. But I use mine for touring and training too.

KayakPro Marlin or Nemo (18’) weighs 35 lbs. Not quite as tippy as the 18X.

[Brian Nystrom]

A lot is going to depend on how much you want to spend. Companies like P&H offer a wide range of options for lightweight sea kayaks (as low as 25#), but less weight means more money. Companies such as Newfound Woodworks and Guillemot Kayaks offer a variety of lightweight wood/glass kayaks that are in the same price range as light composite boats. Light, seaworthy AND cheap commercial boats do not exist.

If you have any interest in woodworking, you can build a boat in the sub-40 pound range in either stitch & glue (plywood), cedar strip or skin-on-frame construction. A skin-on-frame boat can cost as little as $200 to build.

[leong]

A lot is going to depend on how much you want to spend. Companies like P&H offer a wide range of options for lightweight sea kayaks (as low as 25#), but less weight means more money. Companies such as Newfound Woodworks and Guillemot Kayaks offer a variety of lightweight wood/glass kayaks that are in the same price range as light composite boats. Light, seaworthy AND cheap commercial boats do not exist.

If you have any interest in woodworking, you can build a boat in the sub-40 pound range in either stitch & glue (plywood), cedar strip or skin-on-frame construction. A skin-on-frame boat can cost as little as $200 to build.

Which model is only 25 lbs.?

[lhunt]

Hi, Tom,

Seconding Leon - I love my carbon Q600X and can easily get it to the top of my car. Depending on your volume needs you might also consider a Surge.

-Lisa

[Brian Nystrom]

Which model is only 25 lbs.?

A few years back, I saw a carbon-kevlar P&H boat (Capella?) that was around 25#. It may have been at NESC, but I'm not sure.

[skiyak]

Tom,

I feel your pain, especially the "grip" thing. Since my retirement has been involuntarily accelerated, buying a high dollar, low weight boat is

not practical. I have owned a Surge in the past, 38lbs, but the cockpit and foot space just did not work. Last summer I had to replace my wife's

boat due to her special fit needs. I ended up building a CLC Chesapeake 16. Fully outfitted, this topped out at 44lbs. With better building skills,

it could be a few pounds lighter. I have to say I'm impressed with this boat. I'm planning to get rid of my NDK explorer and built one of the other

CLC models later this year for myself, aiming for a weight of close to 40lbs. It might be worth taking a look at their line of boats.

Mike

[leong]

I forgot to mention Warren Light Craft kayaks as a possibility. You might want to consider the Little Wing 15.5 or 18 (it looks like the 18 was discontinued, but might be available used). The 15.5 weighs only 28 pounds. I think these boats are expensive. Also, the “wing” designs are unorthodox.

[Michael_Crouse]

P&H sold carbon/kevlar pre-preg Quests and Bahayia's (sp?). The Quest weighed around 35lbs, with seat hatches, etc...

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned any Impex kayaks, the smaller models are very light.

[Gcosloy]

Unless there is a performance advantage to a very light sea kayak and I'm not sure there is except for sprinting during races, there may be other alternatives to the problem of hoisting and carrying the typical 55lb fiberglass sea kayak. I have not lifted and carried my 55 lb. Impex Force Cat 4 for years now. I place a third Thule extension bar cantelivered and extended with foam glued on to the end under the front factory bar on my Subaru Forester move the bow onto the foam outrigger, then lower the stern onto a bathmat on the ground. I place a center cart under the cockpit and then lower the bow section on top of the cart. I am now free to wheel the kayak wherever my put in is. In all I may have lifted 20 pounds at a time during this process. It does take a bit more time but as we seakayakers age more of us are doing something similar. Women have been investigating these approaches for some time now. Oh yes I have severe spinal stenosis and one bad arthritic hip and this method described has kept me paddling for many years now. At home I limit myself to lifting no more than 25 lbs. A man has to know his limitations. Besides, employing something like my method now gives you access to the best boat for the type of paddling you want to enjoy. Some paddlers swear by the NDK, Valley and P&H boats which are heavy.

[leong]

“Unless there is a performance advantage to a very light sea kayak and I'm not sure there is except for sprinting during races”

Gene,

Besides sprinting, there are two other advantages for paddling a lightweight kayak.

1. A kayak slows down between every stroke. During the stroke the kayak is accelerated up to speed. Thus, there is an F = ma related power required to accelerate during the stroke. Obviously, increasing m increases that required power.

2. A heavier kayak displaces more water. The higher the displacement the higher the power required to overcome wave-making resistance.

I plan to, but I haven’t yet quantified these two effects. I doubt that the results are significant for casual paddling. However, for racing and extreme long distance touring (think Freya Hoffmeister) there probably is a significant advantage to a light weight kayak.

[brambor]

She is usually loaded to the brim.

“Unless there is a performance advantage to a very light sea kayak and I'm not sure there is except for sprinting during races”

Gene,

Besides sprinting, there are two other advantages for paddling a lightweight kayak.

1. A kayak slows down between every stroke. During the stroke the kayak is accelerated up to speed. Thus, there is an F = ma related power required to accelerate during the stroke. Obviously, increasing m increases that required power.

2. A heavier kayak displaces more water. The higher the displacement the higher the power required to overcome wave-making resistance.

I plan to, but I haven’t yet quantified these two effects. I doubt that the results are significant for casual paddling. However, for racing and extreme long distance touring (think Freya Hoffmeister) there probably is a significant advantage to a light weight kayak.

[leong]

She is usually loaded to the brim.

Any one should load her kayak as light as possible, commensurate with her needs (obviously including safety equipment). Anything more is useless dead weight. The “additional” power required to paddle with the dead weight is about the same whether the kayak is loaded lightly for a short trip or heavily for a long trip. You think Freya would like to load her kayak with an extra 20 pounds for the fun of it?

[brambor]

Leon, my comment was not meant negatively. I was just making an observation as I occasionally check her progress. She is loaded heavy with all the supplies and mentions it many times when attempting landing in the surf or when dragging it during low tide. So I was just thinking that in her case, at this juncture she is carrying a heavy load and just goes steady without thinking about the sprinting forces. I may have misunderstood but I thought you were making your point about sprinting/racing and the effect of very light kayak compared to the weight of the paddler. I just thought the analogy wasn't best but I defer to your expertise on this subject. I have no dog in this.

Any one should load her kayak as light as possible, commensurate with her needs (obviously including safety equipment). Anything more is useless dead weight. The “additional” power required to paddle with the dead weight is about the same whether the kayak is loaded lightly for a short trip or heavily for a long trip. You think Freya would like to load her kayak with an extra 20 pounds for the fun of it?

[leong]

Leon, my comment was not meant negatively. I was just making an observation as I occasionally check her progress. She is loaded heavy with all the supplies and mentions it many times when attempting landing in the surf or when dragging it during low tide. So I was just thinking that in her case, at this juncture she is carrying a heavy load and just goes steady without thinking about the sprinting forces. I may have misunderstood but I thought you were making your point about sprinting/racing and the effect of very light kayak compared to the weight of the paddler. I just thought the analogy wasn't best but I defer to your expertise on this subject. I have no dog in this.

Rene,

No problem. I didn’t mean to be dismissive if it sounded that way.

The point that I’m trying to get across is that the weight of a kayak is of minor consequence for touring; however, it might be consequential for very long distance touring (and it certainly is for racing). I’ll give the following analogy to help everyone understand why I think this is so.

Suppose you are about to climb up a flight of stairs and someone asks you to carry up their mail that weighs, say, 2 pounds. Most likely you wouldn’t mind since 2 pounds is insignificant compared to your body weight. But, instead, if you were about to climb up 80 flights of stairs (say the empire state building) you’d probably be unwilling to carry the extra 2 pounds. The additional power required for the additional 2 pounds is the same whether you’re climbing one flight or eighty flights. However, climbing 80 flights uses about all the energy you have available. The extra 2 pounds is the “straw that brakes the camel’s back”.

Note: power is work per unit time (perhaps think of it as work per stair in this analogy)

[lhunt]

...I love my Quest...Since I enjoy solo excursions I need a sea worthy boat of around 40lbs...miss the old days when I simply picked it up and walked.

No harm in getting a little off topic (good thing, since we always do!), but I want to poke back to the original question to see if we can gather any more concrete suggestions. We didn't post a link to QCC yet - here it is. For open-water touring, these boats are spot on. And Stellar has some light boats that look similar in usage.

Current Designs has some lighter boats (Willow, Rumour, Suka) all for "lighter paddlers" - I notice from an older post you are (or were) 5'9" at 184, so that's iffy but might be worth a try. I mention them because they are a little more Quest-like.

Also, if you haven't already, I would check with CRCK or some other dealer. There may be unfamiliar layups available for familiar boats. I'm sure I remember seeing a Chatham 16 or 17 in a light clearcoat carbon at CRCK a couple of years ago, and don't see it on Necky's website. Of course, as has been said, light layups are expensive! If you shop around for carbon boats, you will soon see why I keep mentioning QCC.

I guess you probably know that the weights given by manufacturers (with the exception of QCC) usually do not include hatch covers and rigging.

Also for my type of open water day touring a rudder just looks like something else to go wrong. I am looking at a boat with a retractable skeg in the rear quarter however.

Many of the lighter, straighter boats have rudders, so it may be a tradeoff you want to consider. I will add my 2 cents that rudders seem to be less troublesome than skegs (less jamming) and easier to fix in the field. From the wording above, it sounds like you might think the rudder is for steering, not for open water straight paddling, so I will mention that mostly one uses the rudder to keep a straight course in a crosswind. I dread sinking into the rudder vs. skeg debate here, though!

-Lisa

[EEL]

can gather any more concrete suggestions.

Boat choice is a very individualized process so I will just mention a few for consideration without comment.

Lincoln Canoe and Kayak of Freeport, Maine produces a variety of models all of which are light and in the stated ballpark.

Seda makes some light boats as does Sterling.

The old WS Artic Hawk and Sparrow Hawk are solid boats that are light. My Sparrow Hawk is 40# and the AH runs around 48# and

that is for FG versions.

While at least 10 years old now, nice ones show up on occasion.

Some of these boats, including the Surge, may look odd as they are out of mainstream, but they have their fans so I assume they are OK boats.

The ultimate for lightness is a SOF boat and they are tough enough, but not many are designed for "regular" paddlers as opposed to Greenland fans.

Ed Lawson

[billvoss]

The ultimate for lightness is a SOF boat and they are tough enough, but not many are designed for "regular" paddlers as opposed to Greenland fans.

I love my F1 by Cape Falcon, and paddle it all the time. The Cape Falcon L.P.B. also looks interesting. They are both "modern" SOF designs, as opposed to reproductions of historic designs. However, only consider the SOF choice if you want to build your own boat, either at home, or in a week long workshop. Note that the Delmarva class http://www.capefalconkayak.com/events.html is in Delaware, a reasonable drive from here. Delmarva is also a great event to attend in its own right.

[Doug]

West Side Boatworks in NY makes a 26lb Thunderbolt just to name one really light fitness/racing kayak that has a history winning the Blackburn. Tyson & Emily's tandem is made at this shop. They come in kevlar or Competition Hybrid Cloth of Carbon Fiber/Kevlar. Your talking around $2700.

A different take on the weight factor:

My first Cetus had a clear hull. For a 17'10" boat, it was fairly light but I sold it once I had an opportunity to paddle a traditional layup of the same boat that was 10 pounds heavier. I found the extra weight actually made for a more seaworthy boat in conditions. Bringing the additional 10 pounds up to touring speed or greater may have taken a bit more energy up front, but once up to speed, the greater driving force pushing you forward seems to reduce your drag. Also, once up to speed I did't feel as though I was exherting more energy but rather less energy maintaining speed. It could all be in my head too. LOL. It's easier to slow down a VW Bug than a Mac Truck. I know this is sort of opposite of Leon's take on the weight factor but thats my addition to this post. This would be a good topic for John Huth to shed some light. Weight vs. energy vs. drag.... or something like that.

In conclusion, in truth:

I would rather put a 35 pound boat on my car than a 64 pound one......

Doug

[leong]

West Side Boatworks in NY makes a 26lb Thunderbolt just to name one really light fitness/racing kayak that has a history winning the Blackburn. Tyson & Emily's tandem is made at this shop. They come in kevlar or Competition Hybrid Cloth of Carbon Fiber/Kevlar. Your talking around $2700.

A different take on the weight factor:

My first Cetus had a clear hull. For a 17'10" boat, it was fairly light but I sold it once I had an opportunity to paddle a traditional layup of the same boat that was 10 pounds heavier. I found the extra weight actually made for a more seaworthy boat in conditions. Bringing the additional 10 pounds up to touring speed or greater may have taken a bit more energy up front, but once up to speed, the greater driving force pushing you forward seems to reduce your drag. Also, once up to speed I did't feel as though I was exherting more energy but rather less energy maintaining speed. It could all be in my head too. LOL. It's easier to slow down a VW Bug than a Mac Truck. I know this is sort of opposite of Leon's take on the weight factor but thats my addition to this post. This would be a good topic for John Huth to shed some light. Weight vs. energy vs. drag.... or something like that.

In conclusion, in truth:

I would rather put a 35 pound boat on my car than a 64 pound one......

Doug

Doug,

>>West Side Boatworks in NY makes a 26lb Thunderbolt just to name one really light fitness/racing kayak that has a history winning the Blackburn.

Tom's looking for a light weight touring sea kayak, not an extremely tippy, high performance, racing boat that doesn't have hatches, decklines, etc.

>>Bringing the additional 10 pounds up to touring speed or greater may have taken a bit more energy up front, but once up to speed, the greater driving force pushing you forward seems to reduce your drag.

Huh, where's this greater driving force coming from? You’re probably thinking about momentum which isn’t a force on the boat. The heavier boat goes slower because:

1. The extra weight sinks the boat more (the draft increases).

2. The increased draft increases the boats surface area.

3. The increase surface area increases the frictional drag.

In addition there is an increase in wave drag (see below)

>>I know this is sort of opposite of Leon's take on the weight factor but thats my addition to this post. This would be a good topic for John Huth to shed some light. Weight vs. energy vs. drag.... or something like that.

Neither John Huth nor Leon can suspend the laws of physics. A significant component of wave resistance comes from the fact that water must be pushed apart and then drawn back in to fill the hole left by the passing kayak. The heavier the kayak the higher the total displacement which means that more water must be pushed apart. Thus, everything else being equal, the greater the total displacement the greater the power required to move a kayak at the same speed.

>>I found the extra weight actually made for a more seaworthy boat in conditions.

No argument here.

Respectively,

Leon

[lhunt]

It's easier to slow down a VW Bug than a Mac Truck.

Mmm... but which one uses less gas?

Sorry, couldn't resist.

-Lisa

(Seriously, though, the weight hurts more when carrying than when paddling.)

[Doug]

Huh, where's this greater driving force coming from? You’re probably thinking about momentum which isn’t a force on the boat. The heavier boat goes slower because:

1. The extra weight sinks the boat more (the draft increases).

2. The increased draft increases the boats surface area.

3. The increase surface area increases the frictional drag.

In addition there is an increase in wave drag (see below)

Neither John Huth nor Leon can suspend the laws of physics. A significant component of wave resistance comes from the fact that water must be pushed apart and then drawn back in to fill the hole left by the passing kayak. The heavier the kayak the higher the total displacement which means that more water must be pushed apart. Thus, everything else being equal, the greater the total displacement the greater the power required to move a kayak at the same speed.

Leon,

I know you are the club racing guru. I don't think I'm disputing the laws of physics in my explanation nor do I dispute your take on this but there are other factors that compensate for the increased draft not effecting speed. Please specify how my take on it below is incorrect. I really want to understand this.

An 18 foot racing boat with 17' of waterline that displaces more water vs. an 18 foot sea kayak with a 15.5 foot waterline that displaces less water. The racing boat that displaces more water is faster. I think there is more to it than your theory depicts. I don't think the displacement is nearly as important as the hull design and how it displaces the friction or drag. You can displace more water and still have a faster boat. A sea kayak for example that has more rocker compensates for this displacement of water when adding weight. By adding weight you are compensated structurally by a lengthened waterline, a deepend V-line and decreased rocker thus reducing friction and not reducing speed.... I believe.

Doug

[subaruguru]

Huh, where's this greater driving force coming from? You’re probably thinking about momentum which isn’t a force on the boat. The heavier boat goes slower because:

1. The extra weight sinks the boat more (the draft increases).

2. The increased draft increases the boats surface area.

3. The increase surface area increases the frictional drag.

In addition there is an increase in wave drag (see below)

Neither John Huth nor Leon can suspend the laws of physics. A significant component of wave resistance comes from the fact that water must be pushed apart and then drawn back in to fill the hole left by the passing kayak. The heavier the kayak the higher the total displacement which means that more water must be pushed apart. Thus, everything else being equal, the greater the total displacement the greater the power required to move a kayak at the same speed.

Leon,

I know you are the club racing guru. I don't think I'm disputing the laws of physics in my explanation nor do I dispute your take on this but there are other factors that compensate for the increased draft not effecting speed. Please specify how my take on it below is incorrect. I really want to understand this.

An 18 foot racing boat with 17' of waterline that displaces more water vs. an 18 foot sea kayak with a 15.5 foot waterline that displaces less water. The racing boat that displaces more water is faster. I think there is more to it than your theory depicts. I don't think the displacement is nearly as important as the hull design and how it displaces the friction or drag. You can displace more water and still have a faster boat. A sea kayak for example that has more rocker compensates for this displacement of water when adding weight. By adding weight you are compensated structurally by a lengthened waterline, a deepend V-line and decreased rocker thus reducing friction and not reducing speed.... I believe.

Doug

Oy oy oy!

Respectfully,

Archimedes

[lhunt]

...An 18 foot racing boat with 17' of waterline that displaces more water vs. an 18 foot sea kayak with a 15.5 foot waterline that displaces less water.

Displacement is weight of boat + weight of payload, so with the same paddler and gear the difference in displacement is going to be entirely the weight of the boat. If your racing boat is lighter than your sea kayak, it's going to displace less water, regardless of length. Maybe you are saying your hypothetical sea kayak is the lighter of the two(?)

The biggest factors for speed are waterline length, wetted surface, and displacement. Racing boats are typically narrower and lighter and less "full" (have a lower Prismatic Coefficient). That keeps displacement down. They also try to keep the wetted surface as low as possible for a given waterline length, which means, among other things, low rocker.

Keeping displacement and wetted surface low will reduce drag at any speed. Having a longer waterline reduces drag only at higher speeds. To state it a different way, a longer waterline does not necessarily make a boat faster, but it gives it a higher speed limit. Since the longer waterline can also affect the other factors (wetted surface and displacement), the tradeoff point depends on the force you put into your cruising stroke.

I don't think the displacement is nearly as important as the hull design

No, clearly not, but for a given hull design, the lighter layup will be easier to paddle.

So for your hypothetical example above, let's consider a lightweight Surge (15' waterline sea kayak) vs. a heavy-layup Epic 18X (18' waterline). For a good fitness paddler going at speed, the 18X might be easier, but for an average paddler cruising informally, the Surge might be easier. Note, however, that the racer would probably buy a lighter layup, because he will be competing against lightweight 18Xs.

A sea kayak for example that has more rocker compensates for this displacement of water when adding weight.

I don't believe that the added length you get when you add more weight to a boat with an upswept bow "counts" as waterline length, because it is not extending deeply enough into the water.

Of course, there are other tradeoffs that have nothing to do with speed (stability, rough water handling, car-top-ability, seal landing ability, maneuverability, fit, durability, aesthetics, price, volume for camping, etc.) That's why many people have more than one boat(!)

-Lisa

[leong]

Huh, where's this greater driving force coming from? You’re probably thinking about momentum which isn’t a force on the boat. The heavier boat goes slower because:

1. The extra weight sinks the boat more (the draft increases).

2. The increased draft increases the boats surface area.

3. The increase surface area increases the frictional drag.

In addition there is an increase in wave drag (see below)

Neither John Huth nor Leon can suspend the laws of physics. A significant component of wave resistance comes from the fact that water must be pushed apart and then drawn back in to fill the hole left by the passing kayak. The heavier the kayak the higher the total displacement which means that more water must be pushed apart. Thus, everything else being equal, the greater the total displacement the greater the power required to move a kayak at the same speed.

Leon,

I know you are the club racing guru. I don't think I'm disputing the laws of physics in my explanation nor do I dispute your take on this but there are other factors that compensate for the increased draft not effecting speed. Please specify how my take on it below is incorrect. I really want to understand this.

An 18 foot racing boat with 17' of waterline that displaces more water vs. an 18 foot sea kayak with a 15.5 foot waterline that displaces less water. The racing boat that displaces more water is faster. I think there is more to it than your theory depicts. I don't think the displacement is nearly as important as the hull design and how it displaces the friction or drag. You can displace more water and still have a faster boat. A sea kayak for example that has more rocker compensates for this displacement of water when adding weight. By adding weight you are compensated structurally by a lengthened waterline, a deepend V-line and decreased rocker thus reducing friction and not reducing speed.... I believe.

Doug

Doug,

I’m probably not be the club racing guru, but that aside, I’ll try to answer.

If the total weight of the two boats you described is the same then they both have the same displacement (both in pounds and volumetric terms).

“The racing boat that displaces more water is faster.”.

Technically, “faster” is a meaningless term when describing boats. All you can say is that the boat with the greater waterline length has a greater potential “hull speed”. But, the term hull speed itself is misunderstood. The hull speed is that speed where the transverse waves generated by a boat going through the water reaches approximately the same length as the hull. Additional speed requires large amounts of additional energy. But let’s use your terminology loosely. Let’s call the 18’/17’ boat the “faster” boat and the 18’/15.5’ boat the “slower” boat. I may not be able to generate enough power to get the “faster” boat to its hull speed. In fact, it may be that my maximum power will propel the “slower” boat faster than the “faster” boat. On the other hand, someone with a higher potential power (think Greg Barton here) will probably be able to paddle the “faster” boat faster than the “slower” boat. Each boat has a power versus speed profile. This is a graph that tells you what is the required power to propel a boat to each speed.

That said, you’re right, there are many other parameters besides waterline length and displacement that raise or lower the power vs. speed profile of a boat. But, if everything else remains the same, the boat with the smaller displacement will require less power to propel it at any speed than the one with the larger displacement.

One other thing: In an earlier post you said, “It's easier to slow down a VW Bug than a Mac Truck.” Obviously this is true. Note that the drag force on a rolling vehicle is only weakly dependent on its weight. So inertia (momentum) plays a very big part for the coasting (stopping) distance of a rolling vehicle. But with a kayak, the drag force is strongly dependent on its weight (total displacement). I’m not sure yet, but it may be that for two otherwise identical kayaks, the heavier one will not coast farther because the added resistance due to the additional drag (more water displaced, larger wetted surface area, etc) overcomes the effect of the higher inertia. I’m working on this in my spare time (it’s not a trivial problem).

Gotta go now, my kayak is waiting.

Respectfully (and perhaps respectively too),

Leon

PS

Gene really got me off the topic of “what are some lightweight sea kayaks” Oh, well, that’s okay. My brain can use a workout too.

PPS

After I finished writing all this I noticed that my trusty training partner added a post as well. I agree with everything that she said. But, as you can see, I’m posting anyway.