Dodgy start on my first trip out!
Managed to get onto the local canal today for my first time out in my new to me canoe. We had some issues, and I wondered if anyone has any suggestions.
My set up is as follows...
Old town discovery 169
2 seats (webbing type)
Buoyancy blocks not bags at both ends
Painter lines at both ends
Additional kneeling thwart fitted by previous owner just behind the centre yoke.
Myself in the stern (most experiened of the two of us, have done 2 hours on a canoe session the day before with peaks and paddles in Cromford, I fell in!) I'm 6 ft 3 and weigh around 18 stone.
My mate (who we will call John, because that's his name) on the bow seat at 6 ft 3 and 24 stone.
We got in, an it was wobbling all over the place, before we even got away from the wall. I was convinced we would fall in, capsize. Having watched numerous videos, I knew that lowering our centre of gravity would help. John had no chance of getting in the kneeling position with his feet under the seat, mainly due to his size.
I quickly went from kneeling to sitting on the floor to lower my centre as much as possible. Kneeling for me was also difficult, due to years of kebabs and cake.
Is the simple answer to just put ballast in to lower our C O G? If so, any suggestions of what and where?
Also, we zig zagged all over the place, but I suspect that's a combination of me being too low, with too short a paddle to compensate John's powerfull strokes from the front, also, my J stroke needs work!
I'm hoping you respond with, yeah, that's normal, you will improve, because after 3 hours on Chesterfield canal, I'm well and truly hooked!
My set up is as follows...
Old town discovery 169
2 seats (webbing type)
Buoyancy blocks not bags at both ends
Painter lines at both ends
Additional kneeling thwart fitted by previous owner just behind the centre yoke.
Myself in the stern (most experiened of the two of us, have done 2 hours on a canoe session the day before with peaks and paddles in Cromford, I fell in!) I'm 6 ft 3 and weigh around 18 stone.
My mate (who we will call John, because that's his name) on the bow seat at 6 ft 3 and 24 stone.
We got in, an it was wobbling all over the place, before we even got away from the wall. I was convinced we would fall in, capsize. Having watched numerous videos, I knew that lowering our centre of gravity would help. John had no chance of getting in the kneeling position with his feet under the seat, mainly due to his size.
I quickly went from kneeling to sitting on the floor to lower my centre as much as possible. Kneeling for me was also difficult, due to years of kebabs and cake.
Is the simple answer to just put ballast in to lower our C O G? If so, any suggestions of what and where?
Also, we zig zagged all over the place, but I suspect that's a combination of me being too low, with too short a paddle to compensate John's powerfull strokes from the front, also, my J stroke needs work!
I'm hoping you respond with, yeah, that's normal, you will improve, because after 3 hours on Chesterfield canal, I'm well and truly hooked!