riverman wrote:
As for keeling...next time you are paddling, try an experiment, I know
it will suprise you. Get a good forward head of steam with the hull
flat and level, take the paddle out, then shift your weight quickly to
one side and heel it over. Watch what the boat does...its not what you
expect.

I'm assuming you mean heeling, not keeling. I think I have a pretty good
feel for the relatioship between surface area and dragg. As to your point
about keels, I think we agree that they mostly are good for wearing out and
hanging up (and keeping the halves of an aluminum hull together). The same
thing is true of the semi-V hulls like the ones Mad River uses.

What boat do you have, BTW?

A Wenonah Solo Plus (http://www.wenonah.com). I would send you a better
link except their web site is all frames and they won't let you link to a
sub page. Note that the narrow hull which makes flyfishing from the center
seat easy. This is a very stable boat despite the narrowness. I have lent
this to people who expect canoes to be tippy and they are soon converts.
--
Stan Gula
http://gula.org/roffswaps