West Greenland Kayak Build, on the water test number 4. More experiments with stability.
In the previous test I added a secondary stringer to the outside lower edge of the gunwales, which didn’t increase primary stability much but did add noticeable secondary stability, at the expense of a bit of glide.
For this latest test I decided to try a non-traditional experiment and temporarily attached some tapered 3/8 inch thick strips to the outsides of the main stringers in the center of the kayak.
The idea here was to create a boxier hull and potentially add more primary stability. I actually think this might have worked well if I had pushed the stringers up higher, but for structural reasons they need to stay pretty close to where they are.
This did add a little bit of primary stability, and the extra volume towards the bottom of the boat put me up on top of the water more, making the kayak quicker and more responsive than the last test, but not hugely different than the unmodified version.
On the downside, this modification made the secondary stability untrustworthy and the boxier shape gripped the water more in draw stroke and side slip maneuvers. I could immediately tell this would be a problem in rough water and especially surf conditions.
It was an interesting experiment but it’s not something I would do again. I’m still loving how loose this boat is. As a former whitewater guy the tracking on many sea kayaks can drive me a bit nuts.
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