Building up to adjust weight?

Hi,

I'm 150 lbs, but in love with the Night Heron after paddling it around a bit.  I was looking at people who would be very selective about where they glass, and how big their fillets were to keep the weight of the boat down. I was wondering, since I'm under the target weight for the boat if it would be a good idea to overbuild so as to get the combined boat + paddler weight right and have her ride at her desired... depth? I figgure this will give me a stronger boat, and keep the weight down low. Or is this just stupid? Of course, having a decent lunch and some dry clothes in a drybag can probably give me the weight I need as well ;) 

Thanks. 

 

-- James


1 reply:

« Previous Post       List of Posts       Next Post »

RE: Building up to adjust weight?

James,

150 lbs is right at the bottom of the paddler range, but it is in the range. If you fell in love with it while paddling one around, then it must work pretty well for you as-is.

But if you really do need extra weight then, as you say, lunch and cargo (don't forget drinking water) will push you up towards the middle of the region. If you really think you need even more ballast, bags of birdshot will do the job much better than deliberately building the boat heavy.

For one thing, remember that  every ounce of that boat needs to be lifted and carried when cartopping, portaging, putting it away and getting it out of storage. If you make that process too difficult, the boat will stop being used for spontaneous trips and may end up not being used at all. Better to separate any needed extra weight from the permanent part of the hull.

Have fun,

Laszlo

 

 

« Previous Post     List of Posts     Next Post »


Please login or register to post a reply.