In the Water

Posted by Howard on May 8, 2005

Ok guys and gals...we are finally in the water

This is the arctic hawk that i finished several weeks ago. ....and i am proud to say...she floats.

The paddling area is western long island sound and the water temps are only up to 47degrees...so its dry-suit mandatory time....

Ok...so what do i think so far. The boat is a tight but comfortable fit. when i do not have so many layers on i think i will find it a bit more roomy... but it is a big difference compared to my LT17.

entering and exiting is the major difference...you got to pull the boat on...both legs have to go in at the same time...the optional key hole cockpit is significantly smaller than the chesapeake key hole.

The boat is incredibly responsive to edging/leaned turns. she glides effortlessly. the stability is excellent despite the fact that she is only 22 inches at the beam.

the narrow hull and low shear make it easy to plant the paddle without wacking the deck...no deck strikes so far and i don't seem to come particularly close either.

It likes to turn up into the wind..but i find a little lean is all i need to correct for this. I want to see how this weathecocking develops as the wind gets higher...will add a skeg next year if necessary.

am currently taking a rolling class and am looking forward to trying it out on this boat. would like to just remind everybody that while the air has warmed up... the water remains quite cold...so dress accordingly.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v677/HSpira/Img0554.jpg

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