Millcreek 13

Maiden voyage for my new Millcreek 13. My son took it out on a small, inland lake w/about a 7mph breeze. He experienced difficulty in controling it as the wind would take it all over the place. He concluded that this must have been designed for river use w/very little chance for wind interference. Has anyone else experienced this? 


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RE: Millcreek 13

Hi Paddlefree, 

short, relatively flat-bottomed boats like this can be squirrelly in inexperienced hands. add some breeze...even more so.  the tendency to wander can be exascebated if the paddler is also below or at the lower end of the weight range on the boat (the milll creek lower end is 125lbs)

the mill creek should certainly be able to handle a 7mph breeze....stability can be enhanced by developing paddling technique.  to the extent that improved paddling technique does not leave you where you want to be, an over-the-stern rudder can also be added which would significantly improve tracking.

all that said, a mill creek 13 is not a strong tracking boat relative to other designs....but it can be managed with technique or the addiiton of a rudder.

h

RE: Millcreek 13

Another thing is balance. The paddler and hull act as a sail or the feathers on an arrow. For good stability and tracking you want the boat's center of mass leading into the wind and the "feathers" trailing the center of mass. Otherwise it's like shooting an arrow feathers first. You can adjust the center of mass by putting water bottles or other ballast into the front or back of the boat, as well as moving the paddler back and forth.

So If you're heading into the wind, you want the boat slightly heavier up front with any sail area behind. With the wind from the back, you want the "sail" in front and the boat heavier behind.

As usual, real life isn't always that simple. You may have to experiment before you get the exact settings. You may end up not needing the ballast and just need to move the paddler. For example, in a high-sided empty canoe, just put the paddler in front heading into the wind since the canoe's sides have more sail effect than the paddler does.

At any rate, try moving things aound. At some setting you'll find that the boat tracks better and needs less effort with corrective paddling.

Have fun,

Laszlo

 

RE: Millcreek 13

 Thanks for the input. I wonder if a keel would help; about 3/4" deep w/fillets?  

RE: Millcreek 13

   In addition to my son having a problem w/control, my daughter experienced the same. Therefore I have put a keel on the craft and look forward to testing it out when the weather improves.

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