: I final got my Panache outfitted and in the water late last season and
: experienced some tremendous weathercocking when the wind was strong (15
: -20 mph). I couldn't bring the bow into the wind to save myself. I tried
: leaning to the point of nearly capsizing, sweep strokes and shifting my
: weight forward off the seat. Nothing worked. I'm considering putting a
: rudder on it this spring but before I do I wanted to hear if there are any
: other ways to solve the problem. Someone suggested weighting the bow but I
: can't bring myself to intentionally ADD weight to a kayak.

You can weight the bow by stashing gear and/or water bottles up there... just stuff in your stuff (in dry bags, unless you want to risk having wet stuff)... experiment with how much stuff you need to add. A few pounds, placed as far forward as you can get it, can make a huge difference. You could always pack along an empty plastic gallon milk jug, (or a couple half gallon ones) and add water as needed for 'adjustable ballast' -- a gallon weighs about 8 lbs, and you will most likely be able to compensate for the weathercocking with less than that. Since it's ballast, not drinking water, you can fill the jug right at the water's edge, and dump it out when you're done, so you don't even have to carry your ballast back & forth from your car. If you're out on a multi-day expedition, you'll be carrying stuff anyway... just pack a little "bow heavy".

You'll want to secure your stuff (particularly if you don't have bulkheads/hatches installed, so it doesn't go sliding or bouncing around too much (think: where will this stuff end up if I roll or wet-exit?) Even if you're day tripping, you'll probably want to have some stuff along... so pack it in the bow, not the stern. When you're on the water, you won't notice your kayak's weight gain. By using removable ballast, your kayak returns to it's lightweight self when it matters-- namely, carrying it back to your vehicle & putting it up on the roof rack by yourself.... or when showing it off to others.

Julie Kanarr