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Kayak and Canoe Design Bulletin Board
Re: Dynamic versus static weight
Posted By: Nick Schade In Response To: Re: Dynamic versus static weight (Nolan)
Date: Thursday, 26 August 1999, at 9:54 a.m.
> No, he's right. Kinetic energy equations, KE=.5MV^2. Reduce the mass, and
> you reduce the energy required to maintain the velocity.Kinetic energy is not the energy required to maintain velocity, rather it is the energy required to obtain velocity. In a friction/drag free environment, 2 objects of will continue to move with equal ease regardless of mass. The mass does effect the drag/friction. More mass will sink a boat deeper in the water, increassing wetted surface are resulting in more drag. This may slow the boat down more between strokes requiring more energy to accelerate the boat back up to speed again. However since the boat has more mass it also has more momentum so it may not slow down as much between strokes. You are left with dealing primarily with a higher overall drag for a heavier boat. In the end, a small change in weight will make a very small change in overall speed. Not enough to worry about unless you are looking at shaving fractions off your time in a race.
> You may wish to try your notion of throwing an extra 150 lbs in the boat
> and observing the substantial difference in energy required of you to
> maintain a given speed. If your boat cannot hold that, try a rowboat.
> Heck, try a car pulling a trailer or simply filled with people.Carrying a boat, you must support the weight, paddling a boat the water does it for you. All you need to do is make the boat move. Weight is much more of a factor carrying the boat to the car than when you have it in the water.
> True, it takes progressively finer sensitivity to detect finer changes in
> weight, but inability to detect via the butt does not equate non-existent.
> I assure you that you would certainly feel 150 lbs increase on a 20 mile
> cruise.150 lbs during a cruise will make a difference, but not as much as if you had to carry it all on your back.
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