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Kayak and Canoe Design Bulletin Board
Re: More inuit rules.
Posted By: Hans Friedel In Response To: Re: More inuit rules. (Nick Schade)
Date: Sunday, 24 October 1999, at 4:58 p.m.
> If you follow the basic rules of what a kayak is: long, narrow, pointed at
> the ends; and bend wood in ways wood basically doesn't mind bending: long,
> smooth, fair curves; you will end up with a decent kayak.> As an experiment, John Winters had his wife, who has no interest in
> kayaks, design a kayak. He analyzed the resulting boat with his resistance
> prediction algorithim. His untrained wife came up with a design which
> would be competative with the Inuit designs he was evaluating at the time.> It is very easy to design a decent kayak. The basic shape of a kayak is so
> good, it is hard to go wrong. What following anthropromorphic measurements
> can do is make a boat that is comfortable. If you use body measurements to
> fit something to your body, you can expect to be able to make something
> that fits you better. However, there is no hydrodynamic correlation
> between hull resistance and the width of your hips or length of your arms.
> Just because something fits you better does not mean it will be more
> hydrodynamically efficient.> While you can optimize a boat design for your weight, the only measurement
> that is worthwhile for this is your weight. There is no one part of your
> body which you can measure with a ruler which will tell you how much you
> weigh. Since people tend to be different proportions, ie some people have
> long arms and short legs, or long legs and a heavy torso, you can not
> count on a set of measurement rules that work for one person to produce an
> optimized boat for someone else.> Using Inuit rules to design yourself a kayak will make a perfectly
> servicable kayak. It may even be a very good kayak. But how do you choose
> the particular set of Inuit rules you will use. Not all Inuit kayak
> builders used the same rules. You are just as likely to come up with a
> good set of rules on your own then by randomly selecting the rules of some
> little Inuit man who built kayaks for a set of needs and conditions which
> probably won't exactly match your own. When an Inuit wanted a faster or
> more maneuverable boat, he didn't grow longer or shorter arms, he changed
> how many arm lengths long he made his boat. He would modify the design to
> fit his needs.> You would be better off trying a variety of boats, determining which you
> like the best and deciding whether there is any room for improvement given
> your particular paddling style and modifying the design to suit.Hmm. Think I will let my wife design my next kayak. Would be a nice thing if she could build the boat to.
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