Track

Track or Tracking is the tendency of the boat to go forward in a straight line.

Ability to track straight ahead is good when the paddler is trying to get from A to B and they are in a straight line. It is a disadvantage, when trying to turn.

One way to improve tracking is to attach exterior appendages to the kayak. This may be a full length exterior keel often applied for the additional purpose of protecting the outside skin of the kayak. Other appendages include the rudder? and skeg.

All kayaks, when the center of gravity is just behind the fore/aft centerline of the kayak, have some tendency to turn in relation to the wind and waves. Most balanced kayaks seem to exhibit a tendency to turn slightly into a wind on the bow and to broach when the wind is coming from the stern quarter.

A nasty habit of many kayaks is to skid. New paddlers are often dismayed that once a turn begins in a kayak with delicate tracking, the turn seems to increase its rate as the stern moves laterally to the intended direction of travel. Such skidding can be controlled by making very small and frequent corrections when the intent is to move in a straight line.