Stability problem Solved!!!

[Rob]

Remember awhile ago I was asking about how to add stability to a shortened Redbird (9'6")? Well, we had it up to Georgian Bay yesterday, and my 15 year old son, who built it, ended up virtually mastering it. :D He's 5'10", and weighs about 150lbs. We put a couple of nice smooth round rocks in the ends and it was great. Very fast. Even my eight year old daughter tried it and she did very well. No one tipped it. I got into it ( 5'9", 210 lbs) and I was a little too nervous to go out more than a foot or two because it felt so tippy with me in it. :shock: I think I'm too top heavy for it. I could barely fit into it, :oops: especially with my life jacket. Anyway, seems like the problem is solved.

Also, we carried the Redbird on my van roof racks, as always, and we put the Baby Redbird right on top of it, and strapped them both down, separately but together. Both upside down. They seem to fit together really well. It looked pretty funny driving along. Kind of like the big canoe had a baby or something. But it worked!

Thanks for your suggestions.

[Mike]

As a canoe is mostly wood, It's specific gsravity is about that of wood. So, you coulds calculate how much flotation a given canoe has when swamped. If you put rocks in a canoe and tip it and get "lucky" the rocks can overcome the bouyancy of the canoe and take it to the bottom. This O.K in a shallow pond, but not good on big water. I didn't crunch the numbers but I believe I have the physics right. A cu.ft of gramite goes about 175# a cuft.

[Juneaudave]

Funny how it's not tippy for kids, but seems tippy for adults!! I don't remember a tippy canoe when I was younger. (':lol:')

[Jim D]

You might try sitting on the bottom, or better yet kneeling... What kind of waterline does this kraft have? Kayaks are often in the lower 20s and less... Keep your paddle wet, and your seat dry!!... Jim

[Rick]

It'll be safer to use bottled water for ballast, if the canoe swamps, their buoyancy will be neutral and will not sink the canoe. The rectangular ones that are available in stores should be OK, and stay in place better than the round type. On trips, canoe packs will also increase stability... it might be best to clip the ballast to a thwart so that it doesn't shift too much in waves, happy paddling with the new boats.

[Rob]

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm talking my son out of the rocks for ballast. I want him to use the big (roughly one cubic foot) collapsible soft plastic water jugs for ballast. He could fill them when he gets to the water, and they don't take up much space when empty.
I think when he realizes the damage the rocks can do he'll switch. Not to mention the buoyancy facts. He won't want to see this boat go to the bottom!

As for sitting in this canoe, you have to sit right on the bottom. It's almost like a kayak. He finds it better with a canoe paddle than a kayak paddle. For some reason, once I squeeze my big :oops: in, I guess I'm either too top heavy, or too nervous!

Thanks again!