Boat speed from hull shape?

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15 years 11 months ago #1980 by Part Time Paddler
Hello

I have a force field "cruiser" SLSA spec ski here in Australia. It is similar to their old classic model (Im told) but has a very flat bottom from the seat back, and it looks to me like the hull is fuller in the nose than most skis I see around.

The ski has been good for me to get used to paddling in rough water and surfing waves. I'v been going pretty well over the last year or two and I am intending to do some races ranging from 6 to 15km over the winter and although I know the flat bottom and full nose will be slower than most other ski's I race against I am interested to know how much slower and if this will change in different conditions. ie. will races in chopy, rougher conditions make it even slower as I try to push the fatter nose through the chop?

The winter races will not likely be in rough conditions....that comes in summer.

I weigh about 70kg.

Is this ski going to hold me back or should I just power down and stop crying about my equipment. :'(

Cheers
Part Time Paddler

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  • nell
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15 years 11 months ago #1981 by nell
Replied by nell on topic Re: Boat speed from hull shape?
Your spec ski will be comparable downwind to the newer design skis. On flatwater, your spec ski will be slower, maybe a min or two per hour with a strong paddler aboard. Into chop, it might be a hair slower than a newer ski, too. But, since speed is so very dependent on stability, you'll be faster on your spec ski if you're 100% stable on it compared to another padder that is only 90% stable on a newer ski. My thoughts anyways.

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