Kayak and Canoe
Tuesday, April 15th, 2008Tagging the W as a canoe would be as technically correct as labeling it a kayak or a catamaran… It’s all of these and it’s neither, or shall we say that it’s basically a new watercraft with some canoe, kayak, and catamaran ‘genes’…
I’ve already written posts about canoing the W, and here are some new pictures:

The canoe paddle made from half a 9′ Mohawk double blade paddle outfitted with a T grip accessory is longer than most canoe paddles are, but it’s still a bit short for paddling standing in full comfort - if you’re tallish. We hope to be able to offer an extension for it soon.

And this is how you make a sharp turn - leftward in this case:

Leaning into the turn:
The left hull carries most of the W canoeist’s weight, and therefore it sinks deeper than the right hull, which carries little weight.
Being more submerged the left hull generates more drag than the right one, and thus it acts both as a rudder and a ‘pivot’ enabling sharp turns - that is relatively to this boat, which as a catamaran is a natural tracker. -The paddler paddles on the right side.

