Distribution of rocker.

Aw, kumon Messabout, aren't you going to share your own time with us?

 

I didn't say I paddled fast, all I did was watch the fast people, including some females, leave me in their wake. My times were on the order of 12 minutes per mile and that was at all out effort for this old body. I am so much older than Terry that he'd have to address me as Prehistoric Kayaker.

 

- I doubt that, I knew a lot of prehistoric people. I'm 72 by the way . . .

 

Terry: you're a mere young whippersnapper. I was in the 9th grade when you started first grade, I still paddle, sail, drink, smoke and swear. Alas, I dont carouse with loose women much anymore.

 

Keep posting boys at 67 i'm beginning to feel younger and I do carouse with loose women but don't smoke, then again maybe i do, I've never looked

 

How expensive was it? When you shrank it, did the wind pressure stretch it out?

I forgot to add that to put on the vinyl you have to stretch it of course and heavy gauge vinyl takes a LOT of force to put good tension in it. You have to pull tight as you can with one hand and staple with the other....very awkward and not fun. It also stretches under use more than a heat shrunk fabric.

 

I don't recall the price - long time ago. I got most of the wrinkles out by stretching and used a hair drier to get the last few wrinkles out. It wasn't particularly heavy gauge. It was on the prevailing wind side of the house and the wind pressure would sometimes balloon it maybe half a foot but it recovered, so it was fairly tough.

If I can find the left-over roll and there is enough I would like to give it a try, as a SOF is something I want to do. Beaufort 5 is reached frequently enough which would create about 2 psi wind pressure; that is equivalent to the water pressure at a depth of several feet - far more than the few inches draft of a typical kayak or canoe, so it should be more than adequate.

 

The film used on the AC45 wings is from Clysar. These were originally intended for shrink-wrap packaging. They have different films with widely varying properties. Their EZG film has the highest stiffness and low shrink force (shrink force can drive the structural strength), but it also has the highest temperature required to shrink it.

 

New response to an old post.
Some hard speed numbers:
1000m Kayak K1 sprint record is (1000m/200 s) = 5 m/s (~9.7 knots).
Shorter distances (200m will achieve ~6m/s =~ 11 knots)
A good, fit surfski paddler will be able to sustain 4-5+ knots for hours to windward (Windspeed up to 10 knots); downwind will be ~8 knots in flat water and, easily, 12-15 knots is decent sized swell.
I’ve seen 18 knots on the Garmin at my footstraps on a massive wave; where you howl with excitement, and the boat hums and sings. Glorious.