Solo canoe hydrodynamics-newbie catching up

This forum is spectacular. I can't believe what I've been missing.

I'm a solo canoeist, not a racer, but instead doing ballet on the water. Video below. I grew up with Chestnut canoes in northern Canada, and I've been building my own, as well as a SOF kayak. Fan of George Dyson and Omer Stringer and the other greats.

As I work to explore the frontier, my question is: what are the threads that are particularly worth catching up on? I don't want to ask a bunch of stupid questions, happy to do the reading. I'm a mechanical engineer by training, but way out of practice. And the books I've found are all about motor boats and yachts...

Particularly thinking hard about tumblehome, about whether canoes are that shape simply because that's what birch bark lent itself to, and how to think about stability and maneuverability in a boat that's tilted all the way to the side when it's in its best use.

Thanks for being here and pitching in.

the latest drone footage:


and the original riff:

shot in Algonquin Park...

 

A C1, or solo canoe is normally paddled from the middle, which is usually the widest beam. The tumblehome narrows the beam at the gunnel, which saves the knuckles. It also adds some rigidity to the topsides. Many canoes have little rocker when upright. If you lean it to one side you increase the rocker, allowing you to turn with little effort.

 

Thanks for this.

It's not a C1, totally different in fact.

I hope the video helps explain that the crosssection is rotated 15 degrees or so, so you are presenting an oblong ellipsoid to the water, etc.

 

Seth, welcome to the Forum.

Search with keywords like ... "tumblehome"... "canoe" ... in the search window above.
At the bottom of each Thread page you'll find a list of related Threads.
Enjoy the rabbit hole!

What's your paddling background?
Engineering background?

BB

 

It's still a C1 because a single person is in the boat and propels it using a single blade paddle not connected to the boat. The paddler's body position is used to optimize the hull and stroke for the purpose the paddler intends to use the boat.

 

thanks for this!

I was using the more conventional understanding of the acronym.

What I'm using is an open, non-racing canoe, a slightly shorter Canadian boat. For a while, the Chestnut canoe was more popular than cars in parts of Canada. It's a very distinct sort of boat, being used here in a way that the people who built them didn't intend.

I guess that's part of why I like it.

 

thanks for the tip.

I have taught solo canoeing in the Canadian style in Algonquin Park since 1976, with tens of thousands of students so far... it's an oddball corner of the boat world, but some of us are really into it. The kinds of canoes we're talking about look like this:



As for mechanical engineering, I studied inventive design at Tufts, but the truth is that I was never very good at it...

 

It seems you have much experience with canoes, I may have misunderstood your question. The photo is of a C1 built in the 80's. Designed for wilderness water travel with a bunch of gear. There are canoe lines from long ago that are not much different. There was a time when canoes where a very common transportation in North America and Europe. But I think you already know all this.
I also am a fan of George Dyson, I was lucky to live near him, and buy fabric from him for my SOF builds.
As was already said the search engine is your friend, if there is still questions, ask, someone here may be able to help.
I did forget to say welcome to the forum. WELCOME!

 

Seth uses the canoe to do an impressive canoe ballet, with marvelous skill.

C1 sprint is a whole 'nother deal. Here is a kid who has a different and spectacular canoe skill

Nevin's stroke rate is 95/minute. Including feathering..... Incredible! She went on to win the gold medal at the recent Olympics. That kid can paddle.

 

Not too many from "northern" Canada.
Where, Timmins?

 

well, it's only "Northern" if you're from Buffalo.

Algonquin Park is 3 hours north of Toronto and sometimes it snowed in June, before we screwed up the climate.