Are our boats too long?

After paddling with some spec ski types recently and seeing the smaller boats 'sit' in smaller waves/conditions, especially shorter period waves, as well as barely hanging on to some speedy K1's in the flats, I have been going to post up the question;

Are our boats too long?

Never got around to it, but I just read the 'Atom' review and after failing to be able to post a comment there, I decided to make a new thread.

Right now, conditions here are quite small, several of the races around these parts are quite small, even flat water, maybe a shorter boat is the way to go.

There wasn't a single section on my last paddle that required the large volume of my current boat and I got the feeling that had I been in a shorter boat, I may have got more out of the water.

I am always amazed at how small a bump my 4.5m TK1 boats will catch.
It is quite easy to ride the wash of a tinny.

So what are your thoughts?

Is there a medium length future for areas that are not renowned big wave magnets?

Since going to a 5.95m ski I do not miss the extra length at all. In fact the reduced volume has led me to become a better downwind paddler as I need to work across large swells to avoid burying the nose, which led to me learning how to look for the next runner and hence starting to link them.

On the shorter swell, well it's just easier and more fun

It's easier to handle in the wind and when moving it around tight spaces.

Agree 100%. I feel anything over 6m is unneccesary.

Snap out of it boys. The lack of short boats at the pointy end of races suggests you are wrong. Just because a boat excels in speed, doesn't make it the fastest boat in all conditions.
The fact that you HAVE to paddle across a wave to stop the nose from burying suggests you have a less than ideal downwind boat. Most boats track beautifully across a wave. (This isn't a phenomenom peculiar to shorter boats).Most boats don't bury the nose downwind, and most boats you can remount if you come out.

Dicko wrote:

The lack of short boats at the pointy end of races suggests you are wrong. .

Oh....I beg your pardon and I thought those at the pointy end of elite level races were being supplied ski's by sponsors

I agree with AR. Going fast downwind requires staying high on the powerful part of the swells, and occasionally punching through flat spots or smaller "speed bumps" when you're connecting with longer period energy. I paddle an Uno and a v12, the uno is better on a downwind, no doubt. On the narrower, low volume uno it is easier to maintain speed on a high line, and also easier to punch through chop and connect flat spots.

If you have a lot of volume in the nose, it is easier to be lazy and let the boat drop too far down the face and just sit there with the bow pressing against the trough until the runner opens up again and you can power up. A lower volume bow forces me to choose a better, higher, faster line, and by keeping up the speed it is easier to connect to faster moving energy. Basically, if you need a lot of volume to keep the boat above water, you're scrubbing a lot of speed unnecessarily.

As far as length goes, my opinion is that if there is any texture to the water, 21 feet is too much. Going downwind, I'm always trying to stay high on the bumps and keep the nose out of the trough, and then going upwind or in the chop, the ends of the boat just get knocked around anyway which probably slows me down.

At the risk of sounding like someone who can't make up his mind: I think you are all correct. i.e., it depends on what seas you are in.

All other factors being equal, I believe the performance of a ski based on length is almost certainly proportional to the wavelength of the sea conditions you are in.

While one can certainly “drive” the ski down or across the face of the wave to extract maximum performance from a particular ski, in the end, physics rule.

Bill L

Patrick, do you not think that the flat planing hull of the Uno is what is helping you surf? I have an Uno and always put the awesome surfing down to that feature!Personaly I prefer a longer ski and I think as long as you are happy with what you are paddling it doesn't really matter. Although a shorter boat will accelerate faster (generally) so I would think that they would be faster over shorter distances

What is the rational behind a short boat accelerating faster?

If they weight the same, and the wetted area is the same, what makes it accelerate faster than the other longer boat?

if the wetted area is the same then you would be comparing a short wide boat with a long skinny one so that would be 2 boats for different skill levels and the width may result in the opposite being true. So a K1 versus an equivelent level surfski the k1 will accelerate faster as it has less friction to overcome, it will also slow down faster. Rocker plays a part in this too