DavidJohn said...
What I mean is that you can pull a paddle through the water a lot easier when it's near the surface than when it's much deeper.
Just like the way a boat prop will spin up or cavitate when it's lifted to near the surface.
Maybe that's why a deeper fin has more bite than smaller fins even if they're the same area.
It must be called something other than gravity and its effect on the water.
DJ
Ah yes.... I thought this is what you ment...but wasn't sure.
I was going to post this subject a while ago but hesitated because I thought that the shallow paddle diping effect you mention may be the real cause of the sudden increase in "apparent" board drag in the shallows.
Having a paddle fully submerged is very important for good "grip" on the water, & you can't do that in water that is no deeper than your blade. so I looked at this reduction in horse power as the cause. It obviously will reduce the speed that you can pull the board through the water, due to the blade ventilating & the change in the water flow around the blade.
But its unmistakable how intantly the board becomes boged over a shallow spot...even between strokes....as if weed has caught yor fin.
And it will happen with the slickest hull or the slowest.
