Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2005 11:00 am
John,John wrote:(SNIP) I found the boat very stable fun to paddle. it definately requires a good fore & aft balance to paddle it straight though. I found that my big weight aft and my light son up forward caused a drafting that steered more on my strokes. My son's strokes had less affect than they should have. (SNIP)
That's the way canoes paddle. Normally, you want a slight to trim a canoe with a slight "nose up" attitude. And, the stern paddler definitely controls where you're going. Bow paddler provides power and, in rough stuff, some extra turning moment.
Stern paddler uses something like a "J" stroke, or both paddler switch sides every 10 or so beats. (It's cool to say "HUT!" as a signal to switch. That's what the big boys do.) After you've paddled with the same partner a long time, counting to 10 comes more natural.
If you're heading across a lake into a headwind, then trim a bit nose down.