Trim on the Legacy K1

From designer/engineer Ted Van Dusen

As a paddler's weight changes from the design weight of the boat, the paddler should shift their position slightly fore and aft to maintain proper trim. Since all kayaks have a fuller waterline aft, when you add weight in the middle of the boat, the bow sinks more than the stern, so heavier paddlers have to move aft to maintain level trim. If the heavier paddler did not adjust and maintained level trim, the boat would steer more sluggishly due to the deeper bow. Handling will be greatly improved by moving a little further back. The reverse applies to the lighter paddler. If the paddler is 7 kg below design weight he/she should move about 2 to 3 cm forward.

The propulsive force from the paddle is about 35 cm below the water, well below the center of gravity of the boat. This force causes the bow to lift. The harder you paddle the more the bow lifts. The Legacy kayaks are designed so that the trim is correct for the designed weight paddler traveling at marathon racing speeds when the seat is nearly all the way aft. In this position your back clears the coaming by 1 to 2 cm.

At low speeds the bow rides a little too low and at sprint speeds the bow rides high causing the steering to get less precise. Sprinters like to move forward 3 to 5 cm to improve the tracking of the bow.

We did extensive tow tank testing at various trims. We found that you could move the center of mass 3 cm each side of the lowest drag location without measurable change in resistance. Any more than 3 cm and the drag goes up at an increasing rate. We were surprised to find that at the higher speeds the minimum resistance trim sometimes had more than 10 cm of the keel out of the water at the bow. We thought that the loss in waterline length would increase the drag, but this was not the case. You should have a little of the bow in the water for good steering response and to keep the boat tracking straight, resisting the turning force of the paddle. However we recommend that you move forward only as much as necessary to get good tracking and handling. Any more is likely to increase the resistance.

A paddler should find what feels best in this range. If he/she has to go a little more forward to get the desired handling its more important to feel good in the boat than go after the last couple of tenths of a percent.