Actually, I did address this, though somewhat briefly. Regardless, this
is a good point.

MikeSoja wrote:

On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 21:44:50 GMT, Richard Ferguson
posted:

snips

1. My friend, who is kind of a skinny guy, but is about the same height,
had no problem with the kayak.


[...]


2. If the center of gravity is the issue, how come my buddy had no
problem with the boat, and I could not keep it upright for 10 seconds in
flat water, once I lifted my legs out of the water? I am not that bad a
paddler, and since he is the same height, his center of gravity would be
about the same.


According to the responses I've seen, the deduction above has not
been specifically addressed.

The center of gravity of the *paddler* has nothing to do with the
center of gravity of the combined *boat and paddler*. Paddlers of
similar centers of gravity but different mass, upon entering any
boat, will change the center of gravity of the "at rest" boat they
enter in proportion to their mass.

If you stand a five foot high piece of balsa wood in the cockpit of
a kayak, not much is going to happen. But stick a five foot tall
piece of oak, with the same outer dimensions as the balsa piece, in
the boat and the thing will tip over. Both the balsa piece, and the
oak piece, individually, have similar centers of gravity, but when
joined to the boat, their different masses will move the center of
gravity of the boat differently. Two people of similar height, but
different weight, will also differently affect the way a boat heels
and rights (ignoring factors such as whether the boat is inherently
more stable sitting lower in the water or not.)

The above is just a dramatization, and an extreme one, so don't try
it at the lake without adult or female supervision.

Mike Soja