In message
"muzz" wrote:

Ok, thanks for all the replies. I learned edging on the river in a WW boat
and it was always 'lift right cheek turn left'. I should get out in my
touring boat tomorrow and I'll edge the other way. No wonder it was taking
so long to turn. LOL

As a very rough rule, short boats turn the way they are edged, long boats
the opposite way. There are of course exceptions. Testing has shown that the
boats we generally teach in are about neutral - 3.5 metre general purpose.

What seems to be happening is that edging the boat changes the underwater
shape. With a short playboat, the deck is basically concave, and edging
brings this partly underwater. This produces a shape at water level rather
like a banana, so the reason for the turning is apparent.

With white-water racers, the wings on the hull are probably the dominant
effect. Edging right turns them left. Edging right brings the right-hand
wing into the water, making the right-hand side of the hull more convex than
the left, thus turning left.

At least the last review of the Star syllabus changed "edging the boat to
turn" to "edging the boat to assist turning", which emphasises the other
effect - in most boats, edging them shortens the waterline length, and
increases the effective rocker, making them easier to turn.

--
Alan Adams, from Northamptonshire

http://www.nckc.org.uk/