On Fri, 20 Jan 2006 14:06:24 -0800, "John Weiss"
wrote:

wrote...

Is a motivated 'yakker that good, to paddle at 5.4 knots?? I hear that
3 knots is a lot of work...or do I have water in my ears....

Read the reviews in Sea Kayaker. Many of the boats tested can be pushed
above 5 knots. I've seen 6 knots in my 18' Epic, but not for very long.
Cruising at 4 knots isn't much of a feat in a touring boat. No comment
about your ears.

No wind/current, I cruise at 3 knots in my home-built Pygmy Coho with minimal
("I can do this all day") effort. I can go 4 knots with significant effort; but
can barely hit 5, which appears to be "hull speed."

These have been verified several times by GPS. Anyone else have numbers for
their kayaks?

I do about 2.8 knots in a 13 foot Manteo tupperware boat, and almost always
do so, regardless of the length of the trip. In short bursts I can push it
up to about 5.5, though not for long at all. I have a GPS mount on my
kayak, and virtually always clip one in.

Galen Hekhuis NpD, JFR, GWA
We are the CroMagnon of the future