Darryl Johnson wrote:
Gene Cosloy wrote in
Does the final stability of a kayak depend on how much forward
propulsion the boat is undergoing, all things being equal.

Interesting question. Here's why it never ocurred to me to ask it: I
have assumed that the kayak's stability would be independent of
forward motion. Therefore, if this assumption is valid, you will be
able to edge the boat to the same degree whether it is standing still
or moving forward at any speed.

The bicycle gets its stability from the gyroscopic forces on the
rotating wheels (not centrifugal).

Gyroscopic forces turn out not to be required for bicycle stability. A
study done by David Jones (The Stability Of The Bicycle; Physics Today,
April 1970, 34-40) used a variety of modified bicycle designs to
determine the key elements in stability. A bicycle without gyroscopic
forces still turned out to be stable and easily rideable (as are
bicycles with a ski substituted for the front wheel for use on snow).

Now, if there is some force from the moving water acting on the boat,
I would expect them to be fairly small.

I'd also expect the effect to rather small. But I would expect the
movement to help rather than hinder stability. The upper part of the
bow curves outward and if this surface is brought into contact with the
water by leaning the boat then the forward movement of this curved
surface should tend to produce an additional righting force.