"Charlie" wrote in message
...
I know that I:3's aren't build for speed, but I can only afford one
boat,
and that's the one I liked! Is there anyway I can adjust the fitting
(seat
position etc) to make me faster in the water? I'm going to hit they
gym far
more and do lots of upper body work before we start going out on flat
water
again with the club but any help is a bonus! I really feel myself
lagging
sometimes behind the group. I understand about short boats being
slower and
stuff, but there must be some tricks here!

Hi Charlie.

I'm not familiar with I:3's but in general every hull shape will have an
optimum speed. Once you reach this speed more effort simply makes more
wash and doesn't make much difference to your speed. Are the others in
your group who are faster, paddling different boats? If so you may
never be as fast without changing your boat to something like the boats
the others are using. Wing paddles are more efficient for flat water
paddling so you may gain an advantage by trying wings. They do take a
while to get used to and some training is advisable to gain the most
benefit. Wings will not get your boat moving faster if you are already
at it's optimum speed. You can trim the boat by moving your weight
backwards (or forwards but unlikely) within the limits of you fitting
into the cockpit. IMHO the boat should be trimmed either level or bow
slightly raised. Bow downwards will create extra drag (a bad thing).
Cleaning the crud off the boat will help your speed too. When we train
as a mixed group and wish to stay together, the fastest boats are
handicapped by fastening a bungee (used to secure the boat to a V-Bar
roof rack) around their hull behind the paddler creating extra drag for
the fast paddlers. That way everyone can work out but paddle as a group.

David Kemper
Not a fan of falling behind.