I'm giving myself a headache. Is pushing the rear end of the ama down good or bad? I would think pushing the ama down as creating drag.
To achieve maximum speed, do I want the rear iako to poke as far down as possible into the ama, or do I want the rear iako to poke as little as possible into the ama?
Or is it some in-between point that you figure out for yourself, somehow?
Submitted by YankeeHookele on Sat, 10/03/2009 - 7:56am
the more you pull the iako out, the more it pushes the rear end of the ama down into the water lifting up the front of the ama aswell as lean the canoe away from the ama. So basically your ama becomes lighter, easier flying and less drag. trust me, paddle with your iako all the way in and you're gonna hafta haul ass to get on bumps. How much you put the iako in is up to you and really based on how light youre comfortable with. so try it out and let us know how it goes.
#1 Sat, 10/03/2009 - 8:03am
look at your ama relative to the hull of the canoe while out of the water. if it looks like your ama is pointing toward the sky then your ama needs to be "tuned". if you are a great one manner and you fly your ama 80 percent of the time it probably doesn't make much difference.
first priority is the one man needs to be level when in the water and you sitting on it. i like to have as much of the ama in the water as possible. if you paddle with an average of 15lbs of pressure on the ama it is better to have it spread over a longer surface area than a shorter one. longer hull lenght for the same weight equals less resistance. if you are tippy with a level rig try to add i slim pad under your right but cheek. this really helps when learning downwind or side chop paddling
#2 Sat, 10/03/2009 - 10:19am
Out for speed and in for stability.
#3 Sat, 10/03/2009 - 10:23am
Smon I never really thought of it like that before seems valid. I like to have my boat slightly rigged to the left or back iako pushed down more for the stability. I spend about 60% of my time on the right vs 40% on the left. I tested in flat water with a gps my speed is about .3 to .5 mph faster on my right. Since I spend more time on the right side I feel level leaning on the paddle vs. light ama and not getting a full stroke on my stronger side.
#4 Sat, 10/03/2009 - 10:39am
smonahan,
Just want to say, that was an outstanding job your team did out on the Channel. Wow!!!
Mahalo for the pad tip, will try this out on my right cheek instead of my left and see how it goes?
#5 Sat, 10/03/2009 - 4:45pm
Remember Bring out a pencil with you or anything you can mark your back iako with so when you have that right depth you can mark and use it as a guide for everytime you go out......I myself still gotta jump on my boat 4-5times before I get the right settings. Always forgetting to mark it
#6 Sat, 10/03/2009 - 11:44pm
A quick reference that works for me is add a mark (sharpie or tape) then measure the space from the mark on the aiko down to the top of the ama with your finger width. I set the mark level with the ama top when the aiko is fully buried. Then raise it out. 2 finger widths between the mark and ama hull for harsh conditions and more stability, 3 for mild an 4 for flats. It simply gives me a quick reproducible measure for my boat.
#7 Tue, 10/20/2009 - 6:23am
How heavy are you??
Easy suggestion for you....sell the Fusion and buy a Scorpius XM if you weigh less than 200 lbs., Scorpius XL if you are heavier. Take the guessing out of the equation. Cannot beat the old school pin set up....the best.
JawsOut.
#8 Tue, 10/20/2009 - 8:09am
I am not really a fan of OC's iako locking system...I'm with ratchetjaws when he says the pin setup is the best.
Easier suggestion...pull off the ama altogether and grab a surfski blade. Its a bit tippy at first, but you get used to it
#9 Tue, 10/20/2009 - 10:01am
And with the pin set up there are no screws for people to steal!
#10 Tue, 10/20/2009 - 10:40am
I'm sure there are advantages to many ways but it is nice to alter the aiko / ama where you would like it with micro adjustability not just where the manufacturer puts a pin setting every 1/2 inch or so. Having said that I do like the pin up on the front of the ama setting and I am sure by all the happy scorpius paddlers that kai's set up is well thought out and designed.
Also a good idea to get yourself a spare screw or two in case your on jpi92109's beach B>) and to tighten them in if you drive the canoe lots as I have been told they can back out at speed if they are loose. Then you arrive to the beach and it's duct tape time!
#11 Tue, 10/20/2009 - 11:49am
One more thing about the screw to tighten vs pin set up.
I've heard a couple horror stories about the screw to tight on the ama setup where individuals were flying down a bump, fly the ama, the back ama falls out of the puka...auwe, bummer. It was a good thing the individuals involved were able to get it back together and make it to shore safely. In both cases the screw mechanism was faulty.
JawsOut.
#12 Tue, 10/20/2009 - 1:11pm
I bought some spare screws for my OC canoes and haven't lost one, yet. I keep them in place and whenever I take them somewhere to race/practice, I have the hull and ama in their own bag so the screws won't fallout in transit. I've seen others that remove them and put them in their paddle bag pocket so they don't lose them either.
They can still steal the pins from you if they have a canoe that need them, too.
In tuning my back iako, I push it all the way down in the ama and mark it with my thumb. Then pull it out until it's where I normally put it. So basically I do it by eye each time.
Read these links about rigging in regards to OC's Zephyr also.
http://www.ocpaddler.com/node/4664
http://oc1design.blogspot.com/2009/01/oc-1-current-designs-zephyr-riggin...
#13 Tue, 10/20/2009 - 1:40pm