I just got an older kaku canoe, with self bailing footwells. The holes are about 1/2 of an inch in diameter, and the tubes angle back about twenty degrees to where they exit the hull below the waterline. They do a good job of emptying the footwells, but I wonder if there is drag produced by the open holes on the bottom of the hull. Is there any advantage to adding venturi vents to the outer hull? Huki and some others sell them as add-ons, and can be epoxyed on. Is there any advantage to this, or will the drag of the vents equal the drag produced by two open holes? Has anyone out there added these vents themselves? Thanks for any advice!
Submitted by kayakneil on Sat, 11/11/2006 - 1:58pm
What are the best OC-1 designs for fat, old guys?
#1 Sat, 11/11/2006 - 4:03pm
my suggestion would be to either call kaku...if u can find the # the websites down... or call another company and ask them...
#2 Sat, 11/11/2006 - 4:54pm
As a general matter, anything that disrupts the laminar flow of water over the hull of the canoe will create drag. Your question about whether you should add a venturi to the scupper holes is dependent on whether the benefit gained by a more efficient drainage system outweighs the additional drag created by the venturis, if any.
My canoe has scuppers (i.e, holes) but no venturis. The drainage is poor so I thought of adding some venturis myself. I was planning to mold a pair from silicone and glue them to the underside, hoping that the silicone would be flexible enough to withstand bumps and scrapes. Last Easter, I bought a bag of small plastic easter egg shells from Long's Drugs to use as a mold but haven't had time to create the venturies. I've got a friend who owns a hobby store with all sorts of different nick-nacks, including ceramic and plastic material. Hopefully, I'll be able to find the time to make some up and try them on my boat. If they work, I plan on mass producing them and selling them to millions and millions of canoe paddler around the world---no make that billions and billons of paddlers..... Muaaahhhaaa!!
#3 Mon, 11/13/2006 - 4:27pm