Second Sea Trial

After yesterday's trip to the lake, I was not convinced that the rowing seat was in the best location.  The boat seemed easily led off course.  Also seemed less stable than I liked.  Of course, I was comparing it to my own, much wider and heavier boat.

This morning, I made an easy way to move the boat from the trailer to the canoe cart.  Tried it out in my backyard and was delighted!

Drove to the lake, shifted the boat to the cart and rolled it to the water. While the boat was empty, I hung a plumb bob over a mark on the floor of the boat to find a way of measuring when the boat sat level.

I put the oars in their locks and set a new, temporary bench in the boat too. Instead of a wobbly bucket that was over 9" tall, todays bench is sturdy and only 7" tall.  I sat in the boat and moved the bench around until the bob was again hanging over its initial spot.  I marked the location of the bench on the floor of the boat.

I knew the boat was sitting level and I was satisfied.  I rowed into the lake a hundred yards and was impressed at how much more directionally stable it was.  The boat seemed more solid and less tippy too.  All good news.

Brought the boat home and was very surprised to see today's placement of the seat is about an inch different from yesterday's!

Why was the boat so much improved?  The new seat was much lower, making it less tippy.  The oars had been readjusted for this narrow boat.  Made it easier to keep going in a straight line.

I am now building the bench, then the adjustable foot braces.  The To-Do list is getting very short!