Lot’s of good tips for keeping your kayak going straight. A lot of time we see new paddlers rocking from side-to-side as well going in gentle S-turns as they try to go in a straight line. You often see the paddler dip the side of the kayak into the water as they take a stroke, which essentially edges their kayak in the opposite direction, which adds to the turn they started with the stroke.
Solution is to not make the intended forward stroke into a sweep stroke (maybe increase the paddle angle, and be sure to not take your paddle too far behind you). If you cannot stop the S-turns with paddle corrections, try edging in coordination with the stroke. That is, add a corrective leg lift to the bottom of the deck on the same side as the stroke. This tends to keep the kayak flatter, and hence it will go straighter.
Al in South Carolina
Lot’s of good tips for keeping your kayak going straight. A lot of time we see new paddlers rocking from side-to-side as well going in gentle S-turns as they try to go in a straight line. You often see the paddler dip the side of the kayak into the water as they take a stroke, which essentially edges their kayak in the opposite direction, which adds to the turn they started with the stroke.
Solution is to not make the intended forward stroke into a sweep stroke (maybe increase the paddle angle, and be sure to not take your paddle too far behind you). If you cannot stop the S-turns with paddle corrections, try edging in coordination with the stroke. That is, add a corrective leg lift to the bottom of the deck on the same side as the stroke. This tends to keep the kayak flatter, and hence it will go straighter.
Al in South Carolina