matttcoburn wrote:
If the boat had a deflector as part of the original mold and a little more camber in the hull you could maintain your bum in its proper place!
Ah Matt, no argument about the deflector or more camber, but don't get me going about the proper place to maintain your bum in these boats.
If you read the Haka thread, you can see how enthused everyone becomes when they experience sitting out to windward, which is really the natural place to be in a sailboat. It has many advantages - you stay much drier with your bum up out of the seatwell and you miss all the spray that is thrown up by the leeward aka. You can sail faster in good winds, by hiking out and keeping the boat flat. It feels better, being able to move around and not being confined in a small seat, facing forward all the time. You get a better view and can easily look behind you or upwards and it just feels like you're in a proper sailboat, rather than a glorified kayak. The obvious disadvantage is you can't use the Mirage drive, but that's really only necessary when the wind is low.
I've replaced my original rear seat with the quarterdeck, which also enables me to hike out and to keep the boat flat, even in low winds and to slide easily from side to side when tacking (and I can still use the Mirage drive).
PS They automatically make you a captain after about 50 posts.