Re: Tracking straight
I suspect that given the design & draft (amount of the boat IN the water while occupied) of the boat you posted, it behaves more like a planing hull:
it can be difficult for a paddler to keep it moving in a straight line.
Even w/ the 3 skegs/keels/runners along the bottom...........
And w/ the hard chines, it catches an edge quite easily when pulled behind you as you wade thru marshes, making it seem like it doesn't track well when empty either.
However, sharp edges can catch easily, and although a perfect 90-degree chine would offer the highest performance, most boaters would find them impossible to control. Hard chines demand attention and good technique
Introducing a slightly more pronounced semi-V port to starboard below a larger center keel may help. Runners as you have them laid out are often of different sizes. Smaller (less pronounced) runners out near the chine & a central runner that is more pronounced (taller) acting as a keel.
The plywood knock-down boat I built has a slight V along it's central keel, has hard chines. The aft end of the central runner does get taller relative to the 2 runners along either side:
And it paddled surprisingly well both up & down river.
The forward 2 sections have 3/4" tall by 1 1/4" wide runners. The aft end of the central 1 is the only runner section of the 3 that is oriented differently:
Center section ^^^^
Fore section ^^^^
The very front of the central runner in the fore section does taper to meet the contour of the Stem:
But it isn't any taller then 3/4" off the hull.
Both the fore & aft sections do have less camber to the hull then the central section does:
The bottom of the hull is UP in this ^^^ pix. The transom & stem sections of hull bottom taper to almost flat at either end.
I modified the original designer's plan w/out much knowledge of nautical design or fluid dynamics (none actually). Just studying them almost nightly for 2months and making changes that made sense to me & my needs. Many of those decisions were weight based. Adding a little more depth to the keel thru the center section and a little more width thru the cross section, I ended up w/ a great little boat.
Not ideal for the rocky shorelines of most lakes here, but I enjoyed building it immensely!
Good luck w/ your boat business. Hope some of that ^^^ helps............
