So on Saturday w/ the winds, I deployed my 18" drift sock which has a line of about 8'. Well, I was still significantly drifting faster than friends in their native ultimates and I'm pretty sure they were drifting w/o any toys such as a rolling anchor or drift socks. My boat is a hobie quest, which 13.5'. I'm pretty sure on Saturday that if I lifted the sock I could have crossed Sarasota bay in record time.. so.. question time.

What makes a vessel drift faster ? weight? hull design? Should I just try a larger drift sock?
Does anyone have a larger drift sock they'd like to trade for an 18" one?

Did you check to see if your drift chute opened up? Were you in a channel with current while they were up on a flat? Was your drift chute in front of you and attached to the nose of a manatee? Hard to believe that you were drifting faster with it deployed that Natives with nothing deployed.

The chute was open, we were next to each other in a deep trout bowl. I used my anchor trolley to have it's attachment point at the stern, my boat faced the same direction as wind. I know its kinda puzzling hence why I posted, I'm sick of scratching my head.

How much damage does dragging an anchor do to sea grass?

Would you drag one across your lawn? Just sayin...

It WAS hard to believe, but I watched as Chincy steadily faded into the distance on two or three separate occasions on Saturday, despite his use of a drift sock. Could this be a weight issue? He carries more gear than we do so his boat might be 10-15lbs heavier. I am baffled as well...

Since the drift was wind related, I would think that weight would decrease the drift. More weight, more wind necessary to push it. Some boats that glide better under paddle will also drift faster but I think that the biggest factor is 'sail area'. This is baffling as Natives have more 'sail area' with higher sides.

I don't recall meeting you Chincy but I met Evan. Let me say this there is not a lot of sail area to that man. What type of profile do you have to the wind. I know that when I used to use a milkcrate it would change my paddle stroke with a quartering wind and was vastly different when I got an Inset for the back well. Also the number of rods and how they were sittling in the boat. Go outside and stick a long rod in the air. it is still going to catch a certain amount of air and it takes very little force to move a kayak.

I definitely have more sail area then Evan on a horizontal scale but not vertically, I'm of average build. My seat is raised about 5"s from stock seating position. I do have a crate, which was holding 1 rod up right and I had my only other rod in my hands. I think this model may just be quick like that unless its because I'm sitting heigher and receiving that extra push from the wind.
Maybe SRQGator can chime in about his drift experiences w/ his quest.

What were the colors of the boats? If the slower boat were yellow then there you have your answer

Don't know why but the Ultimates have a slower drift that many kayaks. I noticed it when fishing with Steve Gibson and he said he has seen it many times with other folks. Don't know why but it's true.

Think that that has something to do with decreased glide in a Native?

Windage

A high profile kayak or canoe - or any type of vessel with be cause to drift faster than a low profile kayak. the term is freeboard the distances from the waterline to the deck.

When you stand up in the kayak you create a lot more windage

My drift chute (not sure the size) slows down the kayak significantly

Interesting; I never noticed. I don't have it anymore but I sure miss it. Great boat, IMO. You didn't by chance leave the toilet seat up?!

I suspect DaveR's reply is where the answer lies.

Just wanted to comment that I obtained a 3lb dive weight thats tiny, maybe 3"s x 2.5" and I tested it in the yard with no grass damage so I'm using it as a drag anchor and so far so good.

Care should be used if you are standing and dragging either a weight or drift chute. If it gets caught on the bottom and your boat comes to a sudden stop you can have a legendary dismount.

Thats why I have a scotty mount upfront opposed to a RamRodder

I have notices that weight has a factor while drifting. Me and my brother both have the same kayak and i weigh about 50 lbs heavier than him. Drifting cockroach bay, i was left slowly trickling downstream while my brother was making a run for the groves. We both had the wind facing our left side and we had the same amount of gear. No anchor, no drift sock.

That's one thing I miss about my Native..drifts so slow even in the strongest winds

I just stumbled across this...
I think I have a possible reason as to why the Natives drift slower...
The amount of water that a boat draws should have a drastic impact on the rate of windage drift. That being said, correct me if I'm wrong, but a Native will draw significantly more water than that of any kayak. Therefore, while the Native may be taller than a KAYAK, it draws more inches of water than a comprable kayak, thus creating more drag, and slowing windage drift. Any boat that sits on top of the water and draws almost nothing will drift like crazy when it comes to wind. The case should then be the exact opposite when it comes to current drift, with the boat that displaces the most water drifting faster.
Pete

Natives don't really draw significantly more water than their standard SOT counterparts. Having paddled and fished alongside many different types of kayaks, we all seem to bump the bottom at the same time.

I think it's the "tunnel hull" design of the Native that makes it drift so slowly. They move forward and backward smoothly but really resist being pushed sideways. Perhaps the water inside the tunnel has the same effect as it would if the boat sat lower in the water?

Comes down to glide. Boats that glide better will drift faster. Think it has something to do with hydrodynamics.

I paddle a Tarpon 16, one of the best gliding SOT kayaks out there. (Kneedeep - notice I said "one of"). I, and others in Tarpon 16's, wind drift faster than virtually everyone else.

As to the Native, the tunnel hull creates two "sides" for the water to hit against when drifting sideways. One is the outside of the hull, the other is the side of the tunnel. Most all the tunnel hull - or pontoon hull as some manufacturers call it - designs act that way. The other part of the Native is that the higher sides tends to keep the boat perpendicular to the wind as the wind over powers any natural reaction of the hull to turn.

Most traditional hulled kayaks will either turn into or away from the wind and wind drift on a bit of an angle to the wind. This significantly adds in the glide factor. When you are perpendicular, there is no glide, just wind push.

Gotta go check out of the Holiday Inn Express now.....