A lot is talked about remounting in various places, but I couldnt find a thread that directly compared how easy or hard a boat is to remount. Obviously some of this is subjective, but in general I think we can agree that boats with a wide, shallow seat are easier to remount than ones with a narrow, deep seat. Also, maximum beam factors heavily into remnountability, but does not tell the whole story, which is why I ask the question.
Maybe give a 0-10 scale of ease of remount with some notes on why its easy or hard. (I figure a 10/10 is like a V5/V7 level boat, so dont tell me a SF, V10, or SEL is 10/10. Yes, those boats are relatively easy to remount once you have some skill, but that doesnt make it 'easy' on an absolute scale - they're 'easy' on a relative scale)
For the 4 boats I'm very familiar with, it goes like this - Easiest to hardest. For reference I side saddle 95% of the time.
Stellar SR g1 - 8/10 - very easy due to lots of primary stability, wiiiide bucket that is not too steep and only moderately deep. Almost never miss the first remount.
Fenn XT g1 - 6.5/10 - same beam as an SR, and has a shallow-ish, wide-ish bucket, but the somewhat V bottom of the ski leads to lower primary stability which can make balancing while getting the legs over-and-in somewhat more tricky, particularly in messy conditions. Still not too hard but requires some skill. only rarely miss the first remount
Fenn Swordfish S - 4/10 - An 'advanced' boat by beam standards, the bucket is relatively deep and somewhat narrow. The rails on the side of the bucket at the thinnest point are pretty skinny, so they dont feel great if you put a lot of pressure on your body with them. The relatively deep seat means you need to have a relatively refined sequence for remounting without going over the other side while sliding into the bucket in messy conditions. occasionally miss the first remount, but never have struggled repeatedly to get back in.
Epic V10 g0 (the 43cm version from like 2006) 2.5/10 - Low primary stability. relatively deep bucket. Low primary stability means you need to stay very centered when swinging your legs in from a side saddle or you will go over the other side easily. Also the deep bucket makes it hard to have your feet in the water comfortably while getting your wits back after a capsize before paddling away.
I'm interested to hear other's thoughts on these boats and others!
Maybe give a 0-10 scale of ease of remount with some notes on why its easy or hard. (I figure a 10/10 is like a V5/V7 level boat, so dont tell me a SF, V10, or SEL is 10/10. Yes, those boats are relatively easy to remount once you have some skill, but that doesnt make it 'easy' on an absolute scale - they're 'easy' on a relative scale)
For the 4 boats I'm very familiar with, it goes like this - Easiest to hardest. For reference I side saddle 95% of the time.
Stellar SR g1 - 8/10 - very easy due to lots of primary stability, wiiiide bucket that is not too steep and only moderately deep. Almost never miss the first remount.
Fenn XT g1 - 6.5/10 - same beam as an SR, and has a shallow-ish, wide-ish bucket, but the somewhat V bottom of the ski leads to lower primary stability which can make balancing while getting the legs over-and-in somewhat more tricky, particularly in messy conditions. Still not too hard but requires some skill. only rarely miss the first remount
Fenn Swordfish S - 4/10 - An 'advanced' boat by beam standards, the bucket is relatively deep and somewhat narrow. The rails on the side of the bucket at the thinnest point are pretty skinny, so they dont feel great if you put a lot of pressure on your body with them. The relatively deep seat means you need to have a relatively refined sequence for remounting without going over the other side while sliding into the bucket in messy conditions. occasionally miss the first remount, but never have struggled repeatedly to get back in.
Epic V10 g0 (the 43cm version from like 2006) 2.5/10 - Low primary stability. relatively deep bucket. Low primary stability means you need to stay very centered when swinging your legs in from a side saddle or you will go over the other side easily. Also the deep bucket makes it hard to have your feet in the water comfortably while getting your wits back after a capsize before paddling away.
I'm interested to hear other's thoughts on these boats and others!