How stiff is stiff enough? Is there a point of diminishing returns?
There is when it comes to cost or athlete safety. There are three components to this issue for us: price, durability and weight. These three factors are like three intersecting circles. How much one circle intersects with the other two determines the characteristics of the boat you want, need and its selling price. You can make it extremely stiff, and it will certainly be more expensive and depending on material choice it might be also be lighter in weight. I do advise people about the downside of extremely stiff boats; if we make boats so stiff that there is no give in the hull or the fittings, it can cause problems. I’ve often wondered if intercostal muscle pulls and back injuries might be the result of some combination of big blades and stiffer boats. There’s a lot of development of materials and hull shapes, but far less for simple ergonomic changes, which runs counter to what is going on in many industries. For instance, I can’t remember a toe that I didn’t have to fix and alter.
