choose a kayak plan

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cristiano
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Joined: Sat Nov 04, 2006 9:57 am

choose a kayak plan

Post by cristiano »

can some s&g kayak owner help me i have to choose a plan for a cruising/camping kayak with good tracking , what about chesapeake,cirrus,coho,shearwater,night heron,merganser ecc.
thx
jem
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Post by jem »

If you wait a couple days, I will have this design complete:

http://www.jemwatercraft.com/proddetail.php?prod=Okwata

It sounds like it would fit your needs perfectly. I have another kayak project in the works as well. Check out http://www.neilbank.com/phpBB2/viewtopi ... 09&start=0 for details.
-Matt. Designer.
Oldsparkey
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Post by Oldsparkey »

cristiano

If you could go into a little more detail about the type of water you will be paddling and camping it would help plus the length of the boat you would like... Remember boats are like cars, not everyone likes the same ones but I am sure we could make some suggestions.

All of the ones you listed are good boats and I just made the prototype for Matt in the above link , he listed.
I made it for camping on the waters in Florida and Georgia plus there is a good shot it will go to Canada with me next year and I already own one of the other kayaks in your list.

Chuck.
By the way if I don't answer your post it is because I am out on a river in the morning, paddling and camping for a week or around that time frame. I am sure some of the other guy's will answer.
Remember:
Amateurs built the Ark...... Professionals built the Titanic
Visit some fine paddlers at The Southern Paddler
cristiano
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Joined: Sat Nov 04, 2006 9:57 am

Post by cristiano »

sorry you're right, i thought about a 16-18 ft kayak
i'm about 5ft5in 180 lbs camping days 4/5 usually by the sea ,s&g plan , i've already a fast kayak now i need one for cruising for every kind of wave and wind
i'm from italy so my english....
thx cri
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Post by Kayak Jack »

Cristiano,

Sounds like Matt will offer some suggestions for you. In the meantime, I'll pass along some observations of my own from experience.

For your use in seas, you will want something with a semi-rounded bottom, most likely. This hull configuration does a much better job of handling waves and remaining upright. A flat bottomed hull tends to follow the various angles of a wave passing underneath, and as a result rolls excessively.

A longer boat will likely handle heavy waters better than a shorter boat.

The profile of a front deck has much to do with how much of a large wave that breaks over the bow, ends up reaching the paddler in the cockpit. A profile with a straight line from bow-tip to cockpit provides a handy ramp for the wave to climb towards you - uninterrupted.

Whereas, a front deck profile starting high at the bow-tip, dipping some as it goes rearward, then rising again to meet the cockpit does an excellent job of splitting up and then shunting off a wave traveling up its surface.

Long, pointy bows and sterns look nice for streamlining - and they are. But you can't store very much gear in that precious last foot or two of either the fore or aft ends when it narrows down so far both outside and inside the boat.

Some paddlers like bulkheads and hatches for fore and aft storage spaces. They have advantages - and disadvantages. Others like a boat clean of bulkheads and hatches. This system also has advantages - and disadvantages.

Use of bulkheads to establish separate compartments in a boat force you to either use a soft, formable material like a foam, or do an especially great job of cutting to exact shape, then gluing in a hard material like plywood. Then, you cut a hole in an already waterproof deck to install hatches. Hatches require exacting work and maintenance to prevent leakage. Hatches facilitate loading and unloading the boat, but only to some degree.

Using no bulkhead leaves the boat as light as it can possibly be by not adding the weight of bulkheads and hatches. It is also less costly. You then seal off the cockpit from cargo holds with a cockpit liner, often referred to as a sea sock. Loading and unloading take about 2 minutes longer than if hatches are available.

Whether you originally plan to use bulkheads or not, I recommend you install a small pulley in both the bow and stern of a boat you are building. Also, install a loop of rope into each pulley that is long enough to reach the center of the cockpit. This is quite handy for loading and unloading without using hatches. Simply lash a small item to the rope and pull it up into the bow or stern. Using half of a take-apart paddle to simultaneously push these items helps get them clear to the ends.

You will receive some good advice on this net. Not all of it will agree because we all have different experience bases and develop our own preferences. Read it all; sift it out for yourself; and come back with even sharper questions. Email some of us privately if you like.
Kayak Jack
Doing what you like is FREEDOM
Liking what you do is HAPPINESS
I spent most of my money on whiskey and women - and I'm afraid I just wasted the rest.
jem
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Post by jem »

Sounds like a decked touring canoe might be order.
-Matt. Designer.
hairymick
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Post by hairymick »

G'day Christiano,

Welcome aboard mate. Here is something you might like to consider. it is still a prototype by Matt for me but might well suit your needs.
Image

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c32/h ... tRev01.jpg
Regards,
Mick

JEMWATERCRAFT Swampgirl; Wadefish;Touring Pirogue;South Wind; P5 ;
Laker X 2, Sasquatch 16.5 T-V 15 Okwata 15:
Cobia 15 (under construction)
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