T H E   G R E E N L A K E   P A D D L E R SCRAP WOOD, BITS AND PIECES: THE 10 FOOT 6 KAYAK

SHORT AND STOUT AND A BIT HEAVY Winter is on the rocks, summer's almost here. I've done enough basking in the late spring sunshine, It's time for action and make another strange kayak. Only 10.6 feet of kayak, made out of too good to throw away materials. Shapewise this boat slightly resembles a Mackenzie Delta kayak. I mean a small similarity can be seen when both kayaks are observed with extremely heavily squinted eyes. http://www.arctickayaks.com/Plans/PlansMackenzieIV-D-2039.htm I tried to make the ends as buoyant and yet as sharp as possible, but basically my feet had the last say in this as they had to fit in there. Materials used: Fir for the gunnels ( pallet wood ), Pine for the stringers, Multiplex for the bows, PVC fishing net tube for the ribs, Sikaflex, Cable ties and some ss screws. Bow and stern are shaped exactly the same apart from the deck stringers. Saving weight was definitely not a subject in this build. For its length yes it's heavy, but as it turned out I can lift this boat with ease. I had to burn the portside gunnel, to make it confirm to the desired shape as it was a lot stiffer than the starboard plank. After some struggling it turned out pretty good. How about it? You probably look at it different, but I say: This boat looks promising! Specs: Beam 60cm, Length 322 cm, Depth to sheer 27cm, Weigth with no skin 20kg. She looks pretty stout, but remember this is a small boat. Note the plastic barrel rim that will be fashioned into a cockpit coaming somehow. See what I mean ... small, but there is ample space available for my feet and the ''sit" feels remarkable comfortable. As you can see this is not the ideal boat for rolling as I have to sit deep ( no raised seat ).The bottom in cross-section is a half circle so stability will be a bit on the challenging side, fingers crossed I can cope! In the coming days the boat will be wrapped in plastic for a test float and a short run. If all goes well, she will be covered in some sort of fabric soon. I know this is not he most delicate of frames and makes me think of a Curragh. Never seen a Currach? Go and have a search for Traditional Irish Curragh. highly recommended. Well, if this hull shape will be of any good I am about to find out, hold your comment. For sure there will be no slamming, this is going to be a silent runner. Or sinker? SOME FIRST TRAIL VIDEO STILLS As I said, she's no featherweight but it's no problem to carry this small boat like so. 20k is 20k, but this boat is short and therefore easy to swing about. A long kayak of the same weight can twist your spine of you're not careful enough. Well ... feels a bit loose, likes to rock a bit ... also one gunnel seems to be heavier than the other, let's see and try to get in first. Eeeh, bum diving again ... been through that before ( Little bastard ) but I got in without swamping the thing. The hull really likes to swing over from one side to the other, apart from the hull shape the weight of the gunnels and the long horns play a role in this as well. It feels as if the kayak is carrying a heavy deck load. Hmm, now what? Still some serious tuning left to do, relative good speed, tracks well and weathercocks a bit in this light wind. Initial stability, huh? There is almost none, feels extremely loose in the middle. Secondary stability? There is some, It helps when I stretch my legs flat on the bottom. I hoped the kayak would sink in just a tad further, now there is work to be done, have to think of something ... But first I will mount a proper back support strap and try to improve hip contact, that alone will make a huge difference. Maybe, I will add a partial stringer on top of the gunnel to increase flare. The funny thing is, the Mackenzie Delta kayak I refered to earlier, also seems to be, in terms of stability, an interesting boat with character. Maybe, I just have to get used to it Isn't she lovely, now I have to find a skin somewhere. What about Cotton for a change? El Cheapo cotton? Continue to Part 2 Home UB rev 2021 A A R D  V A N  H O L L A N D . C O M