# Building a SlingShot (kayak)



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

I started construction on the first Sling Shot today. 

Slingshot is a new design and this is the prototype build. Sling Shot is a skin on frame 18' 6" long, 23" wide. Hull has a fair amount of rocker and V in it. Stability is on the lower side but not really low. I want to use this as a test bed for a couple of ideas I have had for a while now. I want to add a retractable skeg and I want to ad some nice looking hatches too. I have ideas on how to do these but I will just have to work out the details as I go. Once the frame is together I will probably change it some.










Here is a quick run down of what I got accomplished today.










First step is cut out all the full sized patterns and glue them on the plywood. I always save any larger scrap pieces since I build so many and can often get several parts out of scrap.










Then I like to rough cut the pieces out and then I do the final cuts on the bandsaw. There is no reason not to do them with a jigsaw, I am just more comfortable with the bandsaw so that is what I prefer.










It takes a few hours but here are all the frames cut out. Actually I see a mistake in the pile but I am not going to point it out. ;-)










Before I quit for the night I ripped my stringers to width and since I use cedar siding I plane the rough face. I end up with a 5/8" thickness. This is my old Powermatic planer at work.










I recently found some really good cedar which is very rare around here. It was 12' lengths so I cut and scarf them together to about 18' long. I normally have to cut out a lot of knots but these were small enough I didn't see any I couldn't just leave.


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## rrbrown (Feb 15, 2009)

Hey Jeff I dont think I've seen you on here in a while. Is this you building season.

You need a dust collector to catch all those planer chips. :laughing:


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## BWSmith (Aug 24, 2010)

Kudzu,that's sharp design....very best of luck.Closest I ever came to building one was years ago.Helped a guy design the "tooling"....I call'm bucks(the bulkhead style forms),and we developed a system that allowed a "quick-change" on the bucks.He had several different hull designs.We went with an I beam as the main part of jig/fixture.BW


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## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Oh, I still read the forum ad just gotten to where I scan the forums for something interesting to read and fell in the lurker mode.

This is a new design boat with some new ideas so I thought I would share it. I have been building all along, just didn't want to over do it posting all of them.


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## knotscott (Nov 8, 2007)

Looks like this is gonna be a great project. Looking forward to watching the progress!


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## Nate1778 (Mar 10, 2008)

Great build as usual, I will be subscribed.

Man with all those intricate parts, you ought build a CNC router.


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## tsmith (Oct 21, 2010)

Wow! Can't wait to see the finished project. Keep up the good work.


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## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

*DAY 2*

Full day in the shop and I didn't take a lot of photos. I sanded all the frames to smooth up my cuts. Then I rounded over the insides because it makes lashing easier. I also round over the edges on the exposed frames in the cockpit just because it looks better. And it feels better on your legs if you hit them.

Next I ran the stringer that I glued up last night through the shaper to round over othe edges.

Last I set up the strong back and started to assemble the frame. By the time I quit it was ready to start lashing.

Here is link to a time lapse video I shot while I assembled the frame. I think the dog is as interesting to watch as I am.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12_Vqezz3NE#

A couple of photos of the frame. It is ready to be lashed together now.




























Here is one of the Sea-Lect, formerly Sea Dog, hatches I am going to install. Have an idea on how to do this and make it look good.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Kudzu*

Please post your location in your "about me" or in your Header as we like to know generally where folks are. Thanks :thumbsup:
Exception work on your kayaks and you have an interesting shop, enough length to work on 18' long stuff.....circular stairs and all! Nice video on your site with impressive strength to the skins. I thought SOF meant Soldier of Fortune :laughing: bill


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## frankp (Oct 29, 2007)

Kudzu, I was just talking with a couple friends here about adding hatches to my SOFs. I ended up doing "dry bag" hatches on mine. I want to add real hatches into the next one though... I still need to get my strip deck put on my Northbay, though. Maybe it will actually happen this winter...


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## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

DAYS 3 and 4

I basically spread one day out over two days but I have the hull lashed together. I want to leave it on the jig since it is nice and stable and work on the the hatches before I install the deck beams. 

'wysedav' over at Blue Heron came up with a great looking way to build in a recessed hatch on a skin boat he built and I have been wanting to try that ever since I saw it. So that what I will work on next. I don't think I can recess the rear hatch since the deck is virtually flat now. If I lower it any it's going to have water puddle around it and that's not good.

Here are few photos.




























I sketched out the skeg box and skeg. I decided to draw up something to scale figuring I could work it out on the computer a little quicker than my usual way of just designing on the fly. The skeg is 'spring' loaded with a bungee cord, the orange line. I will add a line that is not not shown to pull the skeg up in the box and it will end up on deck with a jam cleat or clam cleat to tie it off. I used this setup on another boat it worked flawlessly.










Still got to figure out what method I want to use to attach the skin and seal it to the skeg box.


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## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

DAY 5

I worked on the hatches today. I started with the bow and how to recess it. I started by gluing some rails to the inside of the gunwales. Then cut a piece of 3/8" plywood to fit between the gunwales and rest on the rails. I took some 2" stock and cut it in a circular shape larger than the hatch. I marked the angle, cut and started rasping and sanding a radius on the inside edge where the skin will wrap over.








I cut the hole for the hatch and glued the plywood to the stringers. Here it is with the hatch resting in place.








At the stern I did basically the same thing except I didn't have to build the trim block since the deck is almost flat on this one. It will be slightly recessed, but I just rounded over the ends of the stringer so that it would make a nice smooth transition. The ring on the hatch will pull the skin down just fine. I used the larger piece of plywood because of the effort it takes to 'peel' these hatches off. Just attaching them to the skin wouldn't work well. The plywood was the simplest way to provide a good firm base for the hatch base.








With the hatches finished I needed to trim up the joints to make sure you don't end up with a lumpy boat. For exampleAt the rear I needed to work on the where the stern and stringers meet. A rasp makes quick work of this. I just need to go over it with the sander to smooth it up before I skin it.









Last step was to lash the last of the deck beams in place. One more quick look and any touch ups it should be ready for to pull off the jig and start working on the skeg box.


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## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

There we go. Got you guys caught up.


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## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

I have busy building a client frames and stringers for a Firefly so I haven't been able to work on Sling Shot much. Only one thing left to do, he asked me to build him a set of stands like mine. I don't have any pine in the shop. So in the morning I will go get some. That gave me a little time to work on the Sling Shot.

After a lot and I mean A LOT of arguing with myself I have decided not to put the drop down skeg on this boat. It is not because I think it will not work because I am sure it will. It's just I am 95% certain this boat will not need or benefit from one because of it's V shaped hull. So I am going to put what I have built aside and will save it for another project. 

I cut some aluminum angle I have in shop into 4 short pieces and drill a few holes to mount the footrests to the stringers. I have always thought that footrest would be more comfortable (for me at least) if they were lower. With this boat if I put them on the upper stringer they would have been way to high. So I mounted them on the lower stringer and that really put them down low. I had to make sure the levers (red ends) would not hit the skin. I think with all the V in the hull they will not be as low as they look to me. But they look really low.










I finished up a few other minor odds and ends and the frame is ready to come off the jig. Once it is off I will lash the joints at the brackets where I clamp it to the strong back. Then it will get slathered in oil and it should be ready to start skinning. 

Not the best photos but it is hard to get good photos with all the shop clutter in the background.



















But before I skin it I want to make some float bags and install them. I have had an idea for a long time now. Why not attach and seal the float bag to the hatch? If you have a good seal and these seem to seal tight, you then have dry storage inside the float bag. There may be a reason that this will not work but I don't know what it is yet. 

I figured I would start with some heavy clear PVC from WalMart and see how it works. I suspect if you use these a lot you might tear/wear a hole in the bags. If that is the case I know where to get some reinforced vinyl that I will replace these with down the road. It's just rather expensive so I figured start with the cheap stuff and learn.


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## frankp (Oct 29, 2007)

Jeff,

While I believe only you can make the decisions regarding building your designs, I will tell you from experience that even some boats with a sharp v-hull do need skegs occasionally. My NorthBay is a perfect example of a great V-hull in the aft that really benefits from the retractable skeg. So much so that when I ripped the deck off I took out the skeg box and I'm planning to put a permanent skeg on her.

It's certainly not difficult to build another or modify this one if you decide it needs the skeg, though.

The float/dry bag idea is a pretty ingenious concept. I'd certainly be interested in how you decide to do it. I've found the 20mil PVC fabric to be more than durable enough to scrape across rocks and such, so I suspect as a float/dry bag you'll be fine. I've made several dry bags out of my left-overs and the biggest issue I have is getting them sealed well enough to remain "inflated". I recommend a couple "layers" of seams to make sure they stay lofted and dry. One of these days I'm going to invest in something I can use as a heat sealer.

As usual the frame looks great. I really like your boat designs, aesthetically. Maybe one day I'll even get to paddle one.


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## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

frankp said:


> .... I will tell you from experience that even some boats with a sharp v-hull do need skegs occasionally. My NorthBay is a perfect example of a great V-hull in the aft that really benefits from the retractable skeg.


Dang you! I have been so undecided on this and now you start making me doubt myself. :blink: OK, will think on this one a little more. Grumble, grumble. 



> I've made several dry bags out of my left-overs and the biggest issue I have is getting them sealed well enough to remain "inflated".


Me too. Most of mine will not stay inflated. They all seem to have some small leak somewhere. I am going to be very careful on these and not rush. Also going to attach my line using the PVC fittings instead of just inserting in the seam. That always seems to leak.


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## johnep (Apr 12, 2007)

Most interested in your project. Way back in 1947 my Dad and I (well I did hold things for him) built a British Scout Kayak 17' by 2'6".

Made of Oregon pine which was reputed to be knot free. Frame covered with painted canvas. We fitted a pair of Lee boards, mast and sliding gunter rig (sails made on sewing machine). Went like the clappers. After a capsize on the Thames, Dad made an outrigger float of alloy and we had several holidays camping down the Thames estuary, sailing down the river Roding, into Barking Creek and then into the Thames.

After getting very wet paddling into the wind on the Thames and the waves just curling into the cockpit (no apron in those days), we decided to rebuild a 14' dinghy which had been wrecked. (chap left the centre plate down and this came up through the bottom when settled on the mud).

Still have a Prout dinghy with folding sides stored at my son's house.
johnep


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## frankp (Oct 29, 2007)

Kudzu said:


> Dang you! I have been so undecided on this and now you start making me doubt myself. :blink: OK, will think on this one a little more. Grumble, grumble.
> 
> Me too. Most of mine will not stay inflated. They all seem to have some small leak somewhere. I am going to be very careful on these and not rush. Also going to attach my line using the PVC fittings instead of just inserting in the seam. That always seems to leak.


Kudzu, try it without the skeg. If you decide it needs it, modifications aren't too hard. 

Even my "dry bags" that I put gear in, without any inflation hose have some issues. I think it's connecting the bottom to the sides where the issue is. That's why I'm trying to figure out how to heat seal them... that will work much better than HH-60 glue, I think.


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## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

johne, cool story. My dad had the skills but never had any interest in building stuff with me. That is something I would have loved to do. I don't have kids but I tried to build a kayak with my niece. She lost interest really quick. Been teaching a young man in the neighborhood to kayak. He is a natural! Took to it like a duck takes to water.

I decided to go ahead and install the skeg Frank. Even if I don't need it I really wanted to test the idea and prove the concept. To add it latter would require reskinning or acrobatic skills to get inside and install it. So you gave me the nudge I needed. I going to the shop shortly and work on it.


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## johnep (Apr 12, 2007)

Made me think Kudzu. One or two good stories re men without sons who have befriended a lad and become a father to them. I was mentored by a gentleman at work when I first started and it made such a difference to my life. If you can help a lad get a start in life and achieve that special father/son relationship, then you have certainly scored brownie points. I have become almost that to my nephews after my brother died.
johnep


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## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

*DAY 8*

Skeg is back on. I decided to go ahead and do this even if I don't need it I can prove or disprove the idea and the methods. Here is the skeg box almost completed. The purple cord will be a bungee. What I had in the shop is to large so I have pick up some smaller cord. The tubing that the cord runs through is just standard vinyl tubing. I was going to epoxy it in place but I am thing that I will just rough it up and put it in with Lexel. That way I could remove it if I needed to.










Did the stretch test and shaped the recess a little more to clean it up so there are no lumps.










Then I took the frame off the strongback. Hoping to get the skeg mounted today and then I can oil the frame. Once the glue gets here I can start to build the float bags and attach the hatches. Once that is done it will be time to skin.


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## ihackwood (Sep 5, 2009)

kudzu,

very cool project ya got goin on, i bought kayaks to dowith my kids,cheap fun lol. i like raging current myself, i went once it was both horrifying and electrifying, i want to find another nut that wants to do it as it's kinda sketchy by my myself, as i don't want my kid drowning, someone else is a different story, i look at it as the chance ya take myself. the life of an adrenanlin junkie haha

i have some questions for ya if ya don't mind

am i to beleive you will be stretching fabric over that? is so what are you coating it with, any kind of fabric???

when i was a kid i lived on the river for a couple years and my friends dad, we thought he was mental now i get him lol


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## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

ihackwood said:


> am i to beleive you will be stretching fabric over that? is so what are you coating it with, any kind of fabric???


Thought I answered this, guess I got side tracked. But yes, the skin is going to be polyester fabric with a waterproof coating on it. Not just any old fabric though. Nylon is commonly used and not so much but polyester is used. Polyester is my favorite for most uses.




> .............i have always wanted to make one, so my question is, is this possible to do for a hydro will it hold up to the abuse?


I don't think that would be good idea. The speed of a kayak is much different than a power boat and the forces involved would not even be close. So I don't think so.


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## johnep (Apr 12, 2007)

After a capsize on the Thames, my father fitted an outrigger to our 17' kayak. He then made a bracket on the cross bar and fitted a Johnson MS38 (lightweight prewar). Great fun, later used a small British Seagull, These motors were later transferred to our 14' dinghy.
johnep


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## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

*NO SKEG FOR SLINGSHOT*

Something kept bugging me about the skeg but I kept working on it. I had the box finished and clamped in place for the final check before attaching it to the frame. 










Here is on the boat finished. The two screws you see are just temporary BTW. I had figured out how to seal the skin to the box, had everything like I wanted and was just making a final check and marking where I wanted it attached the frame. I sighted down the keel to make sure it was all square and then I saw it.










Do you see the problem? 

If you run over a stick or a rock it will push the skin upward into the boat. With the skeg box there is a good chance of the skin being lifted and then hit the box. Given the right conditions and it can rip a big hole in the skin. 

I had my floorboards mounted too low in one of my prototypes boats. We were paddling in some swift water, I hit a rock and it caught on the floor board and ripped the skin. Granted it's probably not going to happen on flat water at slower speeds but I am not going to take that chance. Even if it didn't rip it would probably get hit repeatedly and over time wear a hole in the skin. 

So I decided to scrap the idea for this boat. I have some ideas on how to make this work but that will have to wait for the next boat. I don't see this as a failure, just the first attempt and now I know how to improve the next one.

Late this afternoon I started skinning. It took me a little over 3 hours to have the skin in place and that included shooting some video while I worked for a tutorial on skinning with the loose weave polyester. 



















Tomorrow morning I plan to install the coaming and then I will move on to the hatches.


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## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

*NO SKEG FOR SLINGSHOT*

Something kept bugging me about the skeg but I kept working on it. I had the box finished and clamped in place for the final check before attaching it to the frame. 











Here is on the boat finished. The two screws you see are just temporary BTW. I had figured out how to seal the skin to the box, had everything like I wanted and was just making a final check and marking where I wanted it attached the frame. I sighted down the keel to make sure it was all square and then I saw it.










Do you see the problem? 

If you run over a stick or a rock it will push the skin upward into the boat. With the skeg box there is a good chance of the skin being lifted and then hit the box. Given the right conditions and it can rip a big hole in the skin. 

I had my floorboards mounted too low in one of my prototypes boats. We were paddling in some swift water, I hit a rock and it caught on the floor board and ripped the skin. Granted it's probably not going to happen on flat water at slower speeds but I am not going to take that chance. Even if it didn't rip it would probably get hit repeatedly and over time wear a hole in the skin. 

So I decided to scrap the idea for this boat. I have some ideas on how to make this work but that will have to wait for the next boat. I don't see this as a failure, just the first attempt and now I know how to improve the next one.

Late this afternoon I started skinning. It took me a little over 3 hours to have the skin in place and that included shooting some video while I worked for a tutorial on skinning with the loose weave polyester. 



















Tomorrow morning I plan to install the coaming and then I will move on to the hatches.


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## frankp (Oct 29, 2007)

Kudzu, good catch on that skeg box... no pun intended. I'd think you could incorporate the skeg box into the keel (break the keel around the box) and then sew the skin right at the box, into the frame of the boat. Might make stretching difficult though... not sure about that.

She looks really good... can't wait to see her wet.


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## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

I finished skinning it this morning. Shrunk the skin and it ready for finishing now.










The recessed hatch on the front came out very well. Must say thanks to 'wysedav' over at Blue Heron for the idea.










I start applying color in the morning. I wait and just post photos of it once it done rather than tell you what I have in mind.


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## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

frankp said:


> ...... I'd think you could incorporate the skeg box into the keel.



I am thinking the keel needs to be wider with a slot in it for the blade. But that leads to some other things to work out. For now I am going to put it aside and come back to it latter on. I need to finish this and then I need to start on the prototype for a Rec. Boat design I have been working on.

I am not a big fan of this but I am starting to think that the CLC style skeg is better suited to a SoF boat. While I am not crazy about the look I keep coming back to "Form follows Function". I may come up with something that looks better but I doubt that I can make it work better.


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## frankp (Oct 29, 2007)

kudzu, i ended up installing my CLC skeg box backward and was too lazy to correct it. I cut out the hinge and basically built a "dagger board" style skeg that drops in and just pushes up when it hits anything. It's always deployed, though, when I drop it in so it's not really "retractable". Worked well enough for me though.

Your idea about a "wide" keel is what I was originally thinking then I thought maybe you could run the keel just like you normally would but then "break" it short so that it butts the skeg box, then you have the skeg box with the aft section of keel butting up against it as well. Basically exactly how you had it but mount the skeg box in place of the keel instead of next to it... just for that section. Might make it a little too flexible, but you could possibly put some stiffeners along the sides to make it a more "continuous" keel with it still in line. Lots of design options there though. Guess you'll just have to build a couple of different designs.


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## dat (Nov 11, 2010)

here is the important question, what's the dog's name in the background and does he/ she a duck dog? :boat:


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## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

While waiting on the Turkey this Thanksgiving morning I got in the shop early and applied one last coat of paint. Now it's time to show you the color scheme. Probably not what you were thinking but I like it.





































Even added red floorboards to add a little 'spice' to it.

It's painted with off the shelf Rustoleum oil based paint. 3 coats of each color.

Tomorrow I will start rigging it out, installing the hatches. I am waiting on the cordage I ordered to come in for the life lines. But I can get some bungees installed mean time. Probably take it for a spin Saturday, if the weather is good that is. That is really questionable though.

I built some float bags that I need to finish and install too. Basically should be done this weekend and finished by the end of next week.


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## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

*WHOOPS!*

Launching Day! I didn't have long but since I live 5 minutes from the water I could not longer resist and had to take the boat to the water. I spent the morning rigging out the deck lines and taking care for a few minor details. I was still waiting on a shipment of cordage so life lines and painters were not finished.

Not a great photo but it shows the lines of the boat really well. As you can see the rear deck is really low at the stern so it might not be be a good boat in really big waves. But it wasn't really designed for that either.










Carried it down the waters edge and snapped a few photos. I have to say I am extremely happy with the recessed front hatch. I will write up some instructions on how I did that and put it on the web site latter on. Not really crazy about the rear hatch. Looks like it was just stuck on there but as low as the rear deck is on this boat there really wasn't any reason or space to recess it. So it's a form follow function thing and I can live with it. 

And so far I am very impressed with the quality of these hatches and may start stocking them in my store.



















I was unloading the boat off the car I realized something. I had not installed the backband! How I overlooked that I will never know, but I decided to paddle it anyway. I wasn't going to be out long.

I carried it out in the water being careful since I know the paint is not fully hardened not to scrub the rocky bottom. I got situated and first impression was good. It appeared to track very well but I expected that with the V shaped bottom. It seemed to accelerate really fast. For some reason hard chine boats always 'feel' like they accelerate faster to me. I tried a couple of lean turns and while it didn't turn as fast I expected it responded well.

The breeze was picking up so I pointed it across the wind and seemed to want to weather cock. I turned about 90 degrees and it seemed fine. Back and forth a couple of times and the results were the same. OK, whats going on? The more I paddled it I started to realize that the boat was turning to the right, not weather cocking. So that meant there was something wrong with the hull. 










I pulled it out of the water and flipped it over in the grass and there it was. The stern of the boat was bent to one side and acting like a rudder on a sailboat. No wonder it was turning! Needless to say I was sick about this.

To keep this short I went back to the shop and studied the problem. I knew the frame was straight when I took it off the jig. So it had to happen when I shrank the skin and I just didn't notice it. Apparently I shrank one side more than the other and that pulled it to one side. 

So, with nothing to loose I did something I don't recommend, actually I did several things I don't recommend. But a little bit... OK a lot of brute force and I was able to 'persuade' the stern back into alignment. Making it slide underneath the skin was not easy but it worked and I didn't have to reskin it. So now the keel line is once again straight and I should be able to take it down to the water today for a longer paddle.

I also need to go back to the plans and make some changes to reinforce the stern so that anyone building this boat doesn't run into the same thing.


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## frankp (Oct 29, 2007)

Kudzu, she looks great. I actually like the colors a lot, and that's saying something as I tend to be traditionalist with respect to SOFs. How'd the hatches hold up? 

As for a backband, I've been paddling my NorthBay without one for years, and I've never even tried to put any in my SOFs. When I finish redecking the NB, I'm planning to add the backband into it though. It's certainly more comfortable with one.


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## johnep (Apr 12, 2007)

Gee she looks like a fast lady. With my 93kg weight would expect her to be a bit unstable. Would have to be prepared for an Eskimo roll.
johnep


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## frankp (Oct 29, 2007)

johnep, I'd expect that particular boat to be quite stable with your weight, actually. These design styles were originally made for hunting with a "harpoon" and are much more stable than people realize, especially with a 23" beam. Also, at 18'9" it is quite capable of carrying your weight. I suspect this has a moderate primary stability (initial "tippyness") and a very high secondary stability (the point where you actually tip from "stable but tippy" to "oh crap I'm upside down".) I would bet dollars to donuts she's ridiculously fast, though. 

Of Kudzu's designs I've looked at, very few have any likelihood at all of stability issues, even for novice paddlers. I'd put my wife (who's never paddled and not a strong swimmer) in just about any one of Kudzu's designs and have no fears of her capsizing.


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## johnep (Apr 12, 2007)

That's reassuring. I have a mental picture of me trying to get on board and falling out the other side. Me being old and tired would probably try to fix some form of out rigger and a simple sail.

I will ask my nephew to search though the old family photos to see if any pics of my kayak.
johnep


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## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

frankp said:


> Kudzu, she looks great. I actually like the colors a lot, and that's saying something as I tend to be traditionalist with respect to SOFs. How'd the hatches hold up?
> 
> As for a backband, I've been paddling my NorthBay without one for years, and I've never even tried to put any in my SOFs.


Finally got to take it out and really paddle it this weekend. Nice paddling boat, well behaved. Overall very well pleased. The only surprise was I expected it turn quicker when I leaned it since it has a fair amount of rocker. With just a little paddle stroke it turned fairly quick for a long boat. I have just gotten spoiled by Long Shot. Other than that it was very close to what I expected.

Hatches impress me. Finally learned the 'easy' way to put them on. They are a little hard to take off but that because they have a good seal on them. I will be using from now on! 

it felt much better with a backband. I am just not comfortable without one. I am sure I could adapt but honestly don't want to go through the pain till I adjust.



frankp said:


> .... I suspect this has a moderate primary stability (initial "tippyness") and a very high secondary stability (the point where you actually tip from "stable but tippy" to "oh crap I'm upside down".) I would bet dollars to donuts she's ridiculously fast, though.


Pretty good guessing. I have to pay attention getting in the boat. It is initially a bit tender compared to all my others. At first I had trouble putting on my skirt and keeping it upright. But as you suspected it has a good secondary stability. Like most, once it is moving it is very comfortable. After an hour I was right at home in it.

It will accelerate very quickly. I found 5 mph fairly easy to maintain but I was working at it. I am not a racer so that is good workout for me to stay at that speed. I did one sprint just to see what I could do and per the GPS I managed 6.6 mph. But 6 to 6.2 would be all I could maintain for even a short distance. I don't have a smooth stoke at that level of effort and I was really tossing the boat around. Had a made a mistake I would dumped if for sure! A good paddler with a smooth stroke could do much better in it.

I have been thinking about putting it for sale. I want to build one before I offer the plans. That way I can work out any bugs or find any problems before hand. Problem is I could have a shop full of boats doing that! I am going to paddle this one a bit more and make sure there are no surprises. Then it will probably get a through cleaning and touch up and go up for sale early spring.


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## awoodman (Dec 15, 2010)

Kudzu I had a question on this type of construction how much does all that framing weigh? Looks like you have been at it for quite some time..make a sweet looking stitch and glue hull.


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## frankp (Oct 29, 2007)

awoodman, I have a similar design and mine weighs in at about 22 pounds. Mine is only 16 feet long though, because I didn't want to scarf together any of the stringers as I was on a tight build schedule. Another station (the cross member) and 2 feet of 4 stringers will only weigh another pound with maybe another pound of skin material (I use PVC, not nylon). With a nylon skin, you could definitely keep this design around 20-25 pounds depending on how you seal it.

My stitch and glue is 18' 7" and only weighed in at about 38 pounds. We'll see how much she weighs if/when I ever finish re-decking with the strip deck, though.


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## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

awoodman said:


> Kudzu I had a question on this type of construction how much does all that framing weigh? Looks like you have been at it for quite some time..make a sweet looking stitch and glue hull.


Just got my new scales and the boat weights 34 lbs rigged out ready to go to the water. If you skipped the hatches could save 3-4 lbs (I am guessing). Depending on the wood, 30 lbs is very realistic.


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