> Question: What are the advantages of using such a high cambered deck /
> disadvantages of a low cambered deck?

> I have never had any difficulty cambering the decks on my kayaks and
> wondered what the fuss was about until I received my plans for the CLC
> Chesapeake 17 - Wow! 16 inch rad! No wonder decking has been described as
> a wrestling match.

> On my kayaks, designed for fresh water lake & river touring, I
> typically use a 24" or a 30" rad for the decks.

> This is from the old (1936) Dutch plans that I used for my first kayaks
> (frame style construction). The other features that make these kayaks
> different from the typical "sea touring" style is the more open
> cockpit, higher side panels and lower bow & stern. The ride is dry
> with only a lap "drip skirt" used.

> These craft are designed for stability - not to be rolled, great for
> fishing. I have never flipped one (knock on a wood deck!) in 25 years of
> paddling. The closest I came to rolling was when I fired 3 rapid shots
> broad-side with a 12 ga shotgun - skidded sideways a couple of feet!

> On my current S&G kayak (made of 3 mm luaun - hope to post a picture soon)
> I anticipated that the deck would require some additional support to
> compensate for the lack of internal framing so I added a couple of light
> weight luaun deck beams - all seems fine.

> Thanks in advance for your comments.

> Hank

The way I see it, the advantages of a high cambered deck are more foot room and space for storing gear, the disadvantage is more windage.

Mike