> I intend to use it for day paddling on rivers and small lakes and ponds -
> all areas in which my Walden excels. Because the Walden proved to lack the
> tracking required for ocean conditions (more than 1-2 foot seas), I am
> building a CLC Patuxent 17.5 (the seat, backband and deckrigging go on
> this weekend). I intend to use the Patuxent for any overnight trips, as
> well as ocean and larger lake paddling. So volume with this small boat is
> not a major concern. For the deck design, low for easier rolling is more
> important than height for cargo (lunch, wallet, car keys is about it)
> volume.

> I considered the "simple" solution of just getting a whitewater
> boat, which would give me all the easy rolling I could want. But those
> things don't track at all. I tried a couple, and about half the paddle
> strokes were just an attempt to keep the boat going straight, with
> frequent spontaneous spins.

> I guess what I'm after is a Walden Vision hull (excellent tracking, speed
> and maneuverability for a 12.5' boat) with a whitewater deck (the Vision's
> high fore deck makes it very difficult to set up a roll, and the high aft
> deck makes it even harder to finish).

> I realize this is a hybrid between a sea kayak (tracking and speed) and a
> whitewater boat (maneuverability and rollability). Because it's not a
> "normal" application, there may not be existing plans. After
> all, you don't see any fiberglass or kevlar 12' boats on the market. And
> if I can't find a plan, I will build a cedar strip replica of the Vision's
> hull (with some minor modifications) and a whitewater-style deck modified
> to fit the hull. I'll have a better idea of the desired deck layout once I
> get the Patuxent in the water.

> Ken

Ken,

How concerned are you with floatation? A lot of whitewater kayaks "float" underwater.

You could scale down just about any strip-built by moving the forms closer together and scaling the bow and stern. With some care you can do this with stitch and glue kayaks too. Skin kayak designs are the easiest to modify.

You could do an Alaska Recovery Kayak, but give it a stronger keel line so that it will track nicely.

What type of wood construction are you interested in?

Mike