Bill,

You can contact my brother, Curt at chanks7675@aol.com

He wouldn't have a problem with you taking a look at it.

I don't have a problem with you contacting me directly, but I'll answer your e-mail questions here, for the benefit of others.

Yes, I am part of the South Sound Wooden Sea Kayak Club. I wont be at the club outing this month (Oct. 14) though. I am planning on taking the kayaks up to Poulsbo that day. I will be celebrating my birthday at my parents. We will probably go out to Liberty Bay and do some paddling.

The Walrus turns much better than the standard Arctic Tern, But nat as nicely as the Tern 14. It also tracks almost as strongly as the Tern, but responds much better when put up on edge. It is similar in speed. I has higher primary stability, but secondary stability has a sharper edge. It feels very solid up to a point, but beyond that point, it goes right over. My brother has not taken it beyond that point, I think that I am the only one that has. My version of the Walrus is wetter than the Tern. I built this one with much lower decks than the Tern. This Plywood Walrus is like a cross between the Looksha IV S and the Arctic Tern. It does leaned turns almost as well as the Looksha IV S, but tracks like the Arctic Tern. The fit on this one is similar to the Looksha IV S (small), but this is easily modified. That is one of the nice things about the Walrus, it is easy to build it to fit a specific person.

All of the dimensions are easy to change. The one I am building now is 8" longer, 1-1/2" narrower, I have lowered the deck, raised the bow and stern, and increased the deadrise and the flare. I expect the performance to be significantly different, hopefully even better. This one is a skin version, so it will behave differently than the plywood. The skin one are a little livelier.

Mike

: Hi, Mike --

: Thanks so much for the suggestion! Strange coincidence, there being a Walrus
: in my home town ... kismet? It looks beautiful. If you're brother's
: willing, I'd love to check it out, even if it's just to eyeball it ...

: Thanks again,
: Bill G.