Design Goal: Make a pedal powered sea kayak suitable for extended trips along the Maine Island Trail.

Propulsion systems:

Hobie Mirage. Advantages: Light and compact, can be removed while in the boat, allows lowest foot positioning, little draft required, not as easily clogged with weeds as a prop., more evenly distributed forces.
Disadvantages: Back and forth stroke is less efficient than a prop. (but who wants to pull a skier anyway!), requires a paddle for reverse. There is no data available comparing prop. efficiency vs fin efficiency.

Jake Free: Advantages: Rugged, well built, leader in human powered propulsion, most efficient because Jake will spec. a prop. based on your boat’s drag curve. Great place to develop a world class HPB.
Disadvantages: Price, draft, leg height (reduced stability).

Spin Fin, Ozone Watercraft: Complete drop in prop. based units.

The Hobie Mirage was chosen based on stability realizing some loss in efficiency (stroking legs is less efficient than rotating).

The Guillemot ES was chosen based on test driving at last year’s Newfound Rendezvous.

The ES was built to print except for the cockpit, which is larger and has a raised (2”) front cowling over the pedals. The cockpit opening is large enough to allow the knees to move freely, but is small enough to allow a standard spray skirt.

The drive unit was mounted on a bracket that attaches to the bottom of the kayak. The bracket requires about 2” more draft than the Hobie Mirage sit on top. The pedal arms go through an opening similar to a dagger board opening on a sail boat. The volume below the waterline inside of the cockpit is completely filled with foam except for the seat and two small divots for the feet when not using the drive system.

The forward and stern compartments are separated with foam bulkheads. Other safety precautions were/will be taken to ensure floatation including: a foot operated air/water pump, solid floatation in the bow and stern, large air bags to fill entire compartments, and double hatch seals.