Aaron,

Thanks for the info. Looking at the Nikumi ply form shapes, it looks much more stable than some of the 'historical' ones, and so my interest.
I want a 'hardshell' kayak without the interior frames so I can try overnight trips. I know there are ways to pack gear into the ply on frame kayaks, but another kayak without frames would be easier.

thanks again

kelly t

: I don't believe that the regular (21" wide) Nikumi is particularly tippy
: (its all relative, though) but others should be able to verify or refute
: that. I ran some stability calculations on various hulls a while back
: before my trial version of RhinoMarine expired, and I recall that Nikumi
: had a relatively high righting force for 21" beam.

: Historical baidarkas are likely more tippy, especially less than 20"
: beam; D. Zimmerly's stability report indicates that many indeed are tippy,
: but not necessarily all of them (USNM 76282 looks to be the most
: manageable of those listed).

: Why not build a skin on frame baidarka? If the 'Iggy' build is any
: indication, your SOF work is definitely up to par.