Hi Folks

Someone skoot over and give me room to sit on the porch here for a spell and cast off some ideas and questions and see what'all bites.

Well, another weekend comes to a close and leaves me thinking of getting started on the next two boats. ( not sure which two yet )

I'll be building three skin boats from the direction of Mark Starr and Robert Morris' books ( 'cause those are the only two I have at the moment ) and after seeing many completed boats, in both styles and reportedly built, for the most part, with anthropomorphic measurements, I've got a question about this style of sizing.

Most of the boats I've seen pictures of, in progress and finished, seem to be of high volume and MUCH freeboard when in the water being paddled. A couple have complained of this and some enjoyed it and for the most part, all have been happy with their boats.

As I'm writing this, more questions are coming to mind, so please bear with me while I get this all out. ???

I've already posed this question to Mark Starr as I was reading his book, "Building a Greenland Kayak" when it first started to occur to me. But, I figured I'd ask everyone else as well. I've also read Robert Morris' book, and have seen both of their sample boats ( in pictures ). Plus, I've visited the Qajaq USA site and checked out a great many pictures of Greenlandic built boats. It appears to me that there is a great difference in the boats built by the Greenlanders and the boats built by those using the books as direction.

I'm not saying the books are incorrect, as the boats I see on the Qajaq site and the boats pictured in the books all look like low volume boats and those I see being built by most on the KBB turn out to be of rather high volume and much freeboard. Something seems amiss here. ???

Is it because folks are padding their measurements to keep their boats more stable or is there some other technique that is being implimented by others that make their boats much lower in volume?

Is this something that has to be figured out with formulas, design, or are some of the builders taking other measures to keep their boats low volume and less freeboard??

I'm interested in building a boat that's much lower in freeboard, more for play and short trips and am not interested in long camping trips and barge-like boats.

An example of what I'm talking about would be that designed boats, from most of the commercial sites, for my weight and height, all seem to point to a 17-17 1/2' boat with a 23" beam. While I'm coming up with the same beam, using the anthropomorphic measureing method, my length is scooting up to the 19 - 19' 4" length. This seems to be spelling BARGE and 5 to 8" of freeboard to me. NOT!!!

I've already built one boat using other's ideas and it came out too large and for the most part unusable for me alone. I had to make it a double and there's only one of me...... wait..... let me look around..... O.K. there's a trailer there, but it's only me. So, I'm giving it away ( the boat ) to some friends that paddle together. I can't afford to do that again, and I'm not getting any paddle time sitting here looking at this thing sitting in the cradles in my livingroom.

Where does weight factor into these equations?? I mean, I'm 6'3" tall and 245 lbs, and my reach is 76" from tip to tip. I'm sure there are others that have the height and reach, but are lighter or heavier. So, this is critical to the volume and how does it figure into the skin boats design?? How do I know ahead of time just how tall to make the boat for the proper freeboard. Is it all guess work..... build and take what you get???

I want a boat to play in and the next one will be it. I'm buiding two smaller boats for my grandkids in the 12 - 13' range, and one for myself as well ( length undetermined as of yet ). All this winter and all S o F. I already have plans for a Merganser 17w for the spring and hopefully done by the R2K3 meet. Then I'm building the Great Auk next fall. That will be one of each and I will probably, by that time, see and know what I like the best and work on something else of my own. ?? Time alone will tell. I also have a Grebe or two to build some where in there. Maybe one skin boat and one Grebe for the kids. ??? Anyway, back to the issue at hand...

Hmmmmmm!! What was the issue..... ???

Oh yeh, so...... since I keep seeing skin boats coming out with high volume and mega freeboard, and I'm using the same books, how do I come up with the measurements that will produce the lower volume and maybe 2 - 3" freeboard at most ??

I guess I could build a Grebe and get in it for low freeboard.... Submersible comes to mind.

Basically, this is all because I just love the looks of a long, sleek low volume boat and not much else. Have no interest in long trips ( my back probably won't be good for more than a couple of hours ) or over night camping. Just lots of exploring and quiet, peaceful paddling where-ever I can get to. If I decide to try camping, I will use the Merganser when completed.

Am I making any sense here and of all the builders that have built by these methods, what is your opinion and if you had another chance to build, what would you do different and would you use the Anthrop........ method again. ???

Those that have built the lower volume, low freeboard style skin boats, what would you attribute your success to in this styling? Did you follow the systems spelled out in these or other books or did you try other methods to create your boats??

Would be very interested in whatever ideas anyone has along these lines. ( very low lines )
Sorry for the run-on here but I have had this on my mind for a while and every time I want to mention it, it slips away somewhere deep within and I lose my train of thought. Not so sure I got it all out here, but this will do as a start. I'm ready to build one damn-fine, gorgeous boat and need a tad more direction.

It's late, I'm tired and I have 120 dozen cookies to bake this week. And materials to buy for two skin boats....... once I get some insight as to where to head with this.

Thanks in advance for all the great help..... It 'WILL' be great help, won't it?? Please??

And I'm off.... into a cloud of flour and mini-chocolate chips and oatmeal...

Rehd