Hello All,
I going to stray from the conventional questions on yak building (I hope that's OK Nick)...and pose a question about a boat I knew when I was younger at my grandparents cottage. I never drove one, but the more fortunate kids had a tiny (maybe 9-12ft long and as shallow as a yak) boat that up here was called a "Sea Flea". It likely weighed about 50lbs, and with a 5-10 horse motor it would do about 45-60mph. Not the safest thing around seeing as you'd catch big air off a 2 foot wave, but did they ever look fun. The front is closed off from the top, and there's a steering wheel and throttle...likely a homemade rig of pulleys and cables. I have a 9.9 horse Johnson that propels a 12foot aluminum about 35mph, but I'd bet it would throw a Sea Flea into the 50's or 60's (on calm waters). Does anyone know anything about these, or better yet..has built one?. Now that I have a decent understanding about strip building, I'm wondering if a strip built version (fibreglassed of course) would hold up. I'm thinking it's definitely possible, especially with a heavier fabric (10oz) laid up in several layers, especially at the transom. Being on contract work it looks like I may have 3-4 months off this fall which is a great opportunity to this and another kayak (and some serious fun yak trips).
Please comment.
James Nixon