: Practical? If I were practical I would just drive down to my local
: surfshop and buy a popout made in Thailand.

: How practical are SOF kayaks?

: How practical was the Wright flyer? I saw a special where a bunch
: of engineers used modern computer modeling to examine the Wright
: flyer. The conclusion was that it was humanly impossible to
: correct for the instability of the craft. So they built one. And
: some pilots flew it. And crashed it :).

: I had the same questions. Like I said the shape is over 70 years
: old. The shape is actually very nimble for a 14' X 24"
: "ironing board". When I first started paddling it, I
: thought I laid the "keel" crooked because I kept
: spinning away from the course I was trying hold. I adjusted my
: weight a tad and found I could hold a nice straight course
: despite a stiff breeze hitting me from an angle. There is no
: skeg on this board. I can hold a comfortable coarse on any
: "point of sail" with a few inch shift now. It's easier
: to hold a course than my modern roto kayak.

: I can do a 180 much faster than on my 12' modern longboard. I can
: prone paddle them about the same speed (timed 1 mile paddle) in
: glass. In mild chop the Blake is faster. My skinning work was
: not ideal and the way I worked out the nose is less than
: practical. When the skin fails I will re-do how the rails and
: nose come together and do a better job of skinning. I also have
: a bum shoulder so those all add up I think to my inability to
: overcome the wetted surface area of the Blake board to reap the
: rewards of the extra waterline.

: I thought the board was going to be a stiff tank. I built it to sup
: on thinking the old school tanks were stable barges. Not so. I
: can SUP on my 12' surfboard (I weigh 220# (100kg?)). On anything
: but glass the BlakeSOF is too much work to stay on.

: I chose the shape because of it's simplicity, boxy rails being
: easier to work out in SOF than a modern board.

: If your wife has questions about the practicality of riding ironing
: boards check this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mls1hhpPJEA
: Wegener had some questions about the ancient Hawaiian shapes he saw
: in museums (As did Blake). He found those shapes are quite
: effective. Modern surfing essentially abandoned 3000 years of
: evolution in 70 years. Starting with Blake and his modernization
: of the ancient olo. Sounds a bit like kayak evolution. Wegener
: is actually shaping "alaias" in foam now like a modern
: board.

: Blake revolutionized lifesaving with this board. Some refer to the
: shape I used as the lifeguard model. I'm an ex-lifeguard, a
: land/flatwater locked surfer and a waterman history geek so the
: shape has some meaning to me. I have a 1940's American Red Cross
: lifesaving manual with pictures of Blake's boards in it.

: Practical? Never. Did I learn something? Absolutely. I learned more
: than I thought I would. I have a new respect for Blake. I heard
: someone say we seem to forget that those who came before us
: essentially had the same problem solving skills and intelligence
: as us, they just had a different body of knowledge.

: I'll probably build a Blake board using the classic build method
: someday. My next project will be a folding SUP. Blake actually
: made a folding board. I've seen pictures from a distance but
: have never found info on the internal structure.

: I hope I don't come across as preachy. I'm not offended but I just
: want to stress we can learn a lot from those who come before
: use. Calling the Blake shape an ironing board is a bit like
: calling the great pyramid a pile of rocks. There is subtlety and
: elegance to these old things that can only be experienced.
: Picasso was a great artist in the classical sense before he
: discarded that and went cubist. A Picasso exhibit just came
: through town. I had respect for his place in art history but not
: until I saw some of his work in person did I truly understand
: what a genius he was. (I'm not trying to call myself Picasso by
: the way). Just the classic look to the future while
: understanding the past kind of thing.

Hi. Justin
Thanks for the reply, Just joking! and it's great to see someone passionate about what they do.
Regards Les C.