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Re: Skin-on-Frame: SOF Baidarka build question
By:Rob Macks/Laughing Loon CC&K
Date: 9/26/2014, 10:47 am
In Response To: Skin-on-Frame: SOF Baidarka build question (thesolarsailor)

Baidarkas were work boats designed to carry a load. It's been suggested in the literature, ballast, (stones) were carried and exchanged with game & gear as needed. Empty, they were unstable.

I worked from surveyed drawings of Aleut craft for my hardshell baidarka designs. Understanding the average Aleut paddler may have been 5' tall and 150 pounds, I adjusted my first baidarka design to 18' 4" x 22-1/2" for my 5'11" x 220 pound size.

Reasoning, recreational paddlers will not carry ballast, I rounded off the Vee in the central part of my baidarkas for stability when not ballasted or loaded with camping gear.

Unless you are a seasoned (not salt & pepper) paddler, you may find increasing the Vee makes your design less stable.

The Vee of the keel on a skin-on-frame kayak is created by the keel stringer. I would suggest not increasing the angle to 14˚.

All the best,
Rob

Messages In This Thread

Skin-on-Frame: SOF Baidarka build question
thesolarsailor -- 9/26/2014, 9:24 am
Re: Skin-on-Frame: SOF Baidarka build question
Rob Macks/Laughing Loon CC&K -- 9/26/2014, 10:47 am
Re: Skin-on-Frame: SOF Baidarka build question
Mike Bielski -- 9/26/2014, 11:46 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: SOF Baidarka build question
John Faas -- 9/27/2014, 11:46 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: SOF Baidarka build question
thesolarsailor -- 9/29/2014, 9:37 am