A friend of mine built a reproduction of a Hooper Bay kayak. The type with the big grab handles on the ends. He said they were intended to be used carrying loads as well. With no ballast, just sitting on the water empty, it would heel over to one side or the other. He was a smallish guy, probably 165#. Couldn't paddle it because it was so unstable. Before he gave up he hit upon the idea that as the kayak was designed to carry lots of stuff, maybe he should add some ballast, and after he did that it paddled great, so he used to carry around a bunch of empty gallon jugs. When he got to the put-in he'd fill them up and put them in the kayak, then empty them when it was time to move gear back to the car.

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