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Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions *PIC*
By:John Bell
Date: 9/26/2015, 2:41 pm

On the recommendation of Nick Schade and I think a few others here, I just took for a "test drive" the mystery boat I posted about a few days ago. This is the 19' strip-built kayak he said might be an old/detuned IFC sprint boat.

I took her out on what amounts to a large, shallow pond next to the Potomac. Overcast and quite breezy here today. She was, unsurprisingly, very tippy, but I managed to stay upright. (Putting in at a beach rather than a dock helped.) At speed she wasn't overly unstable--though I did have to focus--and she's a decently fast boat. Not the easiest to turn; I think my Coho is somehow easier, though it's 1.5' shorter. This boat is lighter, though. I should take the bathroom scale out there and weigh her, but for now I'm guessing she's maybe 35 lbs. One other thing I noticed is that sitting upright with my back all the way back, I don't need to bend my knees. (I wear a 30" inseam.)

If I keep her a while, which seems likely, I think what I'll do is add some sponsons along each side, just above the waterline. I'm thinking I'll make them out of large blocks of balsa. Balsa is super-buoyant and (being wood) can be stained to look like the rest of the boat. I would then epoxy and glass the sponsons so they'll be durable. As to attaching them, I could glue them--or I could use velcro. I think if I used enough, it would work--and the sponsons would obviously be removable (as would the velcro strips on the boat if it came to that).

Without sponsons, she'd be great for flat rivers or lakes--but there's no way I'd take her on the Potomac. (Even with sponsons I'd be nervous; it gets some lake-like waves.) I may end up selling her if the sponson idea doesn't work--or if you guys all say "ARE YOU INSANE?" at the same time. :-)

Messages In This Thread

Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions *PIC*
John Bell -- 9/26/2015, 2:41 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
Bill Hamm -- 9/27/2015, 12:52 am
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
Tasos -- 9/27/2015, 2:25 am
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
Bill Hamm -- 9/27/2015, 4:01 am
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
John Bell -- 9/27/2015, 9:55 am
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
Bill Hamm -- 9/27/2015, 5:13 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
John Bell -- 9/27/2015, 9:47 am
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 9/27/2015, 5:25 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
John Bell -- 9/27/2015, 5:33 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
Thomas Duncan -- 9/29/2015, 10:17 am
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
Bill Hamm -- 9/29/2015, 11:53 am
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
John Bell -- 9/29/2015, 6:45 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
Thomas Duncan -- 9/30/2015, 9:31 am
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
Bill Hamm -- 9/30/2015, 1:39 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
JohnAbercrombie -- 9/30/2015, 2:32 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
Thomas Duncan -- 10/1/2015, 10:29 am
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
Bill Hamm -- 9/30/2015, 1:47 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 9/30/2015, 5:34 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
Bill Hamm -- 9/30/2015, 10:38 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
John Bell -- 9/29/2015, 6:31 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
Bill Hamm -- 9/29/2015, 7:06 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
John Bell -- 9/29/2015, 7:54 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
frankp -- 9/28/2015, 2:45 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
John Bell -- 9/28/2015, 6:49 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
Ken Blanton -- 9/27/2015, 7:09 am
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
John Bell -- 9/27/2015, 9:50 am
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
Rob Macks/Laughing Loon CC&K -- 9/29/2015, 2:23 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
John Bell -- 9/29/2015, 5:32 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
Mike Bielski -- 9/29/2015, 6:09 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
John Bell -- 9/29/2015, 6:39 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
Bill Hamm -- 9/29/2015, 6:11 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
John Bell -- 9/29/2015, 6:41 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
scottbaxter -- 9/29/2015, 7:16 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
John Bell -- 9/29/2015, 7:59 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
Mike Bielski -- 9/27/2015, 1:09 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
John Bell -- 9/27/2015, 5:29 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
Bill Hamm -- 9/27/2015, 5:42 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
John Bell -- 9/27/2015, 5:50 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 9/28/2015, 9:11 am
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
John Bell -- 9/28/2015, 6:55 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
Bill Hamm -- 9/29/2015, 2:22 am
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
scottbaxter -- 9/29/2015, 5:03 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
John Bell -- 9/29/2015, 5:55 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
John Bell -- 9/29/2015, 5:33 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
Bill Hamm -- 9/29/2015, 6:16 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
Rob Macks/Laughing Loon CC&K -- 9/28/2015, 9:47 am
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
John Bell -- 9/28/2015, 6:59 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
Jay babina -- 9/27/2015, 5:51 pm
outrigger?
Jay babina -- 9/27/2015, 5:48 pm
Re: outrigger?
John Bell -- 9/27/2015, 5:54 pm
Re: outrigger?
Bill Hamm -- 9/27/2015, 8:26 pm
Re: outrigger?
John Bell -- 9/27/2015, 9:28 pm
Re: outrigger? *PIC*
Rob Macks/Laughing Loon CC&K -- 9/27/2015, 9:35 pm
Re: outrigger?
John Bell -- 9/27/2015, 9:52 pm
Re: outrigger? *PIC*
Rob Macks/Laughing Loon CC&K -- 9/28/2015, 8:19 am
Re: outrigger?
Bill Hamm -- 9/27/2015, 10:25 pm
Re: outrigger?
Jay Babina -- 9/28/2015, 7:33 am
Re: outrigger?
Bill Hamm -- 9/28/2015, 8:49 am
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
jameskretz -- 9/28/2015, 12:40 pm
Re: Strip: Just Paddled Mystery Kayak--Impressions
John Bell -- 9/28/2015, 7:04 pm