I wonder about what gear got sold or "collected" a LOT too. Some kayaks are top notch for sure- the kayaks Emanuelle Kornielsen built for Ken Taylor and John Heath are for sure.

The MacMillan kayak was collected with the paddle and harpoon that were built for it, so that is unique. I built a replica of that shrunk 15% for my daughter, and it seems quite quick, or more precisely, easily driven at a good speed with very little power input. I suspect it doesn't have an extremely high top speed, but it seems a kayak that paddles at moderate speeds without expending a lot of energy would be a greater benefit than one that went fast when you expended a lot of energy. I'm building a replica of it for myself, so I'll let you know in about 6 weeks how it paddles...

There is a kayak at Michigan State University that was remarked on by the people who collected it that it was the most beautiful kayak they saw- and I have seen it in person, and it is beautifully made without doubt. It has fairly extreme sheer. I have paddled a replica of it, and it doesn't weathercock as badly as you would guess by looking at it, but unfortunately I've never been able to paddle it in waves, and I'll bet it comes alive there.

Other than that- it's a question better posed to Harvey Golden.

I have wondered about paddles too. The ~96" paddle is a fairly close adaptation of the paddle Maligiaq raced with some years ago, but extrapolated from his size to mine. I chickened out and shrunk it an inch. What I can tell you is that you must be STRONG to get the most out of it, and at that length it is not a good paddle for bumpy water, because the stroke turnover is too slow and it leaves you without support, or worse yet catches on a wave before/after the stroke. It is a more muscular paddle and it has taken me a long time to learn to use it with any finesse. I think I can get the same amount of pull with a shorter paddle by changing the blade shape, which is my current quest. I have two paddles template-routed and ready to be shaped, so... When I get the perfect paddle worked out I'll build one in carbon. Hopefully I won't run out of paddle storage before then.

m