Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1998 01:42:39 -0400
From: Jim Coburn <jimcoburn@worldnet.att.net>
To: baidarka@lists.intelenet.net
Subject: Re: [baidarka] Folding Kayak/Blandford
Greetings,
These plans are available from Clarkcraft at www.clarkcraft.com. Free catalog.
Last I checked, they offered about 10 of Percy Blandford's designs.
I ordered the folding kayak plans, which are very similar to the plans for
Blandford's double kayak, which I built and you can see at
http://home.att.net/~jimcoburn/gallery/gallery.htm.
This is definitely a sturdy boat, but it had some problems that could be fixed
while building, which probably apply to the folding boat:
1. Frames are about 3/8" wide, which is a little too slim, especially when you
try to screw the stringers to it.
2. Frames are way too deep, as much as 3-4" in diameter. This cuts down on
interior space, raises the floor, and adds weight. Frames 1-2" wide seem more
than sturdy enough to me.
3. The floor is raised a good 1-2" above the bottom of the boat. This raises
the center of gravity and makes the boat more unstable than it needs to be.
It's such a sturdy boat seats could be right on the bottom, without any floor at
all.
4. Keelson makes the boat really, really hard to turn. I don't know if this
applies to the folding boat.
(By the way, it came out beautifully, but it's not my style. It's for sale if
you're interested and near to Western Massachusetts).
Jim Coburn