From: "James Mitchell" <mariner@seanet.com>
To: <baidarka@lists.intelenet.net>
Subject: Re: baidarka Seat
Date: Tue, 7 Sep 1999 21:48:51 -0700
Donald, re: seats. Corey makes a contoured plastic seat that fits some
boats well, but I don't use it myself because I like to sit right on the
bottom of the hull. What I do use is a 3/8" foam pad cut from a sleeping
pad, with a Thermarest inflatable pillow on top. I can adjust the pillow
while underway, if I need a little more cush for a long trip, or let it out
if I really need to glue my butt into the boat. I also pad the sides out so
my hips are secure. And most important, set the knee braces first. You
gotta lock in that hull with your knees.
Re: Paddles. I have been designing and building and testing for years now,
and am just starting to build paddles for other people. If you are
interested, I would need to know your reach from the ground straight up to
the tips of your fingers. Also the width of your shoulders. I am building
two styles, one based on the blades collected around the Aleutians (32"
blades, 26" wide oval loom, 4" wide) and the other more of a Bering Sea
style (18" blades, 60" nearly-round loom, 4-1/2" wide). I make them all of
a single piece of redcedar, with varnished blades and oiled loom. If you
are interested, we can talk more offline.
Of course, the best alternative is to build your own. Here, I highly
recommend Wolfgang's book!
----- Original Message -----
From: Donald Schoengold <donaldsc@vegas.infi.net>
To: <baidarka@lists.intelenet.net>
Sent: Tuesday, September 07, 1999 9:30 AM
Subject: baidarka Seat
I have built a Bruce Lemon baidarka which was great fun and will, I assume,
be
even more fun when I get it into the water. Been so busy this summer that
I
have not had time.
Got a question, however. I need to get a seat for the thing. Most seats
that
I can buy in the store require attachment points and Bruce's boats do not
have
any. The best I have been able to come up w so far is a child size version
of
the crazy creek chair. There has to be a better option. Any ideas?
Also, I have been considering purchasing a Betsie Bay Greenland style paddle
since it does not seem appropriate to paddle a baidarka w a plastic paddle.
However, some people have told me that Greenland style paddles are very
difficult to get used to. Unfortunately, there are no stores in or near Las
Vegas where I can even look at such a paddle, much less try it out. I also
paddle a Feathercraft K1 light. Am I likely to have great difficulty
switching paddle styles. Perhaps I should just buy a wooden standard
paddle.
Ideas? Opinions?
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