Subject: RE: baidarka Inuit boat plans - any firsthand experience?
From: wolfgang brinck (nativewater@yahoo.com)
Date: Thu May 04 2000 - 18:21:13 EDT
Here's some comments for what it's worth.
Rent some singles or doubles and get your family
comfortable with them. See if they even like paddling
before you put the effort into building a double. Also
have your whole family take some kayak rescue classes
so all of you get comfortable with wet exits, bailing
a boat, getting back in one, etc. If they're still
game after that and don't mind some water up their
nose, then think about building a double.
If you want comfort and stability, consider one of
George Dyson's designs. You can still do them in wood
if that's what you crave. Look at Zimmerly's drawings
of doubles for construction details.
The Aleut and Kodiak originals are slightly less roomy
than George's designs, hence they have less room for
gear.
Once you load a double or single baidarka with gear,
they're very stable and a comfortable boat even in
rough water.
Nobody will stop you from paddling a double boat solo,
but why do it? It's not that hard to knock out a
single after you've built a double.
If your family does not like the rescue drills,
consider building yourself a single and skipping the
double altogether. Again, stick with the baidarka
design if you're intending to take it camping. Easier
to stow gear in than in a Greenland.
Wolf
--- "Peter A. Chopelas" <pac@premier1.net> wrote:
> In my own case right now I am thinking about
> building a double for family
> outings and need information to help me pick or
> modify a design. At first
> I wanted a three holer with the middle hatch for
> carrying my youngest
> daughter and/or cargo (not really something I would
> expect to beable to
> roll). Than it occurred to me when my wife gets
> more experienced, and my
> daughter a little older, and both want to be in
> their own kayaks, that a
> three holer will be a bit much for a single paddler
> to handle. I'll end up
> with a pretty large kayak nobody wants to use. So
> now I'm thinking I'll
> build a smaller double that will still handle well
> with a single paddler
> with extra room for cargo. I will eventually build
> singles for us but that
> will probably happen at least until next winter for
> use in the summer of
> 2001. I want to get started on the double now to
> use this summer in the
> Puget Sound area.
>
> I am intending this kayak for general recreational
> use close to shore and
> in lakes, for camping and day tripping, and possible
> island hopping once we
> get more experienced. I am a fairly experienced
> canoe paddler and very
> experienced with both summer and winter backcountry
> travel. I do not want
> to build a kayak I will out grow but I do not want
> to build one that is too
> much for me or my wife to handle right now either.
>
> Eventually I will take what I learn on this double
> to design and build the
> singles later, so I am not expecting the ideal boat
> at first try, but I do
> want one that is "good enough" for my purposes that
> will not have any bad
> habits and we can enjoy for years to come.
>
> Any suggestions or comments?
>
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