Subject: Re: [baidarka] Choosing a first skinboat
From: Douglas Huft (douglashuft@earthlink.net)
Date: Sun Jun 22 2003 - 03:40:25 EDT
on 6/20/03 10:29 PM, Scott Calman at scalman@ucsd.edu wrote:
> First, sorry for the long post...
>
> I have been lurking here for quite some time and have been impressed by
> the breadth of knowledge shown by the list's members. I am sitting here
> this summer with nothing but time on my hands. I am recovering from a
> spinal surgery. I am doing great but bored to tears since I don't have
A baidarka can be scaled (as in widened) within reason to fit your frame. As
a rolling machine, I wouldn't recommend either kayak. My experience with
baidarkas is that they are not the easiest boats to roll due to the high
back deck (if you are accustomed to laying back when rolling) and the
multichined hull with its lack of secondary stability (which makes it a
little trickier to finish the roll). If you have a good teacher/rolling
coach he should be able to teach you a method that would work in a baidarka
(it would involve a forward lean and an extended paddle most likely). Dont
let the baidarkas reputation as a difficult (or rather different method)
boat to roll scare you away from the design because there are many other
positive attributes to the design like the high back deck (that makes
rolling tricky for some) but also gives you a lot of space for gear storage.
That rounded multichine hull is pretty efficient also. You can also
bastardize the boat and evolve a flat back deck on to it if you wish. One
last thought is if you are having spine problems you might not feel like
laying back anyway so a higher back deck wont be much of a disadvantage for
you.
Douglas Huft
-Shields (Ikyak)
-Dyson Double (Alagulot)- soon to be a triple (Kaukunlott)
-"play baidarka" (Tshinatak).
- in the works, a short(7'ish) flat bottomed planing hull, hard edged,
squirty S.O.F. surf kayak, you might call it a retrieval kayak.
> I have some experience with kayaks but am really a novice and have
> mostly experience with "sit on top' and Surf Ski type boats.
> like mine. My first use will be to learn to roll in the boat because I
> will be doing surf launches. After that it will be used to paddle in the
> fairly calm conditions of Southern California. I really like the lines
> of the Baidarka but am concerned that with my weight it will porpoise
> and might be to tender for my large body. On the other hand, I am
> concerned that the Hooper Bay style might be too beamy for me to
> successfully roll.
>
> Any thoughts would be a help. I have some nice Cedar and Fir on hand and
> would like to start next week.
>
> Thanks All,
>
> --------------------------------------------------------
> Scott Calman, Systems Administrator
> Dept. of Psychology, University of California, San Diego
> 9500 Gilman Drive, MS 0109. La Jolla CA, 92037
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