Subject: Re: [baidarka] big trip
From: Harvey Golden (harveydgolden@yahoo.com)
Date: Mon Feb 28 2005 - 13:19:38 EST
--- Kcorkey@aol.com wrote:
> The plan is to paddle from the tip of Lake
> Champlain, at the
> US/Canadian border, to Key West. Yup, it's about
> 2000 miles. I'm
> planning on leaving around August 1st (avoiding
> seriously cold water
> and the need for much cold water gear) and hopefully
> arriving within 60
> days. That means averaging 40 to 50 miles per day.
> Most of the trip
> will be done in the Intracoastal Waterway with a few
> short stints in
> the ocean. Hopefully it will be an uneventful
> hurricane season!
> About 3 years ago I built an MAE AC from plans from
> the Canadian Museum
> of Civilization.
Dear Kirsten,
Sounds fun-- except for the daily mileage
requirements. I did an 800 mile trip in a Kodiak
Baidarka, and maybe averaged 15 miles a day-- got
nailed down by weather, good food, bad food, good
people, bad people, and cool places. Why rush a good
thing? (I know you said why in your post, but maybe
do half the distance in the alotted time and enjoy it?
The rest will be there for another trip.)
Very nice choice of kayaks; I built a replica of the
MAE AC's similarly-sized sibling, the MAE 593-76 and
loved it. I also, at the time, weighed 125#. It
should excel in those conditions, and in fact would be
quite at home in a hurricane or two-- assuming you
would be. The big issue would be packing the thing--
not much room, as I recall. That's why I used a
Kodiak kayak-- slower and less elegant indeed, but
comfortable. The lines of this kayak have been
published in David Zimmerly's book "QAYAQ" (2000,
University of Alaska Press) pg. 29. Photos of my
replica and the 'trip' are at my web-page:
http://www.traditionalkayaks.com
I'm also pondering a big trip, decidedly smaller than
yours of course, but have chosen a smaller design than
the Kodiak kayak-- Its a Bering Straits replica that I
just built-- details and pics at
http://www.traditionalkayaks.com/Kayakreplicas/ESK0162.html
It should be noticeably faster than the Kodiak as
its hull-sections are more of a deep parabolic curve
(tippy, fast, seaworthy). The depth is still
considerable at 8" to sheer, 13-7/8" overall, so
comfort and capacity are 'there.'
All the best, and let us know how it goes!
Harvey
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