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Showing content with the highest reputation on 02/20/2017 in all areas

  1. Yes that's exactly what I was referencing. The typical Klepper double with a 31" width. Not for me. And many others are like that. There seem to be some manufacturers making boats which more resemble the plastic ones we paddle (see Trak, Nortik, Triton), but as I wrote, they easily cost double or triple of what a heavy plastic boat would cost. And certainly much more than the boats Jeff designs. Yes, every boat is certainly a compromise. But for me it's more or less having a foldable or not having a kayak at all. Storage and transportation won't allow a different one. Yes, I'm considering lee boards. I've seen kayak sail systems promising adequate performance with lee boards only. No amas though. As, you were saying, to me that wouldn't be a kayak anymore. Certainly true, you can't have it all. Just trying to find the best compromise. =) Thanks for the valid points.
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  2. Shear strakes are tack welded on. The battens are glued on with some material protruding in order to allow future beveling to match the curve of the cabin roof (thanks for that tip Pete!).
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  3. Chick, I do not have any pictures yet. As you know when it comes to cosmetics Beth rules, all of the parts are out being coated. I never had ideal conditions for testing the centerboard extension yet. I did watch my leeway angle at every chance that I had and I am pretty sure that it is better.
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  4. Don, I did use my smartphone GPS and I liked it. I planned it as a backup but I used it when the Garmin had too much glare to read from my helm position, I had it in my pocket and could hold it away from the glare. I used it at night for trip planning because it had better scrolling and measuring than the Garmin. I thought that I would have needed it for real one day when the Garmin gave me the dreaded crash and then the black screen. I shut it down or a while and it rebooted as though nothing had happened. One of the many jobs that was not completed before I left was mounting the compass and elected to mount it along the way. I never felt the need for it while underway as the GPS with its projected course line is way superior to the compass as it is calculated from your projected course over the ground with set and drift and recomputing continuously. I did use the compass while not under way checking on wind direction as fronts came over. Alex, I had to hold my nose to put on a 2 1/2 hp motor let alone 6. My problem was running late and facing winter fronts coming continuously. There was one day when I would not have said no to another hp but I just do not want the extra size. There was one time when the motor was handy. We were ripping down the Cape Fear River with a strong fair tide and following wind. I had to do a 90 degree turn to rejoin the ICW and it became quickly apparent that if I did not use the motor I might get swept past the channel. The motor was on the lee side so there was no issue of the prop ventilating but it was interesting to hear the motor change rpm's as the puffs came, accelerated the boat and unloading the prop and reloading as the puff went away. A couple of work boats around 40 - 50 feet came up the river, entered the channel behind me and it was interesting to see how much they crabbed as they turned across current. I have put this time to good use and have made a better GPS mount which will allow me to angle the unit to any helm position as well as downward to reduce glare. I also made shelves, washboard and cup holder, pencil and binocular rack and lots of other little details.
    1 point


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