7 replies to this topic

[Kudzu]

This has been tossed around a lot. Just not a lot of demand for plans. I doubt I could ever sell enough plans to make it worth my trouble but from what I have seen I think people would buy the book so they could get the offsets. think this may be a last minute addition to my new book.


This would be aimed the teens to pre-teens. Not large enough for full sized boat. Styled to look just likes Dads or Moms boat. 12 foot in length?

[P Douglass (WA)]

Sounds like a winner only I'd target pre-teens. Once they hit teens, they are usually pushing being ready of the full size. Those buggers grow fast and they probably wouldn't think it is cool to be seen in a "kids" boat.

[Ward]

I agree. It seems there is a real need for a small 10 -12 ft boat for pre-teens.

[woodman]

Looks real good about 20'' wide?
I just finished one for the grandson....
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[Kudzu]

Finished (?) the design and looks like 100 lb paddler is the practical limit. Pretty sure this is going in the book.

[Ward]

Jeff, what do you think the minimum weight will be? Promised grandson that we would build kayak this summer.

[Kudzu]

That is a good question and I need to look at that. Will do that and post it here.

[Kudzu]

OK Ward, I just did some playing around and while it is hard to say exactly it looks like we are talking (total displacement) 50 lbs to 150 lbs. I am guessing the boat will weight in around 20 lbs, a little more or a little less.

At 50 lbs the boat is not sitting very deep in the water. The chine are just about 1/2" under the water at the center of the boat so I don't know how well it will track or how good stability will be. Of course a young kid is not going to care about tracking and going swimming is part of the fun for most. Of course some kids a spill could scare them bad too.

PS
As I was working on the description something occurred to me. It would really be simple to add an outrigger to the boat. Add some bungee's on the back, slip a board underneath going across the boat with some sort of float under that. Presto, training wheels!