Which Kudzu is best for me?

[wisenber]

I’m having a bit of difficulty choosing which Kudzu best meets my needs.

Your selection guide information does a good job of telling me the speed, handling and stability characteristics. That being said, I think I need a bit more guidance.

 

 What I actually want is a kayak that is capable of”:

 

1.)  sea kayaking and big rivers

 

2.) an ability to sprint for a bit at 5 knots

 

3.) maneuverable enough to handle swells and obstacles

 

4.) enough room for about 50 liters storage for unsupported travel.

 

5.) Stable enough to let me spend more time on forward strokes and less time on bracing strokes.

 

I currently own a Folbot Greenland II that more than meets 1,4 and 5, but is sorely lacking on 2 and 3. I also own a Wave Sport Ethos 10 that meets 1, 3 and 4, but at 10 foot struggles with 2 and 5.

 

I know no kayak does all things and all incorporate  compromises of some sort, but I am trying to figure out which gets close enough to the four requirements I need. Something that appears to fit the bill is Cape Falcon’s F1, but I’m looking for the Kudzu style of construction rather than steaming and bending wood.

 

Apologies for such a basic question. I'm just having trouble seeing how some of the descriptions map over to my requirements.

Any guidance would be much appreciated.

[Kudzu]

First question is did you read the FAQ posts above? One deals with which boat is for me?
 

 

 What I actually want is a kayak that is capable of”:
 
1.)  sea kayaking and big rivers

 Stay away from the Mess About/Cast Away. Not really sea kayaks but more Rec Boat.

 

2.) an ability to sprint for a bit at 5 knots

 Firefly, Long Shot, Sling Shot, Short Shot 5 mph is pretty easy. Any of the boats should be able to sprint to 5 mph no problem.... if the paddler is strong enough.

 

3.) maneuverable enough to handle swells and obstacles

 That is as much about the paddlers skill as it is the boat.  Long Shot, Short and Firefly have the loosest tracking so in that respect they could be considered the most maneuverable.  But the others can be turned well too. Just depends on your skills.

 

4.) enough room for about 50 liters storage for unsupported travel.

 I don't have a good answer to that but VARDO is larger and was designed with touring in mind. I think you could eliminate Sling Shot, it's low volume and so is Shad.

 

5.) Stable enough to let me spend more time on forward strokes and less time on bracing strokes

.

Again, that depends on the paddlers skills. What is wildly unstable one person is nothing to another. That is why I chose to go with the Stabitly Factor as a means of comparision.
 

I currently own a Folbot Greenland II that more than meets 1,4 and 5, but is sorely lacking on 2 and 3. I also own a Wave Sport Ethos 10 that meets 1, 3 and 4, but at 10 foot struggles with 2 and 5

.
 Never paddled either but I can you with out a doubt that no 10 foot boat is going to have any sort of speed capability. Anything that short is going to be a barge! My 15' Curlew would run rings around it.

 

Maybe that will help you narrow down you list some. Just keep asking questions.

[wisenber]

Thank you for the reply. I have read the FAQ and your boat descriptions a few times and they did help me understand the relative stability, speed and size of your models.

 

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a very talented paddler. I've paddled around the Panhandle of Florida along with some coastal areas of the Carolinas. However, my "local" waters are mostly TVA lakes and the numerous rivers and tributaries in Tennessee.

 

I'm all too familiar with both of my current kayaks being on the slow side. The 10' crossover is more for river running than open water and it does provide some dry storage. The Folbot is 17' with a 34" beam. It will carry weeks worth of gear and is quite stable, but accomplished both at a substantial speed and manuverability penalty.

 

While the speed potential of the Long Shot is quite attractive, I really like the length of the Curlew and Ravenswood to make it easier for running down some of the bigger rivers (by East Tennessee standards) and avoiding rocks and such. The resistance is what gets me on the Curlew or Ravenswood as I'd like to be able to sprint to beat a tide or weather change when needed (and keep up on group paddles).

 

The Vardo looks like a REALLY comfortable cruiser with good storage and speed, but I wonder about the length penalty and how well she'd do in coastal waters. The Short Shot also looks like a good compromise.

 

Have you had much feedback on owners using your designs in coastal waters? It sounds like they all do well in TVA lakes and rivers.

 

I'm sure you've already answered most of my questions in your FAQ section, but I'm having trouble mapping the resistance charts and stability factors to how it applies to a quick boat that can manage some 3-4 foot swells of the coast while also being nimble enough to navigate shoals and such while inland. I think about any of your kayak designs could manage to store 40 liters of gear with the aid of a hatch for access?

[Action Tiger]

I'm not sure what kind of river running you're contemplating, but a whitewater boat and a sea boat are different animals, except maybe a boat made to play in the surf. One designed to do both would do both poorly, I think.

You should know, too, your question is very subjective. Boats are like shoes, you know? What's the best shoe to hike in, and wear to a business meeting?

The real answer is to build two boats. You could build two of Jeff's boats for the price of one you would buy, probably. And you could have the best of both worlds!

[wisenber]

I'm not sure what kind of river running you're contemplating, but a whitewater boat and a sea boat are different animals, except maybe a boat made to play in the surf. One designed to do both would do both poorly, I think.

You should know, too, your question is very subjective. Boats are like shoes, you know? What's the best shoe to hike in, and wear to a business meeting?

The real answer is to build two boats. You could build two of Jeff's boats for the price of one you would buy, probably. And you could have the best of both worlds!

That's just it. I already have two boats, and I was hoping to find a "go to" design between the two rather than having something overly specialized.

 

I have a river running 10 footer and a 17 foot folding tandem sea kayak. Both are slow- one as a result of length and the other as a result of beam. I suppose I overemphasized the river part, as I'm not looking for another whitewater boat (the Ethos 10 is capapble of more than I ever will be in that area).

 

I'm looking more for a faster boat that can manage sea conditions, has a bit of storage and is nimble enough to cope with waves. Finding a clear cut answer is made more difficult by ALL of them looking pretty good.

 

All that being said, I'm leaning more towards the Curlew or Ravenswood for their compactness and relative quickness but do appreciate the spaciousness of the Vardo and the speed of the Long Shot. I am about 6' tall, 195 lbs with a size 13 foot, would the Curlew of Ravenswood work for a person that size, or do I need to move up to a Vardo or Long Shot to handle my Fred Flinstone feet?

[Action Tiger]

I will admit to being fairly ignorant of the Kudzu line.

I usually build boats by eye, or to my own design, so that's my druthers. However, I got a space phone, found the FreeB plans, built one, got hooked on the forum, and bitten by the Kudzu bug.

I'm a few inches taller, in the same weight class, and am blessed with 14eees. FreeB fits fine, tons of room.

I decided on Firefly for my boat, for what it's worth, mostly because I love the bifid bow so much. Frankly I believe any of the longer boats would serve any tallish person fairly well in any conditions.

I'm not allowed to buy plans until after gifting day, in case I get them...

[Kudzu]

Don't overlook Short Shot. I just restyled and updated it and built a one. I have been very impressed by it and should get the new plans listed in the store today.

[wisenber]

Don't overlook Short Shot. I just restyled and updated it and built a one. I have been very impressed by it and should get the new plans listed in the store today.

That one actually did catch my eye. It looks great! Will those be available in kit form any time soon? February looks like a good month for me to try and tackle building one.

[Kudzu]

Yes it will. I cut them once ordered so no problems there.

[wisenber]

Yes it will. I cut them once ordered so no problems there.

You mentioned some design changes on the Short Shot from the original. How does it differ from the description on kudzucraft.com,or do you have a link to prior discussion to share?

[Kudzu]

Looks only. Hull change very little.

 

http://www.kudzupatch.com/blog/category/boat_building/building-short-shot/

[cxs100]

Jeff, I am an advanced sea kayaker,160 pounds, and have paddled various sea kayaks for many years on the Great Lakes. I read your book - looked at all the kayak designs on your web site -- and am impressed with the detailed thought that you have put into your SOF kayaks.

I like the multi-chine LONG SHOT, but am really looking for a kayak about 17' x 21" wide, lower volume (lower decks front and back) with minimal rocker (to minimize impact of side winds, and eliminate need for a skeg or rudder). 

Have you considered making a narrower, lower-volume version of LONG SHOT? I would be interested in buying full-scale plans for a kayak like this.