timkunce Posted September 29, 2015 Report Share Posted September 29, 2015 My wife has expressed joining me on a paddle. She likes the look of my curlew but feels it is a larger boat than she would prefer. She is around 5', 100lb. Would the tadpole be a good choice? or is that too small? Only need enough storage between the 2 boats for 1 night of camping. Paddling in mostly flat water (class 2 rapids at the highest) in Michigan. Any input would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kudzu Posted September 29, 2015 Report Share Posted September 29, 2015 Curlew is a bad choice because she will not sink the boat enough for it to track. She will hate it! It will be like paddling a white water boat or playing on a kids sit and spin. It will turn very fast and often. Shad would be my first choice. It is lower volume so it will not swallow her whole. It is a strong tracker so even with her light weight it should track well. Longer length will be an issue with her I am sure, but short boats are slow. This one being a longer waterline will give her good speed for the effort she put in. Not talking about racing either but normal paddling speeds. Tadpole, I am not sure. It is a good bit smaller and might work but I am hesitant to recommend it. Paddling in mostly flat water (class 2 rapids at the highest) in Michigan. Your are looking at the wrong type of boat. Mine are not suitable of any kind of rapids! Being push by current against rocks or what ever else is on the bottom will evenly rub a hole in the skin. Get sideways and you could collapse the frame around yourself. There is lot more force put on the skin in moving water than people think. True flat water running over something is no big deal. Moviing water and constantly running over even smoother rocks is a whole different animal and is where plastic shines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timkunce Posted September 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2015 Class 1 may have been more appropriate, the river just gets a little choppy, like a lake on a breezy day. Never had a problem in the curlew. I'll take a look at the Shad, can I buy just the offsets? I enjoy drawing the boat up in CAD and making the plans myself (I have a CNC that I use to cut my frames). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kudzu Posted September 29, 2015 Report Share Posted September 29, 2015 Let her try your Curlew but my one experience with small women your wife's size was not good. I do not sell offsets, only full size plans and precut kits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timkunce Posted October 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 She hated my Curlew, the hull barely sat down into the water. I think I'll try the Shad then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kudzu Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 Not surprised at all. I really need to create a small person design but there isn't a lot of demand for one. At least I have not seen it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfrankel Posted October 11, 2015 Report Share Posted October 11, 2015 My wife is the same size. I searched without success for SOF plans 2 years ago. NO LUCK. I built a Pygmy Osprey 13. More time and more money than SOF, but she is more than happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodman Posted October 11, 2015 Report Share Posted October 11, 2015 Tweek the width of curlew down by 11% on the forums making it a 19.5" beam.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jheander Posted October 15, 2015 Report Share Posted October 15, 2015 Traditional Greenland kayaks are often a good fit for small people since they are sleek and low volume. Several designs are available on the internet for example the Shrike or models of the Illorsuit kayak. I'll try to find links when I get in front of a computer. Skickat från min GT-I9506 via Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Action Tiger Posted October 15, 2015 Report Share Posted October 15, 2015 Traditional Greenland kayaks were, more often than not, made to fit the individual. That's the way I learned, by using anthropometric measurements. Certain features were unique to certain places, (man, I LOVE the tail fins!) and all the boats were slightly different, but the boat was "worn" by the paddler. If you have ever been out rolling on the big bad sea, you will know the importance of your boat fitting like a glove. That's a big reason for the small volume, too, the rolling and ocean work. Lots of kayak people had high volume, non rolling kayaks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timkunce Posted October 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 Those are good ideas fellas, thanks for the input. Guess I'm not sure what to build anymore. At least I have until the Spring thaw to get it done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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