Jbrady

thanks, I like that seat and will be purchasing one!

Hey guys I haven't yet started my first build but this is the only kayak forum I belong to and I have a couple question pertaining to my last trip on the water in my CLC 17. First and most concerning problem is numbness in both legs and feet after 20 minutes in the boat. I have a half inch thick butt pad in my kayak that just sticks down, it is comfortable on my bottom but while sitting it seems its causing bad circulation problems. I took and 25 minute run across the bay to a nice point that I like to paddle to and when I got out of the boat the "asleep" feeling was so bad in both legs that I nearly fell. I had to drag my legs around it took about 5 minutes to gain full normal movement. Just imagine if I found myself in a wet exit situation! Anyone ever dealt with this? Second issue is that I can't roll. I bought this kayak about a year ago and this is about the 5th outing with it. That is because I bought and fell in love with stand up paddle boarding. I could venture further on my paddle board because I was not concerned with wet exit/reentry or rolling, if I fell I just jumped right back on. So when I decided to give the kayak another shot I knew I needed to spend some time trying to roll. I watched alot of youtube videos which make alot of sense, but once I flip upside down I just can't seem to execute. Its so different hanging upside down in the water. I can't even get to 25% of a roll, twice my head barely broke the water but not even long enough to get a breath of air. I know the clc 17 isn't the boat to learn to roll in but i figure if I can roll it then I can roll anything. Any tips would be apprieciated. Lastly on a positive note I did learn to do I cowboy scramble reentry, but I broke my back hatch cover. There is 3 strong back braces that strengthen and hold a curve in the hatch cover, while scooting across the back of the kayak my weight pressure separated one side of all three strong backs, cracking the okume plywood(but not all the way through). Can I just expoxy and c-clamp this back together? Thanks for any help. I am starting to become a little discouraged with kayaking with SUPing being so easy, but I know I can't cover the distances I need to achieve on a regular basis or haul the gear on my paddle board. I also know that I need a instructor but with all the travels I do for work with breaks lasting no more than a week sometimes, its all I can do just to get out on my own, let alone manage to find a instructor with a opening. Thanks again.

I don't want to start a new thread for a bunch of novice questions so here is one thats off the original topic. I need places to tie bow and stern lines for car top hauling. Are the hard to add to a skin boat? Thanks.

Thank your for the clarification. The hunt for good plywood begins!

Wow thanks for the information. I think my worries have been put to rest. It's hard not to want to build one of these kayaks when there is such a great support community. Not to mention that I have one thread and one post in someone else's thread both of which have been addressed by the actual designer of the boat. If that doesn't give confidence to a new builder I don't know what will. Looking forward to joining all of you.

I'm not trying to derail this thread but am a little concerned after reading this thread. I'm doing research for my first skin boat build by reading this forum. Do these boats really rely on a few coats of paint to make them waterproof? I just started kayaking with a clc 17 and have already lost some paint entering and exiting my boat in Sandy beach areas. If I do that with these boats am I going to constantly be fighting a wet possibly unsafe cockpit? Sorry if the is a total newbie question and Im not trying to be negative toward the design. I just want to .learn

I thought I read here that domestic marine grade was no good also. Am I wrong here?

Fair enough, I'll find some good wood. What thickness ply should I source for a kudzu? Sorry not trying to get print information for free but I'd like to find some wood before I buy my plans. Thanks for the useful info guys.

Hello all, first time poster here. My name is Josh. I recently began kayaking this year, my first boat was a chesapeake 17 that I bought off craigslist. I love the boat and plan to build a clc kit in the future but I've become very fond of the skin on frame designs. Being new to this I think a kudzu would make a great first build with the cost being lower than say a clc kit. Plus I get a SOF boat. So my first question here is regarding wood. I'm having a hard time finding baltic birch or any other quality import here in panama city, fl and honestly being new to wood working am not sure that I need to go butchering quality wood on this first build anyways. In the FAQ section its mentioned about epoxying poor quality wood. If one were to go about this, what wood then becomes acceptable? Standard lumberyard plywood? Marine grade? Ive got loads of 3/4" non treated that ive been doing sub floor repairs with in my home. I have some 1/2" treated that i did roof repairs with too. Not sure if i could make use of any of it for this though. What kind of epoxy would be best for sealing wood in this manner? From reading the FAQ and some other threads I understand how important good wood is but I think I'll save that for build number two. Thanks for any info.