Peter Smith

Thanks for your advice. Brian at Cape Falcon Kayaks also advises for non-bungee deck rigging (in his video linked below). I'll give it a try.

Correct no pigment. I am very happy with it. It is very translucent and has yellowed just a tiny bit over the last two years. I considered ordering some rare earth pigment from Cape Falcon Kayaks, but the write-up at The Skin Boat Store mentioned that this fabric didn't take pigments very well.

We are 70 lbs different. That works out to 1.12 cubic feet of water displacement. So I would expect the kayak to sit about an 1 inch higher in the water. I couldn't with any experience say however what the difference in handling would be, but the the kayak would be a little higher, so just slightly shorter and narrower at the water line. Whatever you choose, enjoy the project.

I am 210 lbs and have a Ravenswood. It handles great for me. I chose it over the Short Short because I often pack the kayak around by myself and wanted less weight. The Ravenswood LV is much narrower and will feel tippy, but if the paddler is experienced, I would pick it.

I wasn't comfortable with the attachment brackets for the foot pedals that come with the pedals. I sometimes put a lot of pressure on the pedals and was worried that the small screws, only attached to the gunwales, would eventually tear out. I also didn't like the idea of so many screw holes in the gunwales so close together, weakening the wood. I came up with an alternative design that attaches both to the gunwales and chine stringers. I was able to get a small piece of aluminum (1/8 thick x 1" wide) from a local welding outfit. See photos for full explanation. In the unskinned photo, the top bolts are only there temporarily. I removed them, did the skin, and then re-added them. That way I could also use the same bolts for attaching some of the strapping for my deck bungee chords. The bottom ends are attached with screws instead of bolts so that bolt heads won't make bumps underneath the skin. I added some heavy thread for extra strength.

I sketched out several different options for deck rigging until I made my decision. See photos. I was hoping to lay out the bungee chords so that I didn't have any doubled-up sections, although I decided to double up the outside lines behind the cockpit for running my paddle under them with a paddle float. The bow deck lines run far forward so that I can stow my paddle or a backup paddle. Having long perimeter lines gives me something to grab onto if I’m in the water and not near the cockpit, although so far I’ve only capsized intentionally to practice wet re-entry. To attached the chords to the kayak, I used nylon strapping with bolts that go right through the gunwales, with big washers on the inside. (That is except for at the bow where I cannot reach inside to attached the bolts.) I want to be able to rely on the rigging in case of an emergency; either for holding onto when in the water, or for towing. I ordered the chording and strapping from The Skin Boat Store along with the nylon skin. They offered a good price and I like the colour.

Well, I actually launched this back in April 2021, so now I have 2 summers of use out of it to report on. 1/2" marine-grade fir plywood yellow cedar stringers laminated oak cockpit coaming 9 oz nylon with 2-part urethane from the Skin Boat Store Yellow cedar is around 30% heavier than red cedar but also 30% stronger. I decided to use it for the extra strength, foregoing some lightness. I coated the plywood ribs with West System 105 epoxy to waterproof it. I am really pleased with the kayak. It handles great and is a joy to paddle. The primary stability is lower than the plastic kayaks I paddled previously, but it only took 2 outings to get used to it. It edges well with good secondary stability, and it is easy to perform self re-entry. I'm still working on learning to roll. I am 6'1" and 210 lbs and appreciate the large cockpit opening. I've recently switch to a Greenland paddle and think it is a nice aesthetic fit with the skin-on-frame.