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Ravenswood in Cary


JohnAsa

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I finally completed my Ravenswood build.  I'm not thrilled with my skin ( a little loose), but it is okay.

paddles straight.

 

I recently completed the FreeB and was surprised at how much less stable the Ravenswood is in comparison.

She dumped me the first time I tried to get onboard, even using my paddle for balance.

 

Now that I have learned to get in without going for a swim, I LOVE IT.  Nice and fast, easy paddling.  I think my cushion may be too thick, which puts me a little above the waterline, and makes it less stable.  Reminds me of riding a bike with no hands.  

 

I have one picture of the Ravenswood hanging in my garage, and another from the cockpit, behind my wife in the FreeB.  

 

This has been a great way to spend the "Covid lockdown" and I now have friends asking me to build a kayak for them.

 

 

 

 

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John:

Nice boat! Best seat cushion I have found is a Therm-A-Rest Trail Cushion. Easy on the anatomy and keeps your center-of-gravity low. Put some self-adhesive velcro on your floor boards and on the cushion and you're ready to go. To get the velcro to stick well to the cushion, some contact cement is first required on the cushion. To give credit where due, this method is used by Pygmy Boats.

Fair winds!

 

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Before I designed boats I built a skinny, little boat that was WAY less stable then my skills at the time. I rarely paddled it and because it was a struggle to keep up right. 

 

I was sitting on an old typewriter pad (are you old enough to remember those?) about an 1/2" thick. I borrowed something similar from a fellow paddler because I forgot mine.

 

He left early and I pulled up to a leaning tree, braced myself and pulled out his cushion and tossed it to him.  Sat there in the boat a couple of minutes talking and suddenly realized that I wasn't struggling to stay upright.

 

Without the pad I was much more stable/comfortable. I could paddle the boat without having to watch every move I made. It was still an unstable boat but the difference was night and day. But that thin pad raised the Center of Gravity enough to make that boat unstable. The difference was unbelievable.

 

If you are sitting on a thick pad, get rid of it and get something thinner. A 1/2" in height makes a huge difference.

 

If you start paddling a lot, I HIGHLY recommend a Redfish precarved seat base. They are not cheap but they are the most comfortable seat I have ever used.

https://www.redfishkayak.com/minicell-foam 

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  • 3 months later...
On 12/1/2020 at 7:55 AM, Kudzu said:

Before I designed boats I built a skinny, little boat that was WAY less stable then my skills at the time. I rarely paddled it and because it was a struggle to keep up right. 

 

I was sitting on an old typewriter pad (are you old enough to remember those?) about an 1/2" thick. I borrowed something similar from a fellow paddler because I forgot mine.

 

He left early and I pulled up to a leaning tree, braced myself and pulled out his cushion and tossed it to him.  Sat there in the boat a couple of minutes talking and suddenly realized that I wasn't struggling to stay upright.

 

Without the pad I was much more stable/comfortable. I could paddle the boat without having to watch every move I made. It was still an unstable boat but the difference was night and day. But that thin pad raised the Center of Gravity enough to make that boat unstable. The difference was unbelievable.

 

If you are sitting on a thick pad, get rid of it and get something thinner. A 1/2" in height makes a huge difference.

 

If you start paddling a lot, I HIGHLY recommend a Redfish precarved seat base. They are not cheap but they are the most comfortable seat I have ever used.

https://www.redfishkayak.com/minicell-foam 

I agree on getting low. I watched a new concepts, Zone here in florida for sale for two years. It was so unstable no one could use it unless you were into surfing I suppose. I bought it knowing the sit on top seat was raised a few inches from the bottom. After cutting out the seat and folding it down to the bottom and re-glassing, it is now a wonderful boat. Used it in the Gulf with waves from everywhere, what a difference.

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