Diva: OK for "big people"

[Frank Hagan]

OK, maybe not "big" as much as, er, "fat" I guess. Seriously, I weigh 230 pounds now, and is a 15' 8" kayak large enough?

We sold our blow molded, 85 pound double seater kayak last weekend, so we are looking for individual 'yaks now. My wife is thinking of an inflatable (!), but I keep looking at the Diva and thinking that I could easily finish one of those now that my schedule has calmed down a bit at work. If I start fast enough, and get it 3-D, she'll want one too.

So any other, uh, "husky" guys have one of these?

[Guest Oyster]

Welcome to the forum and the madness of boat building decisions. :wink: Now in the beginning, a newbie must determine the intended use of a particular design, including the projected areas of use the majority of the time, along with carrying capacities of cargo and passengers. When I read that you had a double person kayak, in my mind I think of general cruising for your potential project. When you also speak about the possibility of two vehicles, I also think of the simplistic nature of a pair of Birders. This model, in particular, appears to be a bit more open and friendly to loading and mounting up at the beginning of ones trip, with some versatilty over a lot more days and regions of the country.

Now what was your question, sir? 8)

[John Weigandt]

I now have a pair of birders. Nice little boat. See more in post above.

[ChrisObee]

As the high caliber individual is mostly concerned with beam rather than LOA, this should be the dimension of concern. My wife has a sea kayak that would float me that I cannot sit in. My caliber being larger than that of the boat.

[Frank Hagan]

Huh' date=' What, did I miss something?

Did you finish your Spindrift 10 already Frank???[/quote']

Of course not! It is the boat I'll never finish because its never moved from "want" to "need". Now, I "need" a kayak since I sold my old one. The sit on top models have a lot of boyancy, so they can take a wide variety of people. But I figure I better take a close look at stats on the "sit in" kayaks.

[Frank Hagan]

Welcome to the forum and the madness of boat building decisions. :wink: Now in the beginning' date=' a newbie must determine the intended use of a particular design, including the projected areas of use the majority of the time, along with carrying capacities of cargo and passengers. When I read that you had a double person kayak, in my mind I think of general cruising for your potential project. When you also speak about the possibility of two vehicles, I also think of the simplistic nature of a pair of Birders. This model, in particular, appears to be a bit more open and friendly to loading and mounting up at the beginning of ones trip, with some versatilty over a lot more days and regions of the country.

Now what was your question, sir? 8)[/quote']

Well, us newbies have to stick together ...

We use our kayaks for short paddling trips around the harbors here, almost never on the open ocean unless it is really calm (and then only to paddle around the jetty. So storage of "gear" is not a problem. But I have heard that some people, as they add "gear" to their bodies have a hard time keeping the kayak on top of the water rather than half submerged. To save embarrassment, I would prefer that my kayak not sink when I get into it.

[Guest Oyster]

Well I see an added bit of beam in the birder versus the Diva. Graham also notes that in one of his classes he widen the bottom one inch more, inhis reply to John Weigandt in the thread in the "BEER" cruise thread.

The Birder is a bit shorter, but the Birder 2 carries the same length. I would think that you can place air chambers in the Birder, even using the portable flotation chambers on each end. I think it may boil down to the look for a single paddling versus the double paddle again, too. The Birder may be a few pounds less weight and shorter, and according to the website the Diva will steer better. The Birder seems to have a broader entrance door in it. From the outward appearance, and my opinion, the Birder shows an easier build, at least from this newbie's opinion. :wink: So tell us whatchu need to get started?

Birder

Birder 2

length

13'

15' 8"

beam

26"

28"

weight

33 lbs.

45 lbs.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Diva

length 15' 8"

beam 23' 1/2"

weight 35 - 40 lbs.

capacity 1 adult plus touring gear

[Frank Hagan]

I really like the looks of the Diva better, but the Birder also has a kind of charm. And easy to build probably means faster to build, which should put my new kayak in the water by 2008.

I also have several plans here already, so I have to look at them. But I'm leaning toward the Birder right now.

[Greg Luckett]

Frank,

I also have wondered about the person's girth and weight in a Diva, which I bought the plan set several years ago with the idea of building a couple. Then I considered sitting with my legs flat out in front of me for hours, and decided and even if a fatty like me could fit in it, my knees would not like staying in one position for a long time. What I really want is to try sitting in one prior to spending time and money building one.

The Diva is a pretty kayak.