4 metre creek crawler

Well I'm not going down to a 20" maximum beam. I'm a kayaking idiot mate. It needs to be a bit of a compromise. 26" beam at four inches above the waterline shouldn't be too bad. Seat will be a few inches off the baseline, so say gunwale is five inches above lowest point of butt. Just trying to mock it up with a tape measure in the loungeroom, the angles seem ok if not perfect.

 

Sounds good and since it's so cheap to build, go for it! A cockpit mockup is a wonderful idea though. Skin boats are so very cool and I really admire this project and hope it gets built soon so we can see more.
Here are some photos of other skin kayaks.

 

I wouldn't be using that exact method of construction. I'd go for the simplified modern version, as used by Dave Gentry and Tom Yost. Basic web frames at 500mm spacing with stringers about 30x20 mm. Much simpler and arguably just as good.

 

If it works it's obviously right, otherwise it wouldn't work.
I am not familiar with their boats but if it works well for someone else, and they've done the trial and error development for you, go for it, because it'll work for you.

 

http://www.gentrycustomboats.com/

http://yostwerks.com/WoodSOFMain.html

Like that.

 

Love 'em!!

 

You can drop the sheer even further if you want, you don't need 4" of freeboard. Of the kayaks I currently own the closest to what you want would be this http://www.natureline.com.au/wanderer.htm and freeboard would be less than 2". One of my whitewater kayaks is almost as wide and freeboard to sheer is also less than 2". It really does make a difference to how often you bang your paddle or fingers against the gunwale.

With regard to seat height make it as low as possible, for stability it is as important as the wide beam.

It occurred to me that what you are building is similar to Macgregor's RobRoy so you might be interested in his thoughts from the 19th century. You can check out the appendix of his book at http://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/jm/TM.HTM

 

Hmm. Well I don't want to be using a skirt when paddling. This is meant to be an open boat with a cockpit that's easy to get into and out of. If I get into skirts n stuff I have to learn rolling and all sorts of silliness. My thinking is if boat falls over, swim it to shore and bail it out. Hey ho. Not really sure I want to go down to 2" freeboard.

 

If no skirt, it's not a kayak, but a double paddle canoe, and has a bigger cockpit. See L.F. Herreshoff's yacht design series for a great bunch of cool ideas on the subject.

 

Not Necessarily. The skirt is most useful for keeping water out before you roll. It's biggest advantage is keeping you dry from the spray and occasional wave (or wake) you might punch through. If you do dump the boat you just grab the handle and the skirt pops right off. Even if you can't roll it, a spray skirt is definitely worth having.

On the topic of safety, there is a LOT of gear you need to go paddling. When I got started I spent more on safety gear than I did on the kayak itself. If you're paddling in warmer and more populated areas, you might not need all the stuff, but it's still good to have.

At a minimum you need a good, comfortable PFD. Make sure you can paddle with it on and that it fits snugly. Keep in mind you may well be wearing this thing for 6-8 hours at a time, so it had better be comfortable.

Depending on where you are, a wetsuit may be an essential item. Around here, without a wetsuit you have maybe 10 minutes in the water before you can't effectively move. Even if you do make it out, you can still freeze to death on shore. I've got a bib type (called a Farmer John over here) and with that, all synthetic socks, a synthetic shirt and a fleece I can stay warm in the water for up to about half an hour and once I get out of the water I stay warm pretty much indefinitely.

For safety gear I carry what is supposed to be the loudest whistle in the world (and I believe it. ouch!), a plastic signal mirror, an emergency space blanket, a xenon strobe light, and a waterproof marine VHF radio. Here on the sound you're never more than 20 minutes from a helicopter IF they know you're out there.

Like I said, depending on where and how you paddle, you may not need all this stuff. I do most of my paddling in remote areas and alone, so if I get in trouble it will be hours before anyone starts looking for me otherwise.

Which brings me to the simplest safety precaution. Every time I go paddle I make sure someone knows where I'm going and when I expect to be back and if they don't hear from me by about that time to call someone. It doesn't cost anything and my keep you alive.

EDIT: on a completely different subject, you can make those traditional SOF boats without taking a single measurement.

 

Voice of experience and well said, thanks. After years in CG SAR I wouldn't have had to look for all those dead people if they'd been sensible like this. Occasionally we found the bodies (that's what international orange is for) but usually not.
Three rules of boats:
1. Don't be stupid. (see safety notes above)
2. **** happens. (wear the PFD and wet suit)
3. Bring beer. (for later, on the beach, around the fire as the clams steam and the cute girl starts playing her guitar and giving you the eye).
Remember rule #1, as it's the only one that matters, but if you ignore it, rule #2 kicks in quickly.

 

I don't have a skirt for the Wanderer. Although the height to the sheer may be small you effectively have more freeboard than that as it's not until the edge of the cockpit goes under that you've run out of freeboard.

Having said that there are designs out there with high freeboard so it is possible to adapt paddling style to match the boat. Ultimately it's your boat and you should build it the way you want.

With regard to safety equipment there are very few places in Australia with cold water so for your planned usage you probably only need a PFD.

Of course if you really want to get on the water in a hurry there are often cheap secondhand kayaks if you know where to look (my wanderer was $200) but where is the fun in that?

 

For what I'll be doing the main safety equipment will be between the ears. It's kept me alive so far. PFD as well when going out on a dam or whatever. And yes really I should be referring to this as a double paddle canoe, given the intended use.

I think I'll stick with the 4" freeboard. That appeals to my instincts. It'll give a bit better range of stability and some more reserve bouyancy for dealing with a chop. I'm happy with 4" freeboard. When I think about 2" freeboard I start hearing grumbly noises inside my head. The voices are talking to me again, which is usually a sign that bad things are likely to happen.

 

Here's what all this crap looks like in practice. Not shown is the pump and paddle float that clip onto the read deck and my gloves (also green). That's DOT C2 reflective striping on the bow and stern. It's all about being seen.

 

Main safety equipment between the ears, you'll be fine mate, that's the one that really counts. Our well-equipped friend paddles in very cold, rough waters and his ideas are sound and should be looked at.