seakayak moulds and design

[gages]

Any one have seakayak moulds for sale-- urgently want modern design seakayaks ,also willing to listen and pay for the right design that hasnt been built as yet

lawrencegeoghegan@gmail.com

Thanks

[gages]

Still chasing the above items

[wjquigs]

Just curious...seems like there are hundreds of sea kayak designs out there already, but it also seems like none of them is what you're looking for? Your requirements must be unusual. Also, why not build a strip kayak from one of these designs and use it as a mold?

[gages]

I'm just not willing to just flop and copy someone elses design and hard work--I'm happy to pay good money for a new (if not maybe slightly changed) concept

Is that OK?

[rwatson]

I dont think wjquigs was saying you should steal anyones ideas, just that there are heaps of plans out there of very high quality, and a million styles.

The idea of building your own moulds isnt all that strange either. Most designers would be happy to negotiate a small royalty if you wanted to do multiple craft if you are planning to go commercial.

[wjquigs]

Exactly. I think any designer would be happy to have their boat produced in quantity. I'm just curious what it is you're looking for that you can't find in any of the existing designs.

[Riverrat1969]

gages, about 25 years ago, I was in your position. None of the available boats was what I wanted, so I designed and built my own boat, and it delivered the performance I was looking for.

I would suggest that you get two books............

Qayaq: Kayaks of Alaska and Siberia, by David W. Zimmerly

The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America, by Edwin Tappan Adney and Howard I. Chappelle

Both of these books contain designs that evolved for real hunting, fishing, and traveling, in the worst life threatening conditions, before man had invented radio, GPS, or the other life saving gear we have today.

Originally, I was wanting to build in fiberglass, either using C-FLEX, or making a wood and plaster mold. After a year of weekend reading in the library of the Mariners Museum in Newport News, Virginia, I decided that 3mm marine plywood, covered in West System epoxy and fiberglass was the best method for a one off hull.

By the way, the original line drawings for the Adney/Chappelle book are kept at the Mariners Museum in Newport News........about 18-24 inches long.

Men a millenia ago, paddling in ice cold water, without the ability to forecast weather or any chance of outside rescue, designed boats for the real world. Don't reinvent the wheel, use a design based on on these craft of antiquity.

You'll see that most boats evolving in the Bering Strait were entirely different than boats made to paddle near Greenland. Greenland boats, if left to their own, point upwind. If you were caught in a gale, and being blown out to sea, this feature would be an energy saver, paddling for your life to regain the shore.

The west coast boats were the opposite, and would run down wind easily. If far offshore, hunting whales, and a big blow caught you out, the prevailing winds would take you to land.

The inland boats were built for SPEED, to dart caribou herds crossing the rivers, and tended to be the least seaworthy designs.

Think about the area you are designing the boat for, and what you want the boat to do. The boat I ended up with has a radical deep vee bottom; no slapping noise in rough water, superb tracking, and designed to be used with a parafoil kite pulling it. Fast, comfortable, stealthy, and using design features that evolved over thousands of years, combined with a modern tow kite, to cover long distances with less energy.

Many British designs have a built in pump on the back deck. I would suggest a foot operated pump, on a bulkhead instead. That way, in extreme conditions, you can keep paddling, and still periodically pump the water out that gets past your spray skirt. Another good thing about the deep vee design; it funnels water to one spot, making it easy to pump out.

[gages]

bought the books you recommended ,always wort taking advice, I'm so busy with my own seakayak manufacture and wanting to expand but cant stop production --so I put the "feelers" out there in the hope that designers/owners might want some work out of it or maybe a sale, I build already an awesome design and as you suggest quite correctly a foot pump built into the design of the front bulkhead ( if i could i would upload an image) and its very good

i bought the books on amazon the other day so cant wait to read them

thanks and if any one has a good design they want to lease/sell/hire let me know I'm keen