This is the computerized sketch of the chine of the my new kayak. Dave Isbell is building it using skin on frame (SOF) techniques, but it won't be a traditional SOF kayak. We started with the design of the Guillemot Mystery and scaled that down to fit my 5'1" frame. But the Mystery is typically built as a wood strip boat which allows for a more rounded hull. We could have designed a more rounded hull by adding in more chines but I really wanted a kayak with a solid area of primary stability and secondary stability. But I wanted it as narrow as possible and as long as possible ... for speed. So what we've come up with so far is a 18 1/2" wide kayak with a 16" wide hull at the water line. The extra flare in the hull is to add the secondary stability I wanted built into the boat. And I think we're up to 19 feet for the length which would 19 feet waterline. The bow and stern won't flare up like in a traditional greenland style boat.



Above is a side view of the hull. The slope of the deck is still under development. I want to be able to roll the boat. To roll the boat I need to be able to make contact with the deck around the upper thigh. But I want to get the maximum speed out of the boat. To get maximum speed I need amble room for my knees so that when I rotate my body through the stroke I can push with the legs. So we're going to have to be a little creative with the design of the deck. And the final kayak will probably only fit one person ... me.



Above is another view of the chines on the boat. The program he's using also provides data on hull displacement which we used to modify the width of the hull. This is my first attempt at designing a kayak. And what I've learned is that everything is a trade off. I want the boat to be fast and the best hull shape for speed is a circle. But a circle is also the most unstable and virtually impossible to accomplish in a SOF kayak anyway. So we're trying for fast but stable. I'm hoping that the narrow waterline will compensate for the less rounded hull. Also the less rigid structure of the SOF kayak should compromise speed as well, but I'm hoping that will be minimal.

-Susanita