Hi Pete,

Keep in mind that I have only paddled the Guillemot 17, and not the Expedition Single, Guillemot L, or a stretched Guillemot 18. These are just my (educated, but still) opinions. Everything is theoretical, but can be generally agreed upon. Since I hardly changed the overall hull design of the original Guillemot, I don't have any reason to believe that this boat won't meet my hypothetical expectations. If I had radically changed things, I probably wouldn't have done as much work on the deck, as the boat would have been more of a prototype. I did everything in good faith that it will work out as planned.

: Shawn: Could you comment on exactly how you added the 1" near the
: cockpit? Did you modify a number of forms? Which forms? Did you just add
: 1" near the cockpit and 3/4" at the next forward from, 1/2"
: to the next, etc?? more details please as I may consider this rather than
: the Exp. Single. What advantages do you see with this as opposed to Nicks
: larger Guillimot 18 or the Exp. Single? I am psyched to have you get a
: chance to compare yours and the shorter version in terms of tracking, etc
: at some point. perhaps at the west coast kayak fest.

I plotted all the forms to scale, exactly like they were shown in the offsets table of The Strip Built Sea Kayak. I then sketched all the lines 1" higher, on one side of the forms. I then folded the form at the centerline, and traced the line to the other side of the form to keep things symmetrical. I think I added about 1" to forms 8 and 9, about 7/8" to 6, 7, and 10, 3/4" to form 11 and 5, 1/2" to 12 and 4, 1/4" at 13 and 3.

I paddled Pete Rudie's Guillemot 17 last summer and loved it, but there were a few things I wanted to change from the original design.

Pete epoxied on a "sacrificial" skeg--more of a protruding keel, 4' long, tapering from 0" to 1" tall, and about 1/2" wide. I really liked how it handled--a good balance between maneuverability and tracking. I haven't paddled a Guillemot that is built as originally designed. I'd heard that the ExpSingle had more tracking, but that wasn't exactly what I wanted, as the Chesapeakes (as you know) have tons o' tracking. I figured that adding a foot to the length of the 17' boat, keeping the forms at the same height (not compensating for rocker) would make it track a little stronger, but still keep good maneuverability. I added about 1/2" of depth at the very center of forms 14 and 15 to act somewhat like Pete's add on keel-skeg. This added a tiny bit of hollow at the ends, but not as much to strip around as on the Expedition Single.

Also, the Guillemot was a dream to roll--especially when compared to the Chesapeake. I didn't want to mess with the roll-ability of a boat I could hand roll, so I left the boat at 21" beam. When I paddled in the Puget Sound this summer, sometimes the 24" beam of the Chesapeake was too tippy in confused seas, so this new 21" boat with less initial stability should feel more comfortable in rougher water.

I also made the cockpit coaming 2" longer to accommodate my 6'-6" frame. I like being able to do a seat-first, then legs entry in the Chesapeake; that way I can pull my legs out of the cockpit when approaching shore and jump up and straddle the boat just as it hits the beach and avoid some major scratching. I think it should be easier to get in and go, especially in surf.

I believe Nick was working on the plans for the Guillemot L when I was plotting my stations for the "G18". I didn't hear about it until January or so. I think this G18 will have better maneuverability than the Expedition Single, and a stability profile that matches my expectations better than the Guillemot L. It will have slightly less gear capacity than the ExSingle or G-L, and more than the G17. Slightly less top-end speed than the ExSingle, but more efficient at my paddling speed. Faster and more efficient than the G-L (same waterline length, less wetted surface and beam). Easier to roll than the G-L--probably about the same as the ExSingle.

: I had my CLC 18 in the water last weekend. Its sits a bit high with my 130 lb
: SO. She can't wait for the Merganser 16 to be finished. I dont think I can
: actually fit in it though. I will have to paddle with my legs hanging out
: of the cockpit. Maybe I should put a bulkhead hatch in it so that my legs
: can stretch though to the front storage area.

Could you mount the bulkhead a bit farther forward, or is it already in? Sounds like it would be an excellent workout or day boat for a big guy like us. (That's what I'm thinking of if I build Grant's Cormorant 16--small enough for my wife, but will fit me--might be a fun rolling/play boat)

: my yak cradles (like Ross's) worked well on their first trip this wkend. I
: did find the plastic toggles nuts to crack though when tightened against
: my thule and have to replace with all metal ones now. the cradles held it
: very secure even though we had some strong cross highway gusts. i still
: tie down the nose and tail though.

Any photos? I could post them on my geocities website if you don't have a website.

: I plan on one more S&G (probably the squeedunk 16 or 18) for my father. thats
: the design that grant posted for free on his website. i will then have
: built 2 boats for others which is plenty and then its my turn to get a
: stripper going.

Oh yeah, and let me know how the Squeedunk Cormorant handles, too!

I don't know if I have the time to build a stripper a year. (I have a lot of respect for guys like Ross and Kent who do--and even more for Joe G. and Nick who do it professionally!) I think the next one will be an Outer Island started in Fall 2001. I had to put a lot of things on the back burner to build this boat, so the Honey-Do project list is growing by the day, and I need to dedicate some time to that to get it shortened!

Later, Shawn