Boat Building Forum

Find advice on all aspects of building your own kayak, canoe or any lightweight boats

Design characteristics for long touring
By:Jay Babina
Date: 8/29/2010, 9:34 am
In Response To: Other: Design characteristics for long touring (Stephen Troy)

Since you are a paddler, I would build a boat that you are happy with overall and not just for the specific task of a two week trip down a river. Building a nice kayak is a lot of work to just focus it for a two week trip. It goes without saying that you want to be comfortable for several solid weeks in the kayak.

One point I would like to make about speed. A half mile an hour of speed difference between two boats when it's just under 1/4 of your total speed is quite noticeable. It's like buying a good bicycle vs. a cheap bicycle. The speed is the same ultimately. But the smooth effortless feeling a good bicycle delivers is quite noticeable when you're on that bike. Thats what it's like to glide along the water vs. humping it out in a shorter, wider boat. That feeling is multiplied out at the end of a long day.

You should try some boats to see what feels good to you.

Messages In This Thread

Other: Design characteristics for long touring
Stephen Troy -- 8/27/2010, 2:08 pm
Re: Other: Design characteristics for long touring
Eric -- 9/7/2010, 3:09 pm
Re: Other: Design characteristics for long touring
Robert N Pruden -- 9/1/2010, 12:06 am
Re: Other: Design characteristics for long touring
Bill Hamm -- 9/2/2010, 2:52 am
Re: Other: Design characteristics for long touring
Robert N Pruden -- 9/2/2010, 11:00 am
Re: Other: Design characteristics for long touring
Bill Hamm -- 9/2/2010, 2:28 pm
Re: Other: Design characteristics for long touring
Etienne Muller -- 9/3/2010, 4:50 pm
Re: Other: Design characteristics for long touring
Bill Hamm -- 9/4/2010, 5:41 am
Re: Other: Design characteristics for long touring
Robert N Pruden -- 9/2/2010, 4:23 pm
Re: Other: Design characteristics for long touring
Bill Hamm -- 9/3/2010, 2:13 am
Re: Other: Design characteristics for long touring
Bill Hamm -- 9/3/2010, 3:38 am
Re: Other: Design characteristics for long touring
Shark Bait -- 9/4/2010, 3:14 pm
Re: Other: Design characteristics for long touring
Bill Hamm -- 9/5/2010, 12:46 am
Re: Other: Design characteristics for long touring
Bill Hamm -- 9/3/2010, 1:00 am
Design characteristics for long touring
Jay Babina -- 8/29/2010, 9:34 am
Re: Other: Design characteristics for long touring
Shark Bait -- 8/28/2010, 8:04 am
Re: Other: Design characteristics for long touring
Stephen Troy -- 8/28/2010, 12:13 pm
Re: Other: Design characteristics for long touring
Malcolm Schweizer -- 8/28/2010, 6:24 am
Re: Other: Design characteristics for long touring
Stephen Troy -- 8/28/2010, 1:05 pm
Re: Other: Design characteristics for long touring
Kudzu -- 8/27/2010, 9:19 pm
Re: Other: Design characteristics for long touring
Stephen Troy -- 8/28/2010, 12:08 am
Re: Other: Design characteristics for long touring
Kudzu -- 8/28/2010, 9:09 am
Re: Other: Design characteristics for long touring
Bill Hamm -- 8/28/2010, 12:42 am
Re: Other: Design characteristics for long touring
Stephen Troy -- 8/28/2010, 1:10 pm
Re: Other: Design characteristics for long touring
Bill Hamm -- 8/29/2010, 12:31 am
Re: Other: Design characteristics for long touring
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 8/27/2010, 4:12 pm
Re: Other: Design characteristics for long touring *PIC*
Dave Gentry -- 8/27/2010, 3:48 pm