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Re: Kayak-ified Surf Skis
By:Björn Thomasson
Date: 5/13/2014, 4:19 pm
In Response To: Re: Kayak-ified Surf Skis (Robert W)

I agree about the number of designs on my site. I often think of how to downsize, to simplify for me as well as those looking for new projects. But all of them sell, more or less. Designs that are absolutely uninspiring for an Americam market may be popular in Denmark or the Netherlands and so on. But I have been thinking of a ”discontinued folder”). It is far too easy to add but remarkably difficult to remove ;-)

On the alteration issue I am not comfortable with just push-button changes. There are issues that I prefer to keep in my control: if you fx change LOA, BOA and height by x, the results would be that the speed changes with the square root of x, the linear dimensions with x, the wetted surface with x2, displacement and drag by x3, stability by x4 and inertia by x5. It is easy to lose control, and come up with something that does not behave even close to what I have designed in the first place. So my view is that individualizing the LOA and sometimes the deck height (the really low kayaks have a higher option indicated on the plans) is OK. I have made that an easy option by distributing the molds over the LOA instead of the normal practice; over the waterline. Those who want to make more fundamental changes and have the experience and competence to handle it will probably do better firing up KayakFoundry instead of tweaking a finished design – it will not be what I conjured up anyway.

That said, I have at occasions shipped slightly customized plans (not only Black Pearl) – a smaller Njord for a small guy, a Hunter with high deck for a paddler with VERY BIG feet etc. But for the most part I reject such requests. Having designed a kayak with a certain performance profile, done the calculations, built and tested a prototype to confirm that it does what I expect, I am not too keen on altering that on the whim of somebody, whose experience, competence and judgement I do not know. I realize that may sound patronizing, but be prepared to have a good set of arguments when asking me to remodel my babies ;-)

But if there is a demand I will prepare alternative versions...

Messages In This Thread

Review: Freya' FREYA review *PIC*
Etienne Muller -- 5/6/2014, 11:26 am
Re: Review: Freya' FREYA review
JohnAbercrombie -- 5/6/2014, 1:28 pm
Re: Review: Freya' FREYA review
Ancient kayaker -- 5/7/2014, 4:53 pm
Re: Review: Freya' FREYA review
JohnAbercrombie -- 5/7/2014, 5:58 pm
Re: Review: Freya' FREYA review
Mike Bielski -- 5/7/2014, 11:55 pm
Re: Review: Freya' FREYA review
JohnAbercrombie -- 5/8/2014, 1:10 am
Re: Review: Freya' FREYA review
Björn Thomasson -- 5/8/2014, 5:55 am
Re: Review: Freya' FREYA review
Mike Bielski -- 5/8/2014, 2:36 pm
Re: Review: Freya' FREYA review
JohnAbercrombie -- 5/8/2014, 3:21 pm
Re: Review: Freya' FREYA review
mick allen -- 5/8/2014, 11:25 pm
Re: Review: Freya' FREYA review *PIC*
JohnAbercrombie -- 5/9/2014, 1:08 am
Re: Review: Freya' FREYA review
Dan Caouette (CSCWC) -- 5/8/2014, 4:21 pm
Re: Review: Freya' FREYA review
Mike Bielski -- 5/12/2014, 4:34 pm
Re: Review: Freya' FREYA review
Robert W -- 5/8/2014, 3:33 pm
Re: Review: Freya' FREYA review
JohnAbercrombie -- 5/8/2014, 3:58 pm
Kayak-ified Surf Skis *PIC*
Dan Caouette (CSCWC) -- 5/8/2014, 4:46 pm
Re: Kayak-ified Surf Skis
JohnAbercrombie -- 5/8/2014, 5:37 pm
Re: Kayak-ified Surf Skis
Dan Caouette (CSCWC) -- 5/9/2014, 8:30 am
Re: Kayak-ified Surf Skis
Björn Thomasson -- 5/9/2014, 1:56 pm
Re: Kayak-ified Surf Skis
Dan Caouette (CSCWC) -- 5/12/2014, 6:32 am
Re: Kayak-ified Surf Skis
Robert W -- 5/12/2014, 10:47 am
Re: Kayak-ified Surf Skis
Björn Thomasson -- 5/12/2014, 11:34 am
Re: Kayak-ified Surf Skis
Robert W -- 5/13/2014, 2:56 pm
Re: Kayak-ified Surf Skis
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 5/13/2014, 4:04 pm
Re: Kayak-ified Surf Skis
Björn Thomasson -- 5/13/2014, 4:19 pm
Re: Kayak-ified Surf Skis
anewhouse -- 5/13/2014, 10:35 pm
Re: Kayak- Surf Ski-ified
Marc Upchurch -- 5/12/2014, 7:27 pm
Re: Kayak- Surf Ski-ified
JohnAbercrombie -- 5/12/2014, 11:58 pm
Re: Kayak- Surf Ski-ified
Marc Upchurch -- 5/13/2014, 8:18 am
Re: Surf ski-ified Kayak *PIC*
Dan Caouette (CSCWC) -- 5/13/2014, 9:14 am
Re: Surf ski-ified Kayak
Marc Upchurch -- 5/13/2014, 4:45 pm
Re: Surf ski-ified Kayak
Dan Caouette (CSCWC) -- 5/13/2014, 5:05 pm
Re: Surf ski-ified Kayak
Björn Thomasson -- 5/14/2014, 2:39 am
Re: Kayak- Surf Ski-ified
Bill Hamm -- 5/13/2014, 12:53 am
Re: Kayak- Surf Ski-ified
Marc Upchurch -- 5/13/2014, 8:22 am
Re: Kayak- Surf Ski-ified
Bill Hamm -- 5/14/2014, 1:21 am
Re: Kayak- Surf Ski-ified
Björn Thomasson -- 5/14/2014, 2:43 am
Re: Kayak- Surf Ski-ified
Marc Upchurch -- 5/14/2014, 12:57 pm
Re: Kayak- Surf Ski-ified
Craig -- 5/15/2014, 2:59 am
Re: Kayak- Surf Ski-ified
Marc Upchurch -- 5/15/2014, 4:39 pm
Re: Kayak- Surf Ski-ified
Craig Robinson -- 5/16/2014, 12:59 am
Re: Kayak- Surf Ski-ified
Marc Upchurch -- 5/16/2014, 8:51 am
Re: Kayak- Surf Ski-ified
Craig -- 5/16/2014, 11:04 pm
Re: Kayak- Surf Ski-ified
Craig -- 5/16/2014, 11:06 pm
Re: Kayak- Surf Ski-ified
Craig -- 5/16/2014, 11:08 pm
Re: Kayak- Surf Ski-ified
Bill Hamm -- 5/18/2014, 12:16 am
Re: Kayak- Surf Ski-ified
Craig -- 5/18/2014, 3:06 am
Re: Kayak- Surf Ski-ified
Marc Upchurch -- 5/16/2014, 11:16 pm
Re: Kayak- Surf Ski-ified
Etienne Muller -- 5/17/2014, 3:52 am
Re: Kayak- Surf Ski-ified
Craig -- 5/17/2014, 6:02 am
Re: Kayak- Surf Ski-ified
JohnAbercrombie -- 5/17/2014, 12:15 pm
Re: Kayak- Surf Ski-ified *PIC*
JohnAbercrombie -- 5/17/2014, 12:44 pm
Re: Kayak- Surf Ski-ified
Marc Upchurch -- 5/17/2014, 8:19 pm
Re: Kayak- Surf Ski-ified
JohnAbercrombie -- 5/17/2014, 8:54 pm
Re: Kayak- Surf Ski-ified
Marc Upchurch -- 5/17/2014, 9:15 pm
Re: Kayak- Surf Ski-ified
Bill Hamm -- 5/18/2014, 12:18 am
Re: Kayak- Surf Ski-ified - Thanks
Marc Upchurch -- 5/18/2014, 10:03 am
Re: Kayak- Surf Ski-ified
Bill Hamm -- 5/15/2014, 2:31 pm
Re: Kayak-ified Surf Skis Correction
Marc Upchurch -- 5/12/2014, 7:32 pm