Portland Boat Show
If you were able to attend the Portland, Oregon boat show--which is going on right now, you could pick up a brand new, beautiful 15'-8" fiberglass sea kayak for the grand total of $1099. NC Kayaks has many others at $1000 off the regular price. Their models are 15'-8", 17'-2" and 19'-2". They are all very fast, light and gorgeous sea kayaks. You can see some of them at nckayaks.com. And they are all built right here in the USA.
Going fishing?
Or trolling?
6’ 110lbs and male
Barely seems possible.
I’d do a qcc 700, if for nothing else, the big hatches.
It is though
I’m not sure how I am so light, people can look right at me and still not believe.
Thanks
Thanks so much Willow and everyone else.
I will keep my eyes open but it looks like a skin on frame will probably be my choice so it can be custom made to my odd size.
Also thanks for mentioning my foot size, completely forgot.
For those non-believers
Here is a link to a few of my pictures showing my body size.
https://plus.google.com/photos/113121188621726461058/albums/6058754687770813217?banner=pwa&authkey=COf3v_C9oNb35wE
I am the one in the red swim shorts
SOF
How comfortable is your skin on frame kayak?
Also do they normally have deck rigging or is that something you have to add?
Would you say that is your fastest boat?
I’m not overly worried about stability and know that comes with time. I’m an extremely balanced person and actually have more fun in the boats I am told are “tippy”
Don’t doubt you
I have a 16 year old nephew who’s at least 5’ 10" or more (I have to look up at him) and 105#, think his shoe size is 11. You’re both bean-pole ectomorphs and lucky to be that way.
ectomorphs
Never heard that word before.
I’m not the biggest fan about my body type but I know it could be much, much worse. I’d like to slap every single person though that tells me I need to eat more.
Hey Willow, answer my other questions about SOF 
SOF
I built a Cape Falcon SC-1, essentially the same as the current F1. They're as comfortable as you make them, as the seat can be anything you need. Likewise with deck rigging - Brian equips them with latigo (leather) cords, but I swapped mine out for bunges, also added a painter to the front deck and paddle keeper to the rear:
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l234/carldelo/SC-1%20deck%20lines/Decklines003.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l234/carldelo/SC-1%20deck%20lines/Decklines014.jpg
On the water, SOF are quieter and less jarring when going over waves and wakes - the frame and skin both flex. A Cape Falcon LPB (Long Pointy Boat) might be right up your alley. It's a stretched F1, made for speed. The front deck could even be raised to make room for your feet.
http://www.capefalconkayaks.com/lpb.html
It's worth reading Brian's description of his boats, he's very good at explaining the tradeoffs in kayak design:
http://www.capefalconkayaks.com/choosing-a-kayak.html
skin !
I had not run across skin for touring. How are you on skin with sticks n clams n whatnot ? Review for us ?
But what’s with FAST TOURING ? why fast ? too weak at 110 ? Fast usually implies edgy/nervous/less than stable not to discumb the true experts here for whom genetic true balance allows paddling a rope… that the FAST hull over 25 miles for 2-3 days maybe tiring for mortals
Speed
Just really like speed in all aspects of my life. I’d like to compete in races one day and the water tribe challenges sure do sound awesome.
Just never know what the future holds, if I am going to put up the money though it will be for the fastest touring boat I can find.
SOF answers
Comfort: My SOF has no seat (they typically don’t) only a backband. But I fold a n ensolite pad or yoga mat in half and roll the front edge a little to cushion my thighs and it is very comfortable even for long paddles.
Deck rigging: sure, look at the boats on the sites I sent you. Mine has bungies that I can slide my extra paddle under. You might notice wood or bone toggles strung on the rigging which can be slid to tighten them and also spaces them above the deck so it is easier to slide a paddle beneath. You can add whatever you want when building to spec or later on. You can also paint or stain the cloth skin before coating with urethane. I have seen some gorgeous custom designs. The skins are usually ballistic nylon, like what is used for the shells of tactical vests. Some use other types of canvas. The skins are very tough (there was a video on Youtube of a guy trying to destroy one with the claw end of a hammer). Eventually if they get beat up you just cut the skin off and sew on a new one. In fact, some folks have skinned them with transparent vinyl – see-through kayak!
Speed: absolutely my fastest boat. When I paddle in a group I often have to wait for folks to catch up or double back to meet them. The version I have is a copy of one designed for seal hunting in Greenland. It was intended to be fast and quiet with minimal paddling and splahing, also to continue staright on when the hunter dropped his paddle to grab his spear or rifle as he came alongside a seal on an ice floe.
Another site with pics of home made skin boats is www.yostwerks.com. That site has instructions for building them.
As to stability, that depends on the design, but it sounds like that would not be a problem for you anyway. Actually, lighter people sometimes add ballast to a boat like jugs of water to add weight. You might want to try that with any longer boat you get and sww hiw it changes performance. Putting it in bow or stern can also improve various handling problems. Some touring yaks are designed to be best with a load of gear so if you are not camping with them, adding weight can make them behave better.
tough skins
I have demonstrated the toughness of the skin on my SOF my allowing people to whack it with a hammer. I’ve scraped it on gravel beds and hit submerged rebar and branches. Ne ver had a puncture. But I carry a small length of Eternabond tape for emergency patching. It’s a polymer sealant made for patching rubber roofs and RVs.
I’ve also heard stories and also seen videos of SOFs flying off the roofs of moving cars, bouncing down the highway and sustaining little or no damage. Try that with a composite or poly boat…
LPB
I agree with Carldelo, you may be a candidate fir an LPB, Brian’s Long Pointy Boat. But maybe you don’t want to drop 2grand on your first SOF. Got mine used for $900. Had to drive 450 miles and take a ferry across Lake Michigan to pick it up, but that was a fun trip and I had relatives in the area to visit.
Or build for $300
At least, that's what cost me to build one with good quality skin and sealant and a cheap wood frame - most of the cost was for the skin and the 2-part urethane sealant.
That said, SOFs are never as fast as a similarly sized hard-shell could be, because of the sharp edges (and often, because of not so smooth skin jobs). The exception is the "baidarka" type design, which is fast due to its multi-chined vs. the typical single chine designs (which are simpler to build, and the easiest are with the "Yost" style frames). The good part is you can build whatever shape and size you want - doesn't have to be a traditionally shaped design.
That said, they are fun to make and paddle. And as mentioned, tough, if built right. I've taken mine on white water a few times, scraped submerged rocks - and barely a scratch. Outfitting to be comfortable could be a challenge as everything is custom and could be hard to dial-in the right fit.
double chined
My 1931 West Greenland is double-chined. Being less than 21" wide helps too. And it has a subtle tracking skeg built into the keel.
answered them above
posted below where you asked them, above.
re hull strength
Harvey Golden, the legendary builder and preserver of traditional skin on frame kayaks and other boats, recently copied a Greenland one that had the bow and keels reinforced with sheet metal to protect from ice. He has a photo on his post on the QajaqUSA forums (another site with lots of skin on frame kayak information, on both boats and building them.)
http://www.qajaqusa.org/cgi-bin/GreenlandTechniqueForum_config.pl?page=3;md=read;id=624717
Thanks everyone
Thanks for all the information. I would love to be paddling a homemade SOF kayak with a homemade greenland paddle but my skills when it comes to making anything are limited to about zero. I actually have everything sitting in my spare room ready to make a greenland paddle, haha. I have yet to start it though…
Looks like I have some research ahead of me, good thing I have plenty of time since I have to save up. Considering having one made then possibly making one myself one day.
