“So long as the craft has at least marginal stability, I only really care about speed.”
Hi OddDuck! I’m 6’, 195 lbs give or take, a former marathoner who still runs each morning before work, and an avid sea kayaker.
You’re athletic, you care about speed, and you’ve already done a 100 mile trip.
I agree with grayhawk here. A 14’ kayak will likely be quite slow for you. It’s pretty tough to figure how any individual might experience kayak stability, but that usually comes into play. Kayaks like the Epic 18x and Stellar S18 are going to be your faster touring kayaks, so if you’re comfortable paddling one, those should be great for you. Honestly, for a one and done myself considering the Gulf of Mexico and conditions you could potentially enjoy there, distances, speed, camping, comfort, and comfortable stability, I love my Current Designs Extreme/Unity. I understand they just discontinued making them. Another that would be great as a one-and-done for everything for someone like yourself would be the Seaward Nigel Foster Legend. Some folks can’t get comfortable with the initial stability in Nigel Foster’s kayaks, but the Legend truly has really solid secondary stability. I’ve never had any problem relaxing in my Legend, but these things are very individual, and a lot comes with developing boat balance. And the arch in the hull that makes the primary stability seem tender is what allows it such good speed. An Epic surf ski dealer and local successful racer and I switched out one day, me in his surf ski and he in the Legend, and he couldn’t get over how fast he was able to go in the Legend. I won my division in a local race once paddling the Legend (it fit within the 18’ length limit). The hull shape also allows for pretty exceptional maneuverability, and it’s a lot of fun in the ocean waves.
And I have to bring up the Current Designs Prana (or Prana LV depending upon how you fit.) It’s a really efficient kayak, and the cockpit design allows for a strong and comfortable forward stroke. It’s very maneuverable, and the one of the bunch I would favor for any fun surf days at the Gulf.
For myself personally, maxing out the efficiency of a 14’ kayak doesn’t take much. If I’m going for a solid pace, I feel the limitations of my 16’ kayaks fairly easily. I recommend 17’ + for your purposes, and there is a whole world of stability ranges and designs in 17’+ kayaks.
Good luck in your search.
Pygmy is not in production at this time but haven’t fully called it quite:
UPDATE: Our Showroom is CLOSED. Kit production has been temporarily suspended. If you are interested in a boat kit you may place an order via our website. We will not charge your credit card until production has resumed and we have confirmed you would still like the kit at that time. By placing an order before then your order will be put in the queue for when production resumes.
CLC, especially the Nick Shade designs are very much worth looking at.
There is a Betsie Bay Aral for sale in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula but that’s probably a bit too small for you.
And yes, where in the Mid West - Mid East are you. There may be some dealers around that you are not aware of. I do know of a couple of sea kayaks that are in stock in Lansing Michigan. It also looks like Riverside Kayak Connection in Wyandotte Michigan has sea kayaks in stock.
Yes, in one of this videos a year or more ago we heard that Turning Point was building a wood Petrel to make a mold from. Of course when he worked on the play it took a long time to get the mold done.
Re building : CLC makes great kits as does( did?) Pygmy. I may have said this, but I’ve helped build a sea kayak from each.
The CNC kits go together very nicely IF you follow the instructions and understand how epoxy works. If you don’t , you’ll learn.
I’ve built two boats from plans and they were interesting. No matter how skilled you are, your hands will never come close to the accuracy of a CNC driven saw.
They are great winter projects if you have an enclosed, heated space.
I also built a Yost SOF mostly in the living room.
I have no desire to build again.
Thanks everyone, I feel like there is lots of solid advice here. Starting with something used would be ideal and in-line with my approach to other hobbies. I’ll continue looking on that front. I am confident that what I think I want now probably isn’t what i really want in the end, but that’s half the fun.
I am in southwest Indiana but willing to travel to a competent and well-stocked outfitter. My company has relationships with craters and shippers all over the US, so I could conceivably buy a boat from just about anywhere…assuming the price justified the expense of shipping.
Reading these comments has reinforced what I should have known; no point to building when I don’t yet know exactly what I need/want/like. I will check out some of the suggestions in detail and focus on longer boats.
I certainly appreciate each of you taking the time to weigh in.
And another journey begins! Happy paddling!
You will have a good time in the journey. Thanks for mulling these suggestions over.
I would get out and try to paddle a few boats while you have the weather to do so.
Compare the boats you have paddled and look at the CLC boats. When the fall rolls around order a kit and build it over the winter.
I say to buy a kit because the plywood in the kits is of a better quality than you can probably get locally.
Remember that the epoxy is the heaviest part of the boat, use it somewhat sparingly. CLC calls for end pours of thickened epoxy. Serious weight can be save by carving a block of cedar or cypress and gluing that into the ends (bow and stern).
Have fun
Cloth and epoxy are an adventure by themselves.
I did an end pour in a canoe because I wanted to run a bow line through it. Worked great until the epoxy kicked.
???“Why is my boat smoking???”
Epoxy in a mass is not cool , literally.
Works great in thin layers applied thoroughly and quickly.
Those were the days! I’ve still got tools with bits of epoxy on them. Along with my garage floor.
As someone that designed a built a boat (not a kayak), I have a few things to say about it.
One, paddling something you built yourself is very satisfying and it means you can repair it yourself.
But building a boat is a big, messy, long project. Many people that start a boat don’t finish. There are garages and basements all over the country with unfinished boats in them.
Epoxy is nasty stuff. You can get sensitized to it. You have to be very careful not to get it on your bare skin. Always use gloves and a barrier cream. I used System 3 products. Good source for everything you’d need. West System is the other big company.
If you go with plans, rather than a kit, there are companies that will cut out the parts on a CNC machine. I used a company in Port Townsend Washington. Can’t remember the name. They have a selection of boat building plywoods to choose from. I used African Mahogany.
Turning Point has been showing these on their facebook page. LOL, see:
Epoxy gets soft with heat. Soften it with heat gun and scrape. On concrete I’ve used sanding methods. (Buffer and sand paper)
To All,
The newer epoxy like the MAS epoxy fumes less, but still wear respirator when working indoors.
You can be sensitize to the chemical with exposure. So gloves a good idea. Easier to clean hands afterwards too.
Look at the CLC, Mystery.
Talk to Mark N. He’s the builder racer.
I “epoxy dripped” two garages before I moved into a shop with an epoxy’ed floor. Now I protect during epoxy ops with card board.
Note too my strongback has landing gear that when down it can be moved around. Recommend that four cleaning .
It is hard to commit to one design for a build.
I tried a Pygmy sea kayak, but sold it after a few years.
I like to buy quality used canoes and repair them.
I am mired in a repair on a wood and canvas canoe I have had for 25 years.
Based upon the type of kayaking you describe you will be doing and your comfort with your mechanical and craftsmanship ability, I think you may want to look into Pygmy kayaks. These are wooden kayak kits that come pre cut with all the supplies you need to build the kayak. They are stich and glue construction with fiberglass skin and build up into a very light weight but very durable kayaks. The Coho model, which is their longest touring kayak at 17’6" and 23" beam is probably the one you would want to look at. I think the estimated build time for the average person is 60 hours and no special tools are required. These boats are absolutely stunning to look at and they definitely turn heads. But most important, they are durable, lightweight and fast. Check out the website at Sea Kayak Kits: Award Winning Wooden Kayaks
Want fast
The pocket knife I cary and use most days has some epoxy on it from a decade ago. “It will wear off,” I thought. Man that stuff is durable.
Alas, Pygmy is, at best, in a hiatus. Between covid and the owner not finding a buyer they have closed the store and shop and are not selling kits. I’ve built two and still have and enjoy my Arctic Tern 17. 60 hours is a bit optimistic for a novice they do go together MUCH faster than a strip kayak. Both that I built started in early July, floated around Labor Day, and were finished with 3 coats of varnish in mid-October.
Not surprised. Kayaking is a very small, niche market to begin with. So a sub group of people willing and able to build their own kayak has got to be very small indeed. With the challenges to small businesses in the past 18months this was bound to happen. Too bad.