Hi i was wondering if anyone could give me a little more info on my kayak. Its fiberglass i know that i purchased off of a friend for 50 bucks so i already feel like i got my moneys worth after one trip down the eiver. I have pictures but i just joined the site so not sure how to post pictures
Make and model?
Citing the brand and model of the kayak will get you more info.
photo sharing
Open a free photo posting account at Flickr or other photo server, upload pics to that and then post a link to them on a message here. Can’t ID something we can’t see.
Old school slalom boat
Probably made by hand in someone’s garage 30+ years ago.
Does not look like any slalom boat
I ever inspected at slalom races 30+ years ago. Just a river runner designed by someone with a wild imagination.
Agree - hommade
Whether from a kit or someone’s own drawings no way to tell. Go back a few decades and that’s how many people got on the water.
yes
I’ve seen a few kayaks that look sort of like this, with no ID or numbers at all. That was my impression.
Looks a bit like a Squirt Boat
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squirt_boating
Squirting is taking a slalom boat and turning it into a submarine where you bury the ends in holes or sink the entire boat in a riffle line and disappear into the river. Hard to say from the picture if it is one, I’m not into slalom or squirting, it could just be an old timey down river slalom boat as mentioned above.
The broad application of “slalom boat”
is puzzling to me. Even in the 70s, when river running whitewater boats and slalom boats were superficially similar, there was an absolute distinction. Slalom boats were designed and constructed for slalom, period. River runners were general purpose boats designed for running all sorts of rivers.
Later, river running boats diversified into squirt boats, creek boats, heavy water boats, and play boats, as well as just river running boats. Nowadays, the only river runners that bear any resemblance to slalom boats are (examples) the new Liquid Logic Braap and the Dagger Axiom. And even for those, the resemblance is faint.
When I started paddling c-1, many were using a c-1 racing design, the Hahn, used in the '72 Olympics. Its tubby design made it a forgiving river runner. By 1996, c-1 slalom design had resulted in craft that bore no resemblance to river runners, though they can run rivers quite effectively. I own one, and its behavior in just getting around the river is outstanding, a revelation. But it is too twitchy for everyday use by paddlers in general.
safe to say
I got a pretty legit deal for $50 bucks?
It floats, right?
And you are having fun with it. $50 is plenty cheap for that.
home made
I am guessing this is about 12 to 13’ long and weighs around 20 to 25 lbs?
My outdoor club had a mold very much like this nearly 35 years ago that we members used to use to lay up our own whitewater boats using fiberglass cloth and resin. We molded them in two halves that were joined with a “break away” seam so that the force of water would actually split the boat and allow the paddler to be freed if they were pinned in a rapid. My understanding is the proportions were based on the standards of the 1960’s and 70’s for Olympic slalom kayak events. Mine was white below and sort of blue-green above. Sold it 5 years ago for $140 because I was a bit too wide in the beam for it any more. So I think you got a decent deal.
These are fun boats in Class II to IV rapids and twisty shallow creeks, but they are kind of a pain in flatwater because they don’t track well and want to turn on you with every stroke.
You do need to get a set of inflatable flotation bags to stuff under the decks to keep the boat from flooding in a capsize. Harmony makes them in all sizes. Measure the length and width of the coaming (cockpit rim) and get a Seals neoprene skirt for it if you are planning to use it in fast water. You can check the dimensions against specs for other kayaks until you find one close to the same dimensions, then cross reference the model to the Seals chart.
kudos
Thanks yall for all the feedback! Ill definitely look into the proper accessories. I plan on refurbishing and turning the paint scheme into the general lee lol
painting
Be sure you only use finishes that will be compatible with fiberglass resin.
foot pegs?
Does it have foot pegs inside to brace your feet against? If not, you will probably want to install some. You can drill holes in a fiberglass boat and seal bolts through the hole with rubber washers or Aquaseal (a waterproof clear goop you can buy at wilderness sports stores or dive shops-- good stuff to have to fill small holes in boats.)