I’ve seen them in the Florida Keys
Where they might have some use for fish viewing though you get limited view between your legs
Maybe of interest to those paddling Florida’ s spring fed ricers
next year
a fabricator will buy a compound 30% harder, n 25% cheaper.
15’ to 16’ and only 30 lbs and clear?
interesting.
I would love to have one
To paddle on the Silver River in Florida. If you want to sell one of the prototypes let me know.
Kayak_Ken
try
Upper Myakka SP and Santa Fe, Keys with Burnhams’ guide
solar cooker
I design solar cookers and I agree heat build-up would be significant in an enclosed clear kayak.
A simple pyrex glass enclosure with a black enamel pot inside and some foil reflectors can easily reach temperatures above 300 degrees F. A clear kayak would make a great solar cooker, floating on a wonderful reflector.
A clear hull would be an option, but seems better suited to a canoe.
All the above…
are good points, and I’d just like to reiterate that I’d be far more interested in this in a canoe than a kayak. With the demise of Royalex, a durable, light weight canoe material might just find a decent market. If you can produce a 14 ft. solo canoe under 40 pounds including thwarts, seat, and floatation that has good paddling characteristics you should have a winner, with the transparency one of the least important features. Although having said that, as a canoe angler, a clear canoe would be far less obvious to the fish so I’d find it somewhat interesting, and I paddle and fish a lot of very clear water Ozark streams where a clear canoe would make fish watching interesting as well.
Chinese maker
– Last Updated: Oct-08-16 1:40 PM EST –
I see that at least one Chinese company is flogging transparent polycarbonate boat-shaped objects.
http://winnerkayak.com/kayaks/kayaks/transparent-kayak/127/
Their "cut and paste" collages of people supposedly using them in lumpy coastal surf and Alpine lakes are pretty amusing. So is the garbled "Chinglish" text in the product descriptions. Such as:
"Model Serenity designed mainly for Serenity training,
performance skills and etc. The compact
cockpit space make paddler possessing
physical strength easliy and powerful but
also resulting in not suit for long trip paddling."
This appears to be the only domestic distributor in the US:
http://www.winnerkayaksusa.com/Winner_Kayaks/Contact.html
Sun Life Chinese, too.
Link posted above. From their website:
“Our Sun Life Clear Kayak’s Quality have been approved by American,Spain,Canada,Australia,Frence,Japan, Korea,Philippines and New Zealand Customer. And won the High Praise and Good Comments from Clients.All over the world Tourists had a Good time with Sun Life Kayak.”
Gotta capitalize those common nouns so they look important!
kayak
Do a web search for Yostwerks. Lots of clear vinyl covered SOF kayaks have been built, problem is they fog up pretty quickly then you can’t see anything. They look cool though. In a kayak your legs are in the way anyway, can’t see thru your legs so the clear skin means little.
Might be fun for a canoe but abrasion scratches will make it cloudy eventually.
Bill H.
Fish
No so sure about that. A hull, when fishing, casts a shadow, but fish may not be bothered by that as much as seeing a paddler wiggle his legs, feet, arms, etc. as he goes about his activities. Fish (often) have quite decent vision and while I think the water/air interaction may cause some distortion, the movement would be easily picked up by most fish.
Rick
You could be right…
Actually, I’ve always thought that fish usually know the canoe is there, but don’t associate it with danger…more like a floating log. And a moving angler if visible WOULD be associated with a predator. So after further reflection, I think you have a good point.
Fish
– Last Updated: Oct-10-16 7:01 PM EST –
Goodness knows you can see plenty of fish from a boat in many waters as it is. I don't imagine the fact that the boat is clear would make a bit of difference to the fish in those cases. What about movement of your body, seen through the canoe? Well, what could be more obtrusive than what your paddle is already doing? So yes, I'm sure any fish you can already see from a regular canoe would still be there if your boat were clear, but now you could usually get a better look at them. Then again, under some conditions, the fish are going to dash off no matter what boat you have.
Chinese boats
I am aware there are other companies making clear boats. They actually contacted me to see if I would sell there product. But all the clear boats I’ve seen appear to be interesting primarily on the novelty of being clear. We are trying to make a product that is enjoyable to paddle even if it were not clear. The process we will use is more labor intensive but also enables us to make a better lighter boat. I think the durability of the polycarbonate has a place and additionally the experience of paddling in a clear boat is really neat. Especially in water that is clear enough to permit good visibility.
visibilty
Most of the water I paddle in does not provide good visibility and I still really enjoy paddling my prototype. I have paddled on the St.Lawrence River which is clear (thanks to zebra mussels). Its a neat experience. It kinda feels like you are flying. The visibility through the boat is generally better then through the water surface unless the water is very still.
heat and fish
I have never paddled the boat with a skirt, but it has never seemed hotter then outside with the cockpit open. In our area the water temperatures are probably only ever in the 70’s though and that would have an impact too.
I don’t know how fish perceive the boat, or the person in the boat. I do not fish, but I have bumped into fish that were resting near the water surface. I thought they were dead until they took off. I think they were bullhead, but I can ask my fishing expert when he returns from duck hunting next week.
Well…
“I have never paddled the boat with a skirt”
That’s why you haven’t experienced the heat buildup issue. Skirts are mandatory in many conditions and it would quickly become unbearably hot in a clear boat. It happens in opaque boats too, but the degree to which it’s an issue depends largely on the color of the deck.
I have done a lot
of SCUBA and snorkling and have observed fish at very close ranges. When near them, they generally are not all that skittish, which is why I don’t think the hull is much of an issue. They don’t seem to mind kicking, even with very large fins, but moving your hands will immediately cause them to scatter. They really do not seem to like fast hand movements.
The advantage to an opaque hull is that you can keep your hands above the hull (just for the sake of balance when fishing) and (potentially) out of view of the animals.
Fish don’t seem to mind paddles much. I’ve been able to sidle up to some very large salmon and they don’t spook until I am quite close (arm length or so - well below the range of a cast). Put your arm out to the side and they disappear with a very convincing splash.
I am guessing here, but motions that mimic the movement of the fish or other animals in their environment do not seem to cause much of a fear reaction (though they definitely get more cautious and track you with their eyes).
So I was basing my hypothesis on my experience and I do believe that the visibility of feet and hands has the potential to scare away fish. I do not know this for certain, but it seems likely to me.
Rick
$.02
You are competing in a market where thermoformed kayaks already exist. A transparent hull offers no functional improvement with abrasion negating the transparency fairly early in the life of the kayak.
My observation as well, Rick.
I see down into the water pretty well when poling my canoe (standing). My canoes of various opaque colors don’t seem to disturb the fish.