I’d need two. One for each foot. And a pole.
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I took it out today for a little rolling practice. Then a little paddle. It’s hard to paddle straight! I need to practice…
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That kayak looks to be about 30 ft long (though it’s probably only 21 or 22). Going straight shouldn’t be a problem, turning is what should take some effort. BTW, beautiful kayak !
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Thanks! The kayak is 19’ long but only 17.5” wide. Yes, I thought it’d go straight easily but not so. As soon as it starts to turn a little bit it really wants to keep turning, so you have to sort of pre-anticipate to correct. It will teach me.
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I can see a bit of rocker in that. Curious – did you build or specifically bought because you wanted that length? Why? Volume is a function of the width, length and depth. For my SOF, 17’x17"x6" (backdeck) provided plenty of volume of daytripping (for my 140lb, 5’3" body).
sing
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Neither: I went to Delmarva having put out the word that I was in the market for a SOF for a small person. This one fit me well and was too pretty not to adopt. 
My main aim is to learn to roll well, learn forward-finishing rolls, and learn to handle the kayak better and more efficiently. I still have 2 other kayaks better suited for any kind of longer trip.
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Ok, Got it! My thought with that length is that it is designed for someone skinny, taller but heavier than you. The length is a way to make more volume while keeping the beam narrow to hug the original builder’s hips.
sing
It’s a replica so I think that’s why it’s so long. It was originally built for a woman whom I’m guessing was about my size, since the width is slightly more to accommodate bigger hips/thighs, and since my feet actually fit well in it. In terms of overall volume I don’t think I’m underweight for it since it’s sitting pretty low in the water. But what do I know? If it ends up not being the right one for me I’ll trade it in for another. Though it might just be too pretty for that…. 
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Can you please post a picture of your SOF if you have one?
My first SOF, Ronin, was 17’x17"x6". My second SOF, Kaze, was/is 17’x18"x7" but with more rocker for surfing. I got rid of the Ronin about 15 years ago when I went into my paddling rabbit hole of just surf kayaking and waveskiing. I had intended to reskin Kaze, but never did after deskinning because longboating faded out of my interest for quite awhile. Kaze’s bones (frame) sits on rack in my backyard.
PS. I had a lot of pics of the SOFs in the now defunct Webshot photo hosting site. I didn’t backup, so when Webshot disappeared…
sing
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Thanks. Too bad about the pictures but I bet you still have the memories. I like your kayak names. Mine will need a less macho name. 
“Ronin” is of course in reference to a “masterless” samurai. But, the literal translation/meaning is a “person tossed by ocean waves.” It is the original meaning that appeals to be because of my growing love of giving to and being “tossed” by waves.
Kaze means wind.
sing
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Sing’s comments below are all valid. One other thought about the turning, you may be sitting with slightly more weight/pressure on one hip side over the other. Result is you induce a turn (via edgeing) which you are not aware you are doing. I’ll suggest testing that next time paddling by being aware of weighting one hip at a time more than the other to see if that helps. Along the same thought, the hull/chines/keel may be very slightly out of alignment which would induce a turn. Hard to tell from afar. Enjoy rolling and paddling that beauty.
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Nice! I didn’t know the meanings. I’ll clearly have to give this some thought.
Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. It’s fun even if I’m not yet able to handle it well. It’s training me. (Don’t think it’s the hull since it turns in both directions.)
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Sound like the lean turns into an edge. Once you get accustomed to balancing in it, you’ll go like an arrow.
Agree with kayakhank
I can balance in it fine, I just can’t keep it going straight . This thing edges super easily since it sits very low in the water. But edging doesn’t have the same effect as it does in my sea kayak. I just need to get used to it and… become a more skilled paddler!
Since edging relies on greater width at the gunwales, the 17 inches probably changes the equation. You’ll get the hang of it.
My 18’ SOF felt really hard to control when I first got it (though it’s 1.5" inches wider than yours) but by now it feels like an extension of my body. I turn it using a long sweep stroke with an extended GP. Tracking is less of an issue because mine has a subtle skeg bump built into the stern keel. I do know SOF users who have built small rubber or wooden skeg fins and fastened them to the stern to improve straight line tracking.
Since you can’t move your seating position in that ocean cockpit, you might also try sinking the stern a bit to lengthen the rear waterline – try filling a couple of large water bottles and placing them in a dry bag stuffed with trash bags (to keep them from rolling around) and shove it way into the stern behind your aft flotation bag. Paddling with a higher cadence and less force per stroke also helps with tracking, I find.
The forums on the qajaqUSA.org site can be a great source of knowledge about use of and modifications to trad SOFs. Since you were at DelMarVa you would have had to pay for a year’s membership in QajaqUSA as part of registration (if you were not already a member) so that does give you access to log in to participate in the forums.