@Rookie said:
@Schuylkill said:
Wow, everyone’s boats are so pretty. They all make my battle scared dreadnoughts look like a couple of boogers. Very nice photos!I bet those battle scars remind you of great times on the water.
Yep … all of mine wear the signs of their use (and in some cases abuse).
Only a three mile paddle today to lunch, so we took the old Grumman. It spends most it it’s day upside down.
Wow, that is some rocker!
One step ahead of ya, Sparky: this is “Chiquita”, my Pakboat Quest 135 (a little floppy with the sponson tubes deflated, but quite banana-like in color and shape, especially with the grey bow and stern and black hull.)
Added the name on the deck last year – RapidVinyl custom lettering with clear ripstop tape over it for protection.
@willowleaf said:
…
Willowleaf (SOF). …
That Willowleaf SOF is so beautiful! Is it one-of-a-kind made by a hobbyist, or can I buy one like that somewhere?
So what kind of fruit or vegetable is that supposed to be?
zzffnn:
Willowleaf was built by Oregon-based American Buddhist monk Dawa Lodrup, a former engineer who switched to making boats to finance his building of a meditation center. He called them “Monkcraft”. Here is a link to shots he took while building the boat to order. It was not made for me but for another person roughly my size who later sold it to me. I drove from Pittsburgh, PA, to Muskegon, Michigan, and took the high-speed ferry across to meet the original owner at the dock in Milwaukee to buy the kayak, which I then carried onto the ferry for the trip back (the photo is on the ferry deck). Other passengers were teasing me about “bringing your own lifeboat” but I can now claim that I have taken my kayak across Lake Michigan.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/snapdoodlekid/sets/72157622006152271
Dawa has not made boats commercially for several years now. he apparently was too busy with his religious commitments and also, like another Oregon SOF expert designer and builder, Brian Schulz, Dawa had some serious health issues that made the pressures of shop work difficult to sustain.
Willowleaf is based on the 1935 Sisimuit kayak that is noted in Brian Schulz’s section on vintage historical boats on his Cape Falcon Kayaks website and blog. The Harvey Golden survey of that boat is available for public download and there are makers, like Brian, who will build similar models to order. Here is another West Greenland replica that is quite similar though shorter, which Brian sells patterns for:
https://www.capefalconkayaks.com/west-greenland.html
The kayak is extremely fast and tracks like an arrow – it was designed, with the distinct skeg built into the keel, to continue in a straight line once a hunter dropped his paddle and aimed his rifle or harpoon towards a seal resting on an ice floe ahead, At 18’ long, 20" wide and only 31 pounds, it is surprisingly comfortable to paddle. Unlike most traditional replica SOF’s it has a large keyhole cockpit and more room under the fore cockpit so that the paddler can “frog leg” and use more torso rotation in paddling than is usually possible with the straight-leg position that traditional ocean cockpits and low foredecks allow. I have adjustable foot pegs installed in it and it came with a removable wooden masik (brace bar over the thighs) to assist with rolling.
SOF’s do come up for sale sometimes in the Paddling.com “for sale” listings and on Ebay. But they are pretty much tailored to specific body metrics like weight and inseam.
SOF’s do come up for sale sometimes in the Paddling.com “for sale” listings and on Ebay. But they are pretty much tailored to specific body metrics like weight and inseam. "
In my experience:
SOF as in traditional
I’ll weigh in. 216 okay 225. Having built / rebuilt 10+ SOFs all in Greenland style, Anthropomorphic to big boy size, the SOF’s I have perused for sale are generally built personal x2 to Willowleaf. Most of them narrow and tight. Even said my big boy frame is still weak platform for photography. I shoot with waterproof pocket size on a float. I have dumped playing with that a bunch.
SOF as in non traditional/folders;
I have a Folbot Aleut, it is a good photo platform. They are OOB unfortunately. Probably available though.
Owned: Feathercraft Kahuna… also good. Also OOB.
Feathercraft Khatsolano the worst. ROYMN has this one now I traded him for a 100lb Anas Acuta (hard shell) equally as bad photo platform.
Good luck in your search for the “perfect kayak” , Grasshopper. I have not found it yet.
Peace J
@Sparky961 said:
So what kind of fruit or vegetable is that supposed to be?
It’s a rocket that likes to get wet. The fruit is the one who paddles these things.
Very nice. Love the color.
@Jimmy said:
Can’t wait to try out my new one from Marshall at The River Connection Inc!
P&H Scorpio MV
Nice
