I just purchased a used 17’ Sea Kayak. The only makers mark on the boat that i could find is a Sticker that reads “SELLCRAF” the last part of the sticker is ripped off but I am assuming it is a T. The kayak is made of heavy duty fiberglass and has a seafoam green top and white bottom. The kayak has virtually no rocker and it has a deep V shaped hull. I have been looking everywhere for some background on the kayak but have been totally stumped. Any Information would be a greatly appreciated.
Post a picture?
– Last Updated: Oct-12-09 1:58 PM EST –
It might help. The lack of rocker and deep V may indicate an older boat that was put out by someone who had gotten their hands on a mold that was out of use by a bigger manufacturer. Also, is it set up to be ruddered or skegged, and what are the sizes and shapes of the hatch openings?
Picture and more info
Hello and thank you for responding. I could not figure out how to upload a picture to the forum so I uploaded it to my web site.
http://www.geologicool.com/snell.htm
My first impression of the kayak was that it must have been the product of a 1960’s fiberglass boat manufacturer. They could build a runabout so why not build a kayak? The hatch behind the cockpit is rectangular, I did not measure the cockpit. The handles on the kayak and the knobs on the hatch are chrome and the kayak does not seem to be set up for either a rudder or skeg. Thanks again for your interest.
From the pic
– Last Updated: Oct-13-09 9:07 AM EST –
Yeah, this is an unusual one. It's gotta be quite old and seems to be in remarkably good condition = would expect it to be beat to hell and faded. If I also tripped over the right listing in the Google search, it was certainly a tempting price.
The hatch cover and fixtures do resemble what a motor boat manufacturer would come up with, or an enterprising individual who had gotten a kit and was mostly familiar with motor boats. The coaming is awfully high, like someone had the general idea but hadn't ever actually taken a kayak out. And am I seeing something like an aluminum strip for the seam? Also motor boat thinking.
That said, there are some safety issues with this boat that can't be easily amended without a lot of work. There is no perimeter rigging to hang onto in case of a capsize, or toggles that would be desirable to use in an assisted rescue, or bungie for attaching basics like a spare paddle. I expect that float bags could handle the lack of typical bulkheads, but the rest of this stuff is major should you consider paddling alone. Especially with winter coming. You may want to park this boat until warmer weather is upon you, or resolve to stay pretty close to shore for the time being.
Most of the above is also typical of very old ideas about kayaks, BTW. If the boat weren't 17 ft long, I'd wonder if someone had gotten a hold of an old WW mold and tweaked it. But I don't think there is any way you could stretch one of those molds that much - the original garage-molded fiberglass/patch them with duct tape WW boats were more like 10 ft long if I remember correctly.
(Also, if you want to post pics from a holding point on pnet, you have to become a paddling perks member.)
Thank You
Thank you Celia for the information and advice. I saw the ad that comes up in the Google search but that was a different kayak in another state. I wish Craigslist had an archive somewhere. You are right; it has aluminum or some kind of metal for the seam. This almost has to be the product of a Motor Boat company, but which one? We may never know. Someone on the fiberglass boat forums suggested a company from Germany but I could not find any more information.
I am more of a canoe guy so I have put this kayak on Ebay Starting at $145 with a nice Folbot paddle. Auction No.110450078579. Someone needs to get some use out of this glassic!