Ok, tomorrow then. Right now, it's raining, maybe thunderstorms later too...
Below is a picture of the new boat, a Boreal Design Saguenay 18' expedition kayak. What's interesting is that its rudder is a Feathercraft one! I may have to sell it, it barely fits in the garage... The inflatable Handirack (available at Paddle Shack, 120$) worked quite well, carrying the beast over 750 km at highway speeds.
I was quite impressed with Alfred's boat, a Boreal Design Baffin (plastic boat based on their composite Ellesmere). It has a lot of rocker and a low back deck, it's ridiculously easy to roll and would likely surf well.
Tonight I will be playing with the rolling rib again, and/or trying to add some more rocker to the Wisper. What I am trying to achieve is something closer to Alfred's boat. I will buy a sheet of HDPE and cut a rib that is somewhere between the standard rib #3 and the rolling rib in height, just to lower the aft deck to and (hopefully) add a bit of rocker, look at pictures on Dubside's website. And I'm curious about the hip pads too.
I had the Wisper on the Saguenay river (Baie des Ha! Ha! in fact) last weekend and was quite happy with it, in the wind and 2-foot waves. No problem tracking at all. It's strange at first to feel the frame flex, but you quickly forget it.
See you tomorrow then!
--C.
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