Dear Tom (and the building community):

Thank you for posting your designs and techniques on the web. A friend and I have decided to build ourselves each a folding kayak. With your manual we’re pretty confident on the technical side, and have a lot of back-up available. We hope you would answer a few questions to help us choose among your designs.

My friend Ken has previously built a stitch-and-glue baidarka. He’s very happy with it and would like something even narrower, longer and straight tracking. The wooden boat has the capacity for touring, so he doesn’t need room except for himself. He’s over 6 ft. and weighs about 230 lbs.

I figure the Sea Glider is the right boat for him, but with two worries: I calculate 1 inch of freeboard for him without allowing for skin concavity, and he will want to increase the length at the waterline if possible. For the first, is that too low, and can it be dealt with with only a minor adjustment like raising the rear of the cockpit? For the second, is there a downside to making the stern and stem more vertical by moving the bends in the keel tube closer to the ends?

For my boat, I’m looking for a general-purpose touring kayak with capacity for 4-5 nights out, but not too subject to windage when empty. My woodworking is terrible, but I have done reasonably accurate assemblies in bent stainless tubing. In addition to Ken and his baidarka, my other paddling companions have CLC 17-foot stitch-and-glue kayaks, so I’d like to be able to keep up with them. Paddling locations are the rivers through Winnipeg, medium-sized lakes, and the BIG lakes north of the city. I’m 176 lbs and 5ft. 8 in., and can pack light as for hiking.

I’ve been studying the lines of the Sea Tour 17R and the Sea Cruiser R and they seem quite similar below the waterline. Is there a difference in stability, turning etc? I was leaning to the Sea Cruiser but if they handle similarly I’ll go with the lower profile of the Sea Tour. My other boat is a 17-foot Grumman, so when I feel like lee-cocking all day or transporting cargo I can use that!

I’ve managed to think through most of my technical questions except for the coaming. In rigid kayaks the coaming gets used for grabbing the boat. With a free-standing coaming, what does one do about self-rescues, or quick exits on the beach? Is it easy enough to put one’s weight on the backrest rib or the gunwales? I’m planning on the aluminum tube coaming with full front and partial rear zippers unless you recommend otherwise.

Thanks for any advice you can give us. We hope to do you proud with our boats!

Sincerely,
Sean