Pigmy Kayak

I built a couple of Pygmy Arctic Tern 14 kayaks from kits about 10 (?) years ago.

They are great little boats and the kits went together well.

I had built a couple of S&G projects before (dinghies with panel offsets from Hulls software), and the kits were MUCH easier.

A paddling friend built a Pygmy (Murrelet?) a couple of years ago. It was her first woodworking project and first epoxy work. She took the 1-week course at Pygmy and finished the boat when she got home. No problems.

I came across this on the web - might be useful.

http://staff.ammfl.org/WBS/Pygmy_Class_Manual.pdf

I have built 2 Arctic Tern `14s and the kits were very good quality and went together well.  My daughters still prefer those kayaks for day trips.  He has designed several other smaller boats since then I think Pygmy has nice designs and quality kits.

I've made several Pygmys including the a Tern 14 for my wife. She liked it, but she likes the Murrelet I made her last year a lot more!

What kind of plane?

Yikes! Acro Sport = Man's game!

If she is unsure about the Petrel the Tern 14/17 is very comfortable, stable and user friendly (not that a Petrel isn't!)

If she paddles a lot or in groups or uses it for camping I'm pretty sure she would outgrow a Tern 14 quickly, as my wife did.

I would look at some of his newer designs and call them and talk to them.  I think he has improved upon the Tern 14 with his new designs.

An interesting link you've given John, to the Pygmy instructors manual. I didn't realise it was possible to make something as simple as a S&G kayak so difficult. Especially the Pinguino Pro or the Murrelete 4PD - more than two dozen pieces of plywood that need to be accurately cut? And then all of them fastened accurately?

Take the deck as an example, I use 2 pieces with absolutely no accuracy, just make them too big and cut back later to size.

I notice bulkheads are optional. Our sea kayaking group - no bulkheads, no joining us on trips.

Any decklines? No? Decklines are like seatbelts, a safety item. And decklines aren't bungy either.

Randy, Mac50L-

I'm in general agreement with your thoughts on bulkheads and deck lines.

However, in my opinion, bulkheads without 100% waterproof -not 'splash proof'- hatches are a bad idea and a safety concern.

And many of the hatch covers on kit and DIY boats aren't waterproof.

No-bulkhead boats with flotation bags or waterproof gear bags (dry bags) are completely safe and do allow pumping of leaked water via the cockpit. 'Cleopatra's Needle' scenarios (one end flooded) are impossible with no-bulkhead boats.

I'm a frequent 'ranter' here about perimeter deck lines and safe end toggles that make pinched (off) fingers impossible, but to little avail.

In the electronics forums I frequent, postings  with unsafe electrical connections are against the rules. For sea kayaks (not race boats or surfskis), I'd be happy to see a similar rule here. But it isn't going to happen. Just check out diy sea kayak pictures online - most don't have proper deck lines. This applies to the illustrations at commercial (kit and design) websites as well.

For more of the rationale behind 'no bulkhead' boats, see the marinerkayaks.com website.

BTW, most of my hobby building the past few years has involved putting bulkheads and waterproof hatches into Mariner kayaks. :-)

Mac50L said:

I didn't realise it was possible to make something as simple as a S&G kayak so difficult. Especially the Pinguino Pro or the Murrelete 4PD - more than two dozen pieces of plywood that need to be accurately cut? And then all of them fastened accurately?

Take the deck as an example, I use 2 pieces with absolutely no accuracy, just make them too big and cut back later to size.

Not everybody is happy with one style of kayak. A peaked deck will work better on a 'freighter' high-volume kayak than on a low-volume play boat. Recessed cockpits look better and a low cockpit back bakes layback rolls easier, etc etc .....

CLC went you one better on the deck - one piece of plywood, curved over beams and screwed down.

Try to sell one of those kayaks and the 'taste of the marketplace' will give you a lesson!

Good to see at least a firm conviction amongst some of us that decklines are safety equipment.

I passed on the manual's link to the person finishing the half built kayak, he who will complicate anything if possible. His comment, "Pygmy Boats must have been influenced by the design skills of Rube Goldberg!"

For those who don't know the name - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rube_Goldberg

Bulkheads, I always insist on a 1 mm (at least) hole in the centre. This is always above cockpit water level and allows the compartments to "breathe". Hot sitting on the beach followed by cold once on the water. My hatches have rims like cockpits with spray-skirt style neoprene covers and a ply cover over (to stop wave compression) held with bungy.

My original kayaks cover version had cam-locks with 2 bars under, pressing the ply cover on to 1/4 round rudder glued to the deck. Clunky but worked well.

Selling any used wooden kayak can be difficult as most don't know what the advantages of wood are. It is holiday time here and yesterday we were on the road for about 300 km. Of all the traffic heading for a place known to be good boating, only one car seen with sea kayaks (plastic) on it out of dozens with plastic sit-on-tops "things".