Just another clip from yesterdays pedal drive canoe testing. It doesn’t give me quite the same satisfaction as using a canoe paddle, but it’s faster, easier to push into the wind, and most importantly, I can actually do it with my spinal injury! ___ This post was originally featured on our Instagram feed. See...
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Video: A bit of early morning canoe testing
Just a bit of early morning canoe testing. I like the new seat and tiller assembly; steering is exactly where my hands naturally fall and doesn’t shift when I take my hands off the tiller. The drop seat adds a bit more stability to this narrower pedal drive canoe (they can be build any...
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Video: Seating upgrade for the pedal drive canoe prototype
I’ve upgraded the seating for the pedal drive canoe prototype. I started out with an 18 inch long flat seat because I thought I would need the thigh support, but I quickly realized that wasn’t actually necessary and it didn’t leave me enough room to sit on the floor of the canoe while sailing....
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Video: Adding seat building instructions to the canoe course
We’re finally adding seat building instructions to the Canoe Building Course and giving the pedal drive canoe a seating upgrade in the process. ___This post was originally featured on our Instagram feed.See the original post and discussion here. Follow Cape Falcon Kayak on Instagram »...
On the water pedal drive test with Tom
I’m slowly grinding through all the testing that needs to happen to make the pedal drive canoe a reality. Today we tested it with longer legs and larger feet and several different rudder blades. I was holding my breath on the feet because I really can’t lower the flood level any farther, so however...
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Video: Building canoe seats
It’s hard to justify the time it takes to build a canoe seat when you can buy a good one for $40. Unfortunately, the new pedal drive system requires some custom seating geometry so I figured I would use the opportunity to film seat building instructions for our canoe building course. It’s very weird...
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Video: More drone footage of our canoe rowing and sailing system
Here’s another bit of drone footage of our canoe rowing and sailing system. More than anything else both of these features are designed to be as simple as possible. My recent experiments with the pedal drive not withstanding, I generally subscribe to the philosophy that complexity is the enemy in small boats. The pop-up...
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Video: pedal drive canoe prototype in row / sail mode
Here’s the pedal drive canoe prototype in row / sail mode. In my defense I had a much more graceful dismount planned but dude in the boat slid in front of me at the last moment! ___ This post was originally featured on our Instagram feed. See the original post and discussion here. Follow...
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Video: Testing a Bixpy electric motor with the pedal drive canoe prototype, Part 2
After testing the Bixpy motor in the Hobie Drive slot in yesterday’s post, I switched it to a stern rudder mount. The big advantage of this configuration is that the motor can kick up if it hits an object and also it can be used on any of my canoes, even without the pedal...
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Giovanni’s tandem canoe
Check out this recently completed tandem, built by Giovanni on Bainbridge Island, Washington. I’ll let him describe it in his own words:“I am over the moon today! Just back from the first trip on my new skin on frame tandem canoe. I have started this project back in Dec 22’ and planned to have...
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Video: Solo canoe self rescue with paddle float
Here’s a variation on the solo canoe self rescue, this time with a paddle float. I have to be honest that whether it’s a sea kayak or canoe I find the paddle float to be much less effective than just using the paddle without it. Without the float the paddle stays buried in the...
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Video: Self-rescue tests with the pedal drive canoe
When I was developing our pack canoes I really wanted them to be self rescue-able in the same way as a kayak so I incorporated self rescue loops that would later become the foundation for our catamaran system. This technique is dependent on the right kind of flotation, a kayak paddle, a canoe there...
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Video: Sail testing the pedal drive prototype
I took the pedal drive prototype out yesterday in relatively light winds to see how our pop-up sail system would interface with the pedal drive. As expected, not very well. The flippers add enormous drag to what is otherwise a surprisingly swift sail, despite its tiny size. There’s also just way too much risk...
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Video: Walkthrough of the pedal drive canoe outfitting
Sound on for narration! Here I’m outfitting the pedal drive canoe prototype for rough water trials and self rescue practice. ___ This post was originally featured on our Instagram feed. See the original post and discussion here. Follow Cape Falcon Kayak on Instagram »...
Video: Testing the reverse function of the Hobie 180 Mirage Drive
Here’s a quick look at the reverse function of the Hobie 180 Mirage Drive. Basically you reach down and pull a lever and the flipper fins flip backwards, and then you can pedal in reverse. It’s a cool mechanism, but I’m not sure how much it makes sense for our application. For me reverse...
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