Boat Testing | Cape Falcon Kayak

Video: West Greenland Kayak Build, on the water tests 5 + 6

October 2021September 2022Leave a comment

West Greenland Kayak Build, on the water tests 5 and 6. For my next experiment I copied a detail seen on a few historic Greenland kayaks which is to add an extra stringer below the gunwale, projecting some extra volume further down in the hull. At a little over a pound this was by...

Video: West Greenland Kayak Build, on the water test number 4

October 2021September 2022Leave a comment

West Greenland Kayak Build, on the water test number 4. More experiments with stability. In the previous test I added a secondary stringer to the outside lower edge of the gunwales, which didn’t increase primary stability much but did add noticeable secondary stability, at the expense of a bit of glide. For this latest...

West Greenland Kayak Build: Fitting and sizing and 3rd on the water test

October 2021September 2022Leave a comment

West Greenland Kayak Build, fitting and sizing and 3rd on the water test. I had my friends Jared and Tom over to check the frame fit on a larger body side. At approximately 6 feet and 190 pounds both guys should really be in the stretched version of this boat. Here I was just...

Video: West Greenland Kayak Build: Saran Wrap test 1 + 2

October 2021July 2023Leave a comment

West Greenland Kayak Build: Saran Wrap test 1 and 2. FYI there’s music on this one. When designing in skin on frame there’s always a dynamic tension between gunwales that are flared enough to project a reasonable sheer line, but still vertical enough to project the ribs down at an angle that will allow...

Why this sort of testing is necessary in the first place?

October 2021September 2022Leave a comment

Instagram‘s new video features are giving me serious frustration right now so if you notice videos popping up and disappearing that’s why. I’m about five days into testing this kayak every day with different modifications on the water and I’ve got a ton to say about it as soon as I can actually post...

Video: plastic wrapping the frame for testing

October 2021September 2022Leave a comment

I’ve never been a big fan of plastic wrapping skin on frame kayaks to test them, because the wrinkles from the wrap and the difference in shape from the water pressure change the performance so much that it really limits what you can learn this way. I can also skin a boat for real...

Video: How significant is slot drag from a skeg box or daggerboard trunk?

October 2021September 2022Leave a comment

How significant is slot drag from a skeg box or daggerboard trunk? In the first video clip my drop skeg box is uncovered but the skeg is not deployed, and I’m really cranking to stay on top of this tiny boat wake. In the second video clip I’ve put a strip of tape over...

Video: Took the new boat down to the water for a quick paddle and a couple rolls

October 2021September 2022Leave a comment

Took the new boat down to the water for a quick paddle and a couple rolls. As usual there’s lots of positive and lots of negative things to talk about here but I’m not gonna get too far into that until I get out on the water a few more times. The thing I...

Video: Speed vs effort comparisons

September 2021July 2023Leave a comment

Last week I was able to finally get speed versus effort comparisons for all four of my kayak designs so I can make a video talking about one of my favorite subjects: speed vs efficiency. There’s a lot to say here and I will elaborate more when I actually do a post before we...

Just spent three days at an undisclosed location

September 2021September 2022Leave a comment

Just spent three days at an undisclosed location in the mountains getting some much needed footage of all four of our kayaks on the water. Living with the chronic illness these missions are always pretty hard on the body, but I’m extremely happy with what we ended up with. Some very good stuff to...

On YouTube: Testing the latest solo skin on frame canoe

July 2021June 2023Leave a comment

We just posted a new video on the Cape Falcon YouTube channel showing all the testing we’ve been doing with the latest solo. Being my last canoe build for 2021 I made sure to pack this video with design info and tons of eye candy. As usual I’m not sure that I’m the best...

On YouTube: Solo skin-on-frame canoe test

July 2021September 2022Leave a comment

Check out the Cape Falcon Kayak YouTube Channel for the full version of this lovely little video I stitched together from our time testing the latest solo on the upper John Day river. For technical reasons natural audio isn’t usually usable but it seemed to work out this time so I just let nature do...

Video: Testing the 14 foot solo canoe on a foggy morning

July 2021September 2022Leave a comment

On a recent canoe testing/filming trip we fell asleep under clear skies next to a lovely high altitude lake, and woke up engulfed in clouds. Never ones to miss a great filming opportunity we took advantage of this giant free soft box. It’s gonna take a while to get through the editing but here’s...

man running a river in a skin on frame solo canoe

Video: A scrapy run in the solo canoe

June 2021July 2023Leave a comment

A short edit from a second trip to the upper John Day River. With the water draining out fast this was actually too low to run. It was bump and scrape the whole time, which is pretty hard on my standard lay up cloth and coating combo. I could always go with heavier cloth...

Video: A quick sail in the 15 foot canoe

June 2021July 2023Leave a comment

FYI, there’s music here. Just a quick Skydio2 drone edit from a few minutes I spent in the 15 footer a couple weeks ago. I’ve barely had time to paddle this canoe since I built it but I’m hoping to do more soon. Full specs and details in the May 2nd and 3rd post...