Flat Deck Rock Gardening F1 kayak build, day 1: Planning and prep work. I’m doing something a little different this week and working on a commission for an avid coastal paddler. Normally Tom takes care of the custom boats and I focus on design work but I wanted to build this one personally to...
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Super informative day on the water yesterday
Super informative day on the water yesterday. I had the opportunity to launch the new 140 pound size LPB and paddle it next to my 165 pound flat-deck sail-modified F1 and a plastic Valley Gemini. The Gemini belongs to Jessi, an avid Seattle area kayaker who built an LPB last year and is planning...
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Video: Here’s that same kayak sailing video from yesterday shot from the front deck
Here’s that same kayak sailing video from yesterday shot from the front deck. Here I’m demonstrating the effect of the flip down skeg on the sailing performance of the F1, more details on that in yesterday‘s post. I really like making these on the water videos but I think I’m gonna scrap this one...
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Video: Making videos about kayaking while kayaking
With my phone mounted on the front deck I’m always trying to make videos about kayaking while kayaking which is a great idea in theory but doesn’t usually work because my brain function sucks so much from the chronic illness that I just can’t speak on demand like I used to! Here’s a short...
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Sail testing the flat deck F1
Finally finished rigging the new flat deck F1 and did a little bit of studio sailing before heading out for some real world testing. The Willamette at flood stage with a sewage warning is not exactly ideal but we get so little wind here that I’ve got to take advantage of every opportunity if...
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Video: Well boys, it appears we’ve gained some weight over the holidays
Well boys, it appears we’ve gained some weight over the holidays. What could have been a lovely 31 pound F1 before thanksgiving got a new deck shape and some sailing reinforcements, adding 2 pounds. Then we put on a heavier skin, adding about 3 more. Then came the sailing, skeg, and catamaran hardware, packing...
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Video: Preview of the flat deck modification
This isn’t a great video but here’s a quick preview of the new flatter deck modification for my modern kayak designs. From the gunwale down this is just a standard F1 built in my size, quick, nimble, stable, basically an SOF SUV, but the front deck exchanges the bold central stringer for a pair...
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On YouTube: Inside my skin on frame design process
We just posted a brand new video on the Cape Falcon Kayak YouTube channel with tons of great eye candy and a deep dive behind the scenes into my design process on the new flat deck sailing/catamaran kayaks. Check it out:...
Rebuilding the flat deck F1 frame
I’m working on so many projects at once right now that it’s difficult to find time to work on things much less write about them, but I’ve been steadily working on rebuilding the flat deck F1 frame this last week. I removed the sawn curved deck beams and replaced them with my normal laminated...
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Video: Flat deck F1 saran wrap test
I wrapped the new flat deck F1 frame in plastic and took it out along with a standard F1 for a comparison. As far as the water is concerned it’s mostly the same boat. Quick, stable, and maneuverable, but I did make a few shaping changes. I moved the entire volume of the hull...
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This frame is making me work really hard not to increase the weight or the complexity of the build
This frame is making me work really hard not to increase the weight or the complexity of the build. There’s just something magic about a 30 pound kayak, so I try to keep my base models in that range. That way if someone has to build one of these out of something heavier than...
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Time lapse: Steambending F1 ribs
Bent in the ribs today using some beautiful white oak from Zena Forest Products. FYI Theres groovy music here as usual. Although not shown in this video I added an extra rib at each end. The one in the bow was just because I was curious to see if it would work, and the...
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A flat decked F1?
So I have to be honest here and admit that something I was planning with my last two Greenland Kayaks was to add pop-up sails and catamaran system very similar to what I do with my canoes. I modified both frames to handle the forces but at the last minute I came to my...
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Video: Self rescue in the F1
I want to take a quick break from the Greenland kayak to put up this self rescue video for a couple customers who just picked up brand new F1’s (hey Nick and David!). I’ll start with the caveat that I’m not a big fan of any kayak rescue, because people vastly overestimate their reliability...
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Video: Speed vs effort comparisons
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...
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