Pedal Drive | Cape Falcon Kayak

Video: On the water testing seat height and angle

August 2024August 2024Leave a comment

Here I’m testing various seat height and angle configurations before making my final decisions on the next boat. Basically I’m trying to figure out how flat of a seat and how low of a seat back I can get away with for the River Skiff. Playing a bit of rebar roulette in the industrial...

Video: A look at the pedal drive adapter box for the River Skiff

July 2024August 2024Leave a comment

Spent the day building this adapter box for the Hobie pedal drive that I’m putting in the St. Lawrence River Skiff. Unlike the adapter boxes I put in our canoes, this one will be permanent instead of removable, and utilizes a different attachment system and thinner plywood, reducing the overall weight of the box...

Laying out and laminating the river skiff stations

July 2024August 2024Leave a comment

Yesterday I finished laying out the templates for a few of the station frames along the length of this 1.05% scale St. Lawrence River skiff, and today I laminated the frames with a core of red cedar between strips of mahogany on the outside. I also did the layout on a template for 1/4...

On YouTube: Thoughts on the Pedal Drive Canoe System after months of testing in Mexico

May 2024July 2024Leave a comment

Just posted a new video on the Cape Falcon Kayak YouTube channel where we do a a detailed review of how the pedal drive canoe performed and held up to 4 1/2 months of rough use in Mexico. There’s tons of great information here for anyone that’s interested in pedal drive watercraft and/or skin...

On YouTube: Skin on Frame Canoe Testing Results – after 4 1/2 months in Mexico!

May 2024July 2024Leave a comment

New video on the Cape Falcon Kayak YouTube channel! this is a detailed review of the performance and durability of the canoe that we just spent 4 1/2 months abusing for science! ___This post was originally featured on our Instagram feed.See the original post and discussion here. Follow Cape Falcon Kayak on Instagram »...

On YouTube: Skin on frame outrigger self-rescue

March 2024July 2024Leave a comment

Here’s the skin on frame outrigger self rescue video that we just put up on YouTube. (Watch to the end for bonus footage of our campsite getting attacked by cows!) ___This post was originally featured on our Instagram feed.See the original post and discussion here. Follow Cape Falcon Kayak on Instagram »...

Video: Catching triggerfish in the pedal canoe

December 2023July 2024Leave a comment

I love catching triggerfish because they are beautiful, abundant, delicious, low in toxins (mercury), and punch hard above their weight in a fight. A 3 pound trigger fish fights harder than a 7 pound steelhead. They are also incredibly durable, with literally the toughest skin of any animal I’ve ever butchered, and bony gill...

Video: Using the new pedal drive canoe with the outrigger

December 2023July 2024Leave a comment

After using the new pedal drive canoe with the outrigger for a few weeks, I’m already planning for the next iteration. As I’ve said multiple times already, I am never going to build another hybrid solo/tandem. The boat just sits too high in the water, and catches too much wind in solo mode. Also,...

One of the privileges of my job is all of the amazing boat builders I get to meet

November 2023July 2024Leave a comment

One of the privileges of my job is all of the amazing boat builders I get to meet. After seeing my recent video on the new pedal drive canoe, I got this email from Richard in Australia, who designed this pedal drive outrigger sailing canoe, and even went so far as to put it...

Video: Final boat test before we leave for Mexico

November 2023July 2024Leave a comment

Final boat test before we leave for Mexico. Here I am testing some foam saddles that I made to level out the outrigger and yet another pair of rudder blades. I’m still not 100% satisfied with the steering situation, part of which is the boat and the other part is the rudder blade. The...

Video: Steaming in experimental reinforcement ribs

November 2023July 2024Leave a comment

Here I’m steaming a couple of experimental reinforcement ribs into the pedal drive canoe to strengthen the framework around the adapter box. No idea if this will become a permanent modification or not but here is the process I used: I started with some very dry bending oak. Normally we prefer it to be...

Video: First test of the new pedal drive canoe in outrigger mode

November 2023July 2024Leave a comment

First test of the new Pedal Drive Canoe in outrigger mode! Here I’m using our canoe catamaran system to attach an inflatable ama. I can definitely feel the drag of the ama but it’s not terrible, it seems to take away about .1 to .2 mph of speed, and the effect on steering is...

On YouTube: The Pedal Drive Canoe system is officially released!

October 2023July 2024Leave a comment

The Pedal Drive Canoe system is officially released! This was a LOT more work than I expected but hopefully it will help people that can’t use a canoe paddle for whatever reason get back on the water in a canoe. In this YouTube video, I show you how the system works and go into...

Video: Just some nice imagery of the pedal canoe

October 2023July 2024Leave a comment

The last task before officially releasing the pedal drive modification for our skin-on-frame canoes is to cut this intro sequence for the explainer video down to 15 seconds, but before I start chopping, I thought I would share the whole thing with you guys. Enjoy! ___ This post was originally featured on our Instagram...

Video: Speed testing the pedal drive canoe

October 2023July 2024Leave a comment

If I really wanted to see how the pedal drive canoe fared against a sea kayak I probably shouldn’t have chosen a 6’4” experienced kayaker and put him in our fastest boat. I was definitely working harder than he was to keep pace during the “normal effort” leg. My normal cruising speed is more...