Pedal Drive | Cape Falcon Kayak

Building the deck for the next pedal drive prototype

August 2023July 2024Leave a comment

Finally found some time to build the deck for the next pedal drive canoe prototype. This one is a mini tandem/big guy solo and once again, I’m pushing the limits of how small of a canoe I feel like the drive could work in. At 15’6” long, 34” wide, and 12.5” deep, a 325...

Video: One more of the Mirage drive in action

August 2023July 2024Leave a comment

Just one more of the Mirage drive in action. We start on the next prototype tomorrow and I’m gonna try very hard to get plans and videos for this done by the end of August. ___ This post was originally featured on our Instagram feed. See the original post and discussion here. Follow Cape...

Video: Another clip from yesterday’s pedal drive canoe test

August 2023July 2024Leave a comment

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...

Video: A bit of early morning canoe testing

August 2023July 2024Leave a comment

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...

Video: Seating upgrade for the pedal drive canoe prototype

August 2023July 2024Leave a comment

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....

On the water pedal drive test with Tom

July 2023July 2024Leave a comment

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...

Video: pedal drive canoe prototype in row / sail mode

July 2023July 2024Leave a comment

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...

Video: Testing a Bixpy electric motor with the pedal drive canoe prototype, Part 2

July 2023July 2024Leave a comment

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...

Video: Testing a Bixpy electric motor with the pedal drive canoe prototype, Part 1

July 2023July 2024Leave a comment

I bought this Bixpy motor four years ago when I was prototyping the pack canoes. Ultimately, I decided that the weight and the hassle just wasn’t a good fit for an ultralight, ultra-simple canoe, but fast forward to my current project, and the motor doesn’t seem quite as crazy paired with the fundamentally heavier...

Video: Self-rescue tests with the pedal drive canoe

June 2023July 2024Leave a comment

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...

Video: Sail testing the pedal drive prototype

June 2023July 2024Leave a comment

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...

Video: Walkthrough of the pedal drive canoe outfitting

June 2023July 2024Leave a comment

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

June 2023July 2024Leave a comment

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...

Video: Comparing three different “flipper” drives

June 2023July 2024Leave a comment

Yesterday we tested three different “flipper” drives in the Prototype Pedal Drive Canoe. The first one is a generic copy of the older Hobie design that is no longer under patent protection. At less than half the price of a newer Hobie Mirage drive it’s definitely tempting, but there is a massive difference in...

Doing some surgery on the pedal drive box for the next round of testing

June 2023July 2024Leave a comment

The next step for the Pedal Drive Canoe is to test it with all of the available “flipper” drives and a few different fin sizes. I already bought the standard Hobie Drive and also a cheap knock off of their older design, so this week I pulled the trigger ($1080 ouch) on the Hobie...