Prototyping | Cape Falcon Kayak

Video: GoPro clips from the river kayak test on the Clackamas River

March 2020September 2022Leave a comment

While I work on the newer version of the skin on frame river touring kayak, I thought I’d throw up another edit of GoPro clips from our test on the Clackamas River a few weeks ago. This is really the sort of water this boat is designed for. It has to be capable of...

On YouTube: Experimental Skin-on-Frame River Touring Kayak, in Detail

March 2020June 2023Leave a comment

To celebrate the super detailed video we just put up on our YouTube channel talking about the new skin on frame river kayak design I thought I would throw up some GoPro footage I took from the test paddle that isn’t quite good enough for YouTube. Here’s what those peaceful whitewater videos actually look...

On YouTube: Whitewater testing the river kayak prototype

March 2020September 2022Leave a comment

Turn the sound on! Here’s a short clip from the video we just uploaded to YouTube showing the latest skin on frame river touring prototype in class I to III whitewater. (Full video below!) I’ll be making a video later this week where I talk about the design and detail and the next steps...

Video: First test paddle in the river kayak prototype

February 2020July 2023Leave a comment

Turn the sound on! I build a LOT of prototype kayaks but it’s very rare for me to land on a candidate for further development. This is one of them. To recap: I’ve been working for about 10 years on a kayak for self-support trips on rivers that have a lot of flat water...

Day 7, Skin on Frame River Touring kayak: Coating the Kayak

February 2020September 2022Leave a comment

Day 7, Skin on Frame River Touring kayak: coating the kayak. All of our kayaks are coated with the Spirit Line two-part polyurethane. Having tried many other options there is nothing that I’ve found that is even half as tough. It is, however, not a very easy or forgiving product. Being the poor capitalist...

Day 6, Skin on Frame River touring kayak: Skinning

February 2020September 2022Leave a comment

Day 6, Skin on Frame River touring kayak: skinning day! If had to rank the reasons to buy our kayak building course, my skinning method would near the top. Not only is our method MUCH faster, there are just so many ways to mess up your kayak here. Some skins can be sewn up...

Day 5, Skin on Frame River Touring Kayak: Finishing the deck and oiling the frame

February 2020September 2022Leave a comment

Day 5, Skin on Frame River Touring Kayak: Finishing the deck and oiling the frame. I added the aft deck and foredeck stringers mostly following my usual formula for the F1 kayak, but decided to go with an ash foredeck stringer which I could make a bit lower profile and retain the same strength...

Day 4, Skin on Frame River Touring Kayak: Tying on Stringers

February 2020September 2022Leave a comment

Skin on Frame River Touring Kayak Day 4, tying on stringers. Things slowed down a little bit today while I was trying to decide how I wanted to place the stringers and terminate the keel. Like I said yesterday, the thing that will eat more time than anything in a build is stopping to...

Day 3, Skin on Frame River Touring Kayak: Bending ribs and lashing the keel

February 2020September 2022Leave a comment

Day 3, Skin on Frame River Touring Kayak: Bending ribs and lashing the keel. I started the day by reluctantly admitting that the steam box I’ve been using for the last 12 years has finally expired. It’s always hard to let things like this go even if it’s just something you made out of...

Day 2, Skin-on-Frame River Touring Kayak: Building the deck and cutting ribs

February 2020September 2022Leave a comment

Skin-on-Frame River Touring Kayak Day 2. Building the deck and cutting ribs. Such a relief to be free from the grueling detail work of replica building and back to the fast, fun, and easy process of building my own boats. My biggest challenge with prototype work is just to trust my intuition and not...

Day 1, Skin on Frame River Touring Kayak: Miscellaneous prep work

February 2020September 2022Leave a comment

Skin on Frame River Touring Kayak. Day 1, misc. prep work. A white water capable skin-on-frame touring kayak is something I’ve been working on intermittently for a long time. Basically, I’m looking for something to fill the niche on multi day river trips with a lot of flat water and a few significant rapids...

Prototype canoes for sale (Update: SOLD)

September 2019September 2022Leave a comment

This is just a quick heads up that I’m selling this year’s prototype canoes to make room for the next versions. UPDATE: These canoes are sold. Like all my prototypes these are priced just a couple hundred dollars more than the cost of materials. The solo is 14’ x 30” x 12” and weighs...

Seeing the first student-built canoes hit the water

June 2019July 2023Leave a comment

After spending all of 2018 designing a new type of skin-on-frame canoe building system, it’s very cool to see the first on the water photos showing up. My usual process for designing a class of boats is to work on it in my shop for about five years then release plans. It seems like...

It’s kind of painful how little time I get to spend with a boat before I start hacking into it with modifications

April 2019September 2022Leave a comment

It’s kind of painful how little time I get to spend with a boat before I start hacking into it with modifications. Trying to find the right seat heights and position in the tandem right now. Also switching to 3/16 bolts and cup washers (always the plan). Moved the bow and stern seat back...

Notes on the tandem canoe

March 2019September 2022Leave a comment

Got the tandem canoe on the water for the second time today. My friend Don and his son joined the mission, thus helping me get a visual on what the canoe loaded with gear would look and feel like. (All pics show a total weight of 400 lbs) This canoe is 15’9” long, 36...