Prototyping | Cape Falcon Kayak

Rudder installation instructions in development

April 2022September 2022Leave a comment

Rudder control is an important part of the new sailing system that I’m working on so I’m testing different brands right now and building my installation instructions. Here I’ve got the Smart Track system with Toe Pilots on one kayak and the Seal Line system on another. There’s things I do and don’t like...

The kayak catamaran is dangerously close to becoming a reality

March 2022September 2022Leave a comment

The kayak catamaran is dangerously close to becoming a reality. I’ve been juggling over a dozen big projects this year so this one had to come together much slower than I would like, but I finally got all the bits together and hopefully we can take it out for sailing trials tomorrow. The attachment...

Under deck pump storage pouch for the Flat Deck F1 + LPB

March 2022September 2022Leave a comment

Over the next couple weeks we’re going to be releasing a massive package of upgrades to all of our kayaks and plan sets. Something special I’ve been working on for the official release of the flatter front deck versions of my modern kayaks is this pocket under the front deck. This little pouch is...

The thing I love most about skin on frame

March 2022July 2023Leave a comment

The thing I love most about skin on frame is how easy it is to make changes on each new boat, allowing for both rapid design evolution and customization for individual paddlers. Here are my sketch notes from the recent highly modified F1 and some pictures of the finished kayak. This was going to...

Video: A few drone clips from the launch of the kayak catamaran prototype

February 2022June 2023Leave a comment

Here’s a few drone clips from the launch of the kayak catamaran prototype. I still need to change the board spacing and modify the attachment system and add a rudder to at least one of the kayaks before we can start rough water and sailing trials. I originally envisioned this as a way for...

Video: Doing a bit of surgery to reinforce a standard LPB frame

January 2022July 2023Leave a comment

Doing a bit of surgery to reinforce a standard LPB for a quick proof of concept on the kayak catamaran. I just built one boat that’s designed for this but that still leaves me half a catamaran short. Turning the boat upside down on sawhorses is by far the easiest way to do this...

More photos from the LPB saran wrap test

January 2022September 2022Leave a comment

Deep in the video updates and plan edits right now so not much time to post. Here’s a few more photos from saran wrap day that really shows the unique shape of the LPB. This size is 21 1/2 inches wide behind the paddle her and 20 1/2 inches wide at the knees. Back...

Video: A few more clips from the LPB saran wrap test

January 2022September 2022Leave a comment

Here’s a few more clips from the LPB saran wrap test a week ago. This new size is 16’4” long, 21.5 inches wide at the backrest, 20.5 at the knees, and is targeted at 140 pound paddler. I’m overloading it here so I’m sinking the tail a little too deep (I paddle the 22...

Video: Saran wrap test on the new LPB kayak

January 2022July 2023Leave a comment

Ever since the last Greenland design progression, wrapping new boats in plastic and testing them has become standard operating procedure. It’s a bit wasteful but not nearly as much as skinning the boat, paddling it once, and then never using it again. This is my second LPB frame in 2 weeks as I work...

New adjustable footbraces for our modern kayaks

January 2022September 2022Leave a comment

Spent the last couple weeks buying and trying every single brand of commercially available footbrace to replace our dwindling supply of the now discontinued Harmony Slidelocks. I’ve been pretty salty about this whole thing because for all of their disadvantages the slide locks were light, easy to install, and had a unique geometry that...

Started the day with a little bit of skinboat science

December 2021September 2022Leave a comment

I started the day with a little bit of skinboat science, basically using a hanging scale to determine the amount of outward force that was being exerted from one of my spreader forms, just to make sure that I’m not flying too close to the sun with the tension here. It’s a fine line...

Excited to be working on the kayak sail system again

December 2021September 2022Leave a comment

It’s exciting to be working on the kayak sail system again. I wasn’t able to get the design finished last winter but I’m really hoping to release a plan set this year. This is basically a refined version of the same pop-up sail that I’ve been using on my canoes for the last four...

Video: Well boys, it appears we’ve gained some weight over the holidays

December 2021September 2022Leave a comment

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...

Experimenting with a liquid keel strip

December 2021September 2022Leave a comment

Something I’m experimenting with right now is liquid keel strips to add extra wear protection. This is a brand new idea so it’s not something I’m going to be putting in any of my official instructions until I’ve done it a lot more, but for builders who don’t mind taking a risk I will...

In today’s episode of Brian gets an email and immediately has a panic attack…

December 2021September 2022Leave a comment

In today’s episode of Brian gets an email and immediately has a panic attack, I found out that the foot braces we’ve been using for 15 years are being discontinued with no backstock to buy which has me scrambling to find an alternate solution. I’ve actually wanted to replace this brand for quite a...