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 slightly forward to an older surf-focused geometry, and added an extra 2 inches of tail fin and a quarter inch less rocker in the stern to try to dig in the tail more for downwind sailing.
The effect on maneuverability really wasn’t that bad but I think I’m going to go back to the normal stern and just add on pieces afterwards to test the a variety of different stern shapes as opposed to just committing to one.
I also dropped the secondary stringer a half inch further down from the gunnel so it is resting on the ribs and not the gunnel. When I did this on the Greenland kayak it added a lot of stability but also a lot of drag but I wanted to try it again here because The F1 has a very different hull shape that may not experience that penalty.
As anticipated, this added noticeable but not huge extra stability and the reduction in glide was so small that I will have to paddle a properly skinned version to see if it was even real. I haven’t decided if I’m going to keep it yet because the larger piece of wood will add 8 ounces to the kayak.
I really didn’t like the 1/2” lower knee position from the lower front deck beam, so I’m gonna have to rethink that. Knee height is tricky in kayaks. Paddling with flat legs can be comfortable if you have the flexibility, and paddling with higher knees is also comfortable, but there’s a zone between the two that’s just a recipe for brutal thigh cramps that I try to avoid.
Aesthetically, it seems pretty enough. I might add a little more deck swoop in the bow and a bit in the tail as well just for looks. It was really surprising how much lower volume the kayak felt even though the hull and fit of both kayaks is almost identical.
Back to the shop now to make some changes.
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