So I have to be honest here and admit that something I was planning with my last two Greenland Kayaks was to add pop-up sails and catamaran system very similar to what I do with my canoes. I modified both frames to handle the forces but at the last minute I came to my senses and realized that a Greenland kayak is just the wrong tool for that job.
So for the last two weeks I’ve been contemplating a flat decked pair of F1s with sails and catamaran functionality built-in. On one hand it sounds ridiculously fun, but on the other it would mean giving up my forward cargo area.
A bit of background: Skin on frame kayaks can be frustrating to camp out of, so when I re-designed the F1 I literally designed the frame around the float and gear bags. I can stuff the bow bag tightly with no special care, pull my foot braces back, slide the whole bag forward and it fits like a glove and then the foot braces lock it in place.
I worked hard for that functionality so you can see why I’m having a hard time letting it go. Especially because if I can successfully catamaran and sail these I will absolutely want to take them on camping trips.
Nothing comes for free though, so I’ll just have to build a pair and see if the catamaran is really more fun then the camping is frustrating without my beloved forward cargo area.
My oldest kayak design actually had a flat deck so I dug out the old surveys looking for inspiration. The “Ginnyak” was a lovely paddling, rolling, and surfing boat, but it was kinda dumb looking and filled a niche that nobody was interested in so I let the design fade away.
After a trip down memory lane I headed to the lumber store for supplies and found this beautiful piece of figured cedar. Seems almost a shame to slice it up for kayak parts.
I’m juggling a lot of projects right now so it will probably be at least a month before I get both prototypes finished.
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