I couldn’t resist the opportunity to find out what such a rarely built type of kayak feels like on the water, so today we carefully wrapped the north Alaskan replica frames in plastic wrap and tied them onto the car for a quick trip down to the water:
The 16’ long kayak is surprisingly unstable despite its boxy hull section and moderate width. There is virtually no primary stability and very little secondary stability due to the overall volume effectively raising the paddlers center of gravity while simultaneously reducing waterline width. This kayak is, however, extremely fast, and despite its shovel nose and 14 foot waterline it was comfortable to paddle at 5 mph, sprinted to 7, and I easily could’ve held a 6 mph race pace with some fitness training. This conflicts with conventional kayak wisdom but I’m convinced that hull dynamics don’t apply the same to boats that slide ‘over’ the water rather than parting it. The kayak tracks well but must be actively paddled and spins in a circle like a white water kayak when I stopped paddling. It is quite maneuverable and can easily be turned 360° with four sweeps strokes. My overall impression is that seagoing capabilities are intentionally compromised in favor of ultimate speed for chasing down swimming caribou. I strongly believe the similar but more rounded and kayaks from further north would be much more versatile although slower.
The shorter kayak with its more rounded hull section, increased rocker and shallower depth felt much more predictable with a stability curve that reminded me of other narrow traditional kayaks I’m familiar with. Paddling and maneuverability characteristics were similar to the longer kayak but with a more average sea kayak speed/drag.
I was surprised by how little the peaked deck and armpit height coaming interfered with comfortable paddling. My knees locked in more easily than you’d expect for such a deep kayak.
I gained many valuable insights that I can now apply to my own kayak design adventures. The kayaks frames arrived home safely without a drop of water or a smudge of dirt.
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