Sea Kayak Compartments and Storage Spaces

A sea kayak with bulkheads and watertight cargo compartments that are accessed through hatches make packing much easier than trying to pack a kayak without bulkheads and hatches. Most modern sea kayaks include these features, so it shouldn’t be an issue for you; if your kayak doesn’t have bulkheads and hatches consider an upgrade. An example of a kayak with bulkheads and hatches is Wildernes Systems Tempest 170

Typically, a sea kayak will have a front cargo compartment and a rear cargo compartment. Some kayaks, often British-style, have a day hatch, which is an offset hatch behind the cockpit. A bulkhead separates the day hatch from the rear cargo compartment. New models might have a glove compartment, which is a small hatch in front of the cockpit that drops into a small compartment between your knees.

Other places that you can use to pack gear include the front and rear decks under bungee cords. Some paddlers like to carry a bag strapped to their front decks, which they can access quickly. The problem with carrying gear above deck is that it raises the kayak’s center of gravity which makes the boat less stable, wind can catch the gear easily and make the kayak side slip or affect directional stability, and it’s prone to wash away in waves. Try to pack all your gear below deck, which reserves your deck for a spare paddle, compass and a rear deck mounted tow rope.

Other places that might work to pack gear include the area between the front bulkhead and your foot pegs, behind the seat and under the deck if you use a knee tube or an Under Deck Bag. The gap between an Under Deck Bag and the kayak’s deck fits a bilge pump perfectly.

Sea Kayak Trim and Balance

Before shoving dry bags into the kayak, consider a kayak’s balance and trim. Side-to-side balance is how level a kayak sits in the water from side to side. Packing the starboard side of a kayak more heavily than the port causes the kayak to list to the starboard, which is annoying but also can cause the kayak to turn away from the heavy side. Ideally, when packing the boat balance the weight equally, so that the kayak sits level in the water without anyone in it. A kayak’s trim is the difference between the draft at the bow and stern. Each kayak has a design trim at which it performs as designed, and when off that trim a kayak can become squirrelly or unpredictable. Typically, the manufacturer places the seat so that the paddler’s center of gravity aligns with the kayak’s center of buoyancy, which keeps the kayak trimmed correctly. If loaded bow or stern heavy, the kayak will shift its trim towards the heavier end. To keep it trimmed correctly, pack the kayak with equal weight distribution. If you like math equations, use this one:

CWB * DFCB = CWS * DFCB

where

CWB = Cargo (dry bag) weight at bow
CWS = Cargo (dry bag) weight at stern
DFCB = Dry bag distance from the kayak’s center of buoyancy

Some kayaks are more forgiving than other when packing for trim. For example, a NDK Explorer can handle 40 percent of the weight in the bow and 60 percent in the stern without any real issues. The only way to find out if your kayak handles uneven weight distribution is through testing. Until you test it, load it evenly.

Where to Pack the Gear

As long as the weight is kept equal, pack gear anywhere, but ideally pack it to keep the center of gravity low and the swing weight of the boat centered. Do this by packing heavier gear low and centered in the kayak and away from the ends. This will make the boat more stable and it’s easier to keep things trimmed — a heavier item packed far in the bow causes the bow to sink more than the same weight packed just fore of the front bulkhead. For example, heavy tent poles might sit along the keel of the kayak and heavier gear such as food closer to the bulkheads. Try to think of packing a sea kayak like a seesaw; a heavy object in one end will cause a lighter object in the other to rise.

Consider several principles that inform you how to pack a sea kayak:

1. A balanced and trimmed boat paddles better.
2. Weight low in the boat increases stability.
3. Weight in the ends makes the boat harder to control.
4. Keep gear you need on-the-water readily available by packing it near the hatches.
5. Pack emergency gear, so you don’t need to access a hatch to retrieve it.

One way to pack a sea kayak, separates gear for camping into one compartment and food and gear used during the day into another. Using this system, you pack your sleeping bag, sleeping pad, tent, spare clothing, camp shoes, Ikea bag, electronics and maybe your pots and pans and stove in the front compartment. Because you’ll only need these items in camp, you only need to move your spare paddle once you make camp. Keep any magnetic items away from your compass. In the day hatch, you carry a first aid kit, emergency repair gear, extra drinking water, helmet, rain gear and camera gear. In the stern, you carry a water filter and food. In the Under Deck Bag, you carry flares, gloves and a neoprene hood. Your pump goes above the Under Deck Bag and the paddle float gets strapped to the back of the back rest. If carrying less food (or you eat it) or lightweight or no camera gear, then you need to move clothing and other items to the stern to trim the boat correctly.

Within the front compartment, stuff your sleeping pad into the tip of the kayak and follow the pad with your sleeping bag. Any electronics, such as a netbook fit flat against the bulkhead. The tent poles sit on the keel with one end against the bulkhead. The tent body and spare clothing fit side by side in the remaining space. Stuff your camp shoes into the hatch near the hatch cover and stuff your Ikea bag in there also. Usually, you’ll have enough room to put your cooking gear ontop of your tent or clothing bag. In the stern compartment, stuff one food bag up against the bulkhead and then the remaining two side-by-side. The water filter goes next to the skeg. Evenly arrange the gear in the day hatch, but make it easy to access your camera if needed.

How to Pack a Sea Kayak on the Beach

On the beach, pull or carry your kayak near to the water. Then lay out all your dry bags according to the suggestion or try to balance the weight equally between the stern and bow compartments. Then start stuffing. You’ll find that every kayak packs a little differently, and that a specific order might make packing easier. Dry bag color helps establish bag locations and orders. For example, you might pack everything in the front hatch into green and orange bags. The stern might have everything in blues, and the day hatch might have reds. Yellow bags migrate between the bow and stern based on remaining food.  Try to remember that order each time you reload. The first time that you load your kayak, do it near a calm pond and test for trim and balance. Also, paddle the boat to see what it feels like loaded. Kayaks paddle differently when loaded and the roll differently as well. Test it before you head out on a kayak camping trip.

In How to Pack a Sea Kayak Part 3: What to Bring learn what items to bring and suggested maximum weights of the items to keep paddling efficiency and save wear and tear on your body.

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: How to Pack a Sea Kayak Part 2: Packing Your Kayak

Note: If you paddle in water colder than 60 degree Fahrenheit (15.5 Celsius), then you need a wetsuit or a drysuit. I’ve covered that before in this article.

• Tow rope: Believe it or not but your paddling partner may get too tired, too sick or too hurt to make it back to the put-in. Most beginners don’t believe something like that could happen, but it does. I’ve been there and experienced it. It’s a bad place to be in trying to figure out how to get someone home. Out of all the kayaking accessories, the only one that’s going to help you get your friend back to the car is a tow rope. Tow ropes come in three flavors: fanny-pack style, lifevest mounted and boat mounted. For a beginner, buy a fanny-pack style tow rope. They’re versatile, because you can trade them off when you get tired of towing. You don’t need to modify your boat and you don’t need a special lifevest. I like North Water Sea Tec Towline. It’s expensive, but it features everything you need and nothing that you don’t. It’ll last you years.
• Knife: Imagine being trapped upside down in your kayak, because a rope, net, fishing line or something else is keeping you there. Now imagine your loved one or your kid trapped in the same way. How do you release them from the rope, net or fishing line if you don’t have a knife? Good luck. The Gerber River Shorty Knife is the standard knife for kayakers. It has a blunt point to help prevent stabbing wounds or holes in drysuits. It mounts to a lash tab on your lifevest which keeps it ready-to-go. The blade is sharp out of the box and its fully serrated edge cuts quickly through a rope.
• Flares: Aerial flares come in handy during an emergency. You let one off and nearby boat traffic may see them and come to your rescue. In some areas, the Coast Guard requires you to carry flares.
• VHF Radio: When you want to communicate to nearby boat or ship traffic, the only good way to do it is with a VHF radio. These two-way radios allow you contact other boaters or other members of your kayaking group. They also allow you to communicate an emergency to the Coast Guard. I like Icom IC-M72 Waterproof VHF Marine Radio. It fits in my lifevest and stays there. I’ve had it for about five or six years, and it’s still going despite staying in the pocket even during rolling. Learn How to Use a VHF Radio.
• Strobe light: During an emergency at night, rescuers need to find you. By mounting a powerful strobe on your lifevest, you can help them see you from far away. Princeton Tec Aqua Strobe projects up to 3 miles away. It’s waterproof and comes with everything you need to mount it to your vest.
• First Aid Kit & Emergency Kit: When something goes wrong or someone gets cut or hurt or if your boat gets a hole, you need to fix it in the field. I suggest carrying first aid and emergency gear. You can buy kits, but I make my own custom First Aid Kits and Ditch Kits.
• Signal mirror: You may have noticed that many of the kayaking accessories on this list deal with emergencies. The reason they do is because if you’re cast into the water and can’t get to shore unless you get someone’s attention, you’re as good as dead. A signal mirror works during the day to catch the attention of passing aircraft. You flash it at them. The ACR Hot Shot Signal Mirror features a sight that allows you to site it accurately at the craft. It’s also durable and comes with a whistle.
• Flashlight: If you get caught out at night, you’re required by the Coast Guard to have a white light that you can show another vessel. I suggest a headlamp.
• Paddling shoes: Sure you can wear sandals or your hiking shoes, but those suck in a kayak. And, sandals can get stuck on the foot peddles which could entrap you after a capsize (See Knife above). Look for simple neoprene shoes with enough thickness in the sole to pad your feet when you walk across rocky shorelines. I like NRS’s Comm-3 Wetshoe, but you have many options.

Stuff you might already own and should carry include:

• Sunblock: Some kayaking accessories such as sunblock are the same as you’d use anywhere else. Protect your skin from the sun coming down from the sky and reflecting up from the water. If you haven’t paddled before, you might not realize how much sun reflects off the water. Make sure to apply plenty of sunblock to your nose.
• Hat: Keeps the sun off of your head. On a hot, sunny day, you’ll be glad you have one. Plus, you can dip it in the water to cool down; the wet hat acts like air conditioning.
• Water bottle: Hydrate.
• Sunglasses: These protect your eyes from all the sun reflecting off the water into your face.
• Bug spray: Yep, bugs.
• Cell phone (in a waterproof case): On the water, a cell phone is not an emergency device. It might function in that way or it might not. You’re better off with a VHF radio, but if you have a cell phone and are in an area with coverage, you might want to bring it along in a waterproof case.

This list and my other Kayaking Accessories for Beginners list doesn’t cover everything that you can get, but it covers the main bases.

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: More Kayaking Accessories for Beginners

To fix that second, you can take a sea kayaking class, or you can take it on faith that you need these items and then learn how to use them. Because kayaks are so expensive, spending more money on kayaking accessories is a hard pill to swallow, but you need the items so budget for it. See, kayaking is inherently dangerous. Humans aren’t water creatures. We’re not designed to live in the water, and we have a hard time learning to survive in the water. Anytime the water drops below 60 degree Fahrenheit (15.5 Celsius), you run into the risks of cold water paddling and need a wetsuit or a drysuit. And anytime you paddle beyond swimming distance from shore, you risk not making it back if you make a mistake. When you add wind, waves, weather conditions, currents and the area where the water meets the shore, you end up with a lot of situations that are dangerous, and you might not understand or even realize the danger until it’s too late. It’s best to prepare for these situation by having the proper equipment and knowing how to use it.

On Twitter, I recently asked the question, “What kayaking accessories would you recommend to a beginner who just bought a new kayak?” I got responses from many seasoned kayakers ranging from whitewater paddlers, adventurers and guides. All their suggestions centered on the basic items required for survival in dangers, or items for comfort that beginners might not think of. Many had used these items to survive. What struck me was how similar the answers were. On that note, I put together a basic kayaking accessories list. In the list, I’ll link to the item and also briefly explain how you use it or why you’d want to buy it.

Basic Kayaking Accessories

• Kayaking-specific lifevest: Kayaking-specific lifevests differ from others in several ways. The main differences are a higher back that doesn’t interfere with the kayak’s seat, a snug fit so you don’t get rubbed wrong when paddling and comfort designed for the movements in kayaking. Some models include multiple pockets that you can stuff with snacks, a camera, VHF radio, etc. Kayaking vests also include tabs that allow you to lash on a knife, a strobe light. Some include tow belt attachments. I like Kokatat and Stohlquist.
• Nice paddle: Buy something better than the cheapest that you can find. The nicer the paddle, the more enjoyable your outings become, because they’re lighter, they swing back and forth easier. Just try a high-end carbon fiber paddle once and you’ll understand. Don’t skimp and don’t buy a paddle that’s too long for you. Many salespeople that fall into the first problem tend to size the paddle too large. It’s the right size when you place the paddle vertically and can reach up and wrap your fingers comfortably around the paddles end. Don’t stretch when doing this.
• Bilge Pump: When you get water in your kayak, you need to get it out. This might be after a capsize. It might be from splashes or boat wake or waves (see spray skirt). In a canoe, you usually use a bucket, but buckets don’t work well in a kayak, because it’s hard to get them to fill in the small area, plus it’s hard to get shallow water out of the boat. That little bit of the water sloshes around in the kayak and splashes against the back of your legs, which feels annoying. It also makes the boat less stable. The Beckson Bilge Pump is one of the best and the one brand I use. It takes a beating and pumps quickly. You’ll need to buy a foam float for it too.
• Paddle float: A paddle float is an inflatable bag that you use during a self rescue, i.e. you fell out of your kayak (wet exit) and need to get back in. One way to get back into a kayak is to inflate a paddle float around one blade on your paddle and then use the paddle as an outrigger to help you get back in. NRS Sea Kayak Paddle Float features a dual chamber, which means if one side fails, you have another. It also has a large mouth that’s easy to slip a paddle into.
• Sponge (optional): Water accumulates in the cockpit and a sponge helps get it out. It also helps get water out of a leaky bulkhead or hatch.
• Whistle: Whistles can help other boat traffic hear and see you. You can use them to communicate to other paddlers, and they’re required by the Coast Guard in some waters. You can also use them to get attention during an emergency. I suggest ACR Hot Shot Signal Mirror and Whistle Combo, because it uses a whistle that doesn’t require a floating ball (if the ball gets wet and sticks, it doesn’t work). The Combo also includes a signaling mirror and foam float for just a few more bucks than a whistle alone. Attach the whistle to your lifevest.
• Spray Skirt: You wear a spray skirt around your waist. When you sit in the kayak, the skirt seals the cockpit opening and keeps water out of the boat. If you’re going to paddle anything larger than a backyard pond or in any weather other than warm and sunny, you need to buy a skirt. I suggest buying a neoprene skirt for ocean travel. You can get by with a nylon skirt if you plan on paddling in flat water.
• Flotation (if you kayak doesn’t have bulkheads): The shocking news is that kayaks don’t float very well when filled with water. Some manufacturers address the problem by adding bulkheads and hatches to create air and watertight storage areas. If you come out of the boat and the cockpit fills with water, the bulkheads keep the ends dry. Without bulkheads, the boat fills with water and makes rescue and recovery difficult even for experienced paddlers. To help prevent the problem in boats, often recreational kayaks, buy and use float bags. NRS Standard Kayak Flotation Bags come in multiple sizes to fit most kayaks. Buy one for the front and the back of the kayak. You want a bag that fills all the free area in each part of your kayak.
• Dry Bags: To keep your gear dry while on the water, you need a waterproof container. I suggest bringing at least two bags on every trip. One bag carries spare clothing and the other contains your wallet, cell phone and other items that you might normally carry. When packing a kayak, it’s much easier to find space for smaller dry bags than large ones. For your wallet and other small items, consider a five liter bag. For the rest, buy 10 liter bags. Both Sea-to-Summit and SealLine make great dry bags.
• Rescue sling (stirrup): When you get tired from trying to get back into the boat and failing multiple times, you need help. A rescue sling such as North Water Sea Tec Rescue Stirrup can help you get in by giving you something to step on. You wrap the sling around your cockpit coaming, step on the sling, and then get into the boat. It can work in conjunction with a paddle float rescue or when you’re rescuing someone else.
• Compass and map: Some waterways are confusing. You need a map and compass to figure them out. I mount one on my kayak and put another simple baseplate compass in my lifevest. Learn how to use them in these Navigation articles.

These are just a few of the many kayaking accessories that you can buy, but for calm waters that you’ll learn on, they’ll get you by. You need to master the rescue items and that requires practice and probably a lesson. In More Kayaking Accessories for Beginners, I cover even more items that you’ll want to buy. Many I consider mandatory for paddling on large bodies of water such as the Great Lakes, oceans and big rivers like the Mississippi.

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: Kayaking Accessories for Beginners

Note: The sheerline and design features sweeping curves that might challenge first-time Yost-style builders. If you haven’t built a Yost-style SOF before, this might not be the best option.

The basic process of a wooden framed Yost-style SOF is to cut out the six wooden frames, shape them to accept stringers. Glue or nail it all together and then skin it with ballistic nylon. You then coat the nylon with a waterproof coating.

Linesplan

The linesplan gives you an overview of what the finished kayak will look like. This boat has some rocker, which makes it easy to turn. The flare makes the secondary stability feel solid, so it’s easy to hold on edge for quicker turns. The stern stem is harder than the cedar strip version which helps with tracking, because you can’t add a skeg to this boat. The cockpit, which isn’t shown runs between station three and four. It’s 30 inches long.

Printed Drawings

Buy printed drawings that include the Station and Stem Plans and a full set of Nestings for $100. Comes printed on 24- by 36-inch paper.

Electronic Nestings

Buy a pdf of the electronic nestings for $30. You can print the file on 24- by 36-inch paper on your own.

Donate

If you build this kayak from the free plans, please, donate $30. Any donations are appreciated. Whether or not you donate, please, send me a picture of your build–I’ll add it to a builder’s gallery.

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: Siskiwit Bay Skin-on-Frame Sea Kayak Plans

How to Size a Kayak

There are a lot of factors in picking the right size kayak, such as what you’re going to do with it, what you weigh, how much gear you’re going to carry, etc., but one that seems to get overlooked is often the most important: the kayak needs to fit you. If you’re short and skinny, you need a cockpit that doesn’t swallow you. If you’re tall and fat, you need a cockpit that you can get into. While foredeck height and width make a big difference here, it’s easier to look at the cockpit coaming height at your hips. The coaming shouldn’t be any higher than the top of your pelvic bone. If you get this right, usually (but not always) everything else falls into place.

By having a coaming at this height, the boat doesn’t interfere when you twist your torso from side to side during a forward stroke and during sweep strokes. When you turn to the side for draws, rudders and rolls, the right height coaming let’s you twist more easily. Plus, during rear deck rolls, some of the lowest impact and easiest to learn, the coaming doesn’t stop you from leaning backward.

On a personal side, my 130-pound partner used to paddle my Romany, which is a pretty low volume boat. It fit her, but I could tell that a smaller boat would fit her better, so I built her an Iggy. It’s a smaller boat. She feels much more comfortable in the kayak, and she feels like she has more control over it, which allows her to take it into rougher water. She does all this even though the Iggy is less initial stable than a Romany. It’s a little lesson in how proper boat fit trumps apparent stability.

How to Sit in a Kayak

Sitting in the frog position. I'm sitting up straight, my knees are bent and my ankles are at 90 degrees.

Regardless, when sitting in the kayak you want lots of contact. The main three adjustable contact points are the foot braces, the thigh or knee braces and the back band. Some kayaks include adjustable seats. Points of contact that aren’t easily adjustable include where your heel rests in the boat (and where the foot brace hits your foot), your hips, the back of your legs and your butt. The goal in adjusting your boat is to maximize the contact at all these points without impeding torso rotation.

To see how you should sit in a kayak, go sit on the ground with your feet straight out in front of you. Keep your back upright — imagine that you’re sitting upright in grade school and that your teacher is going to slap your knuckles with a ruler when you start to slouch. Now, spread your knees while keeping your heels together. From above, it looks like your legs take the shape of a diamond or you look like a swimming frog. Now, turn your feet, so the toes are in the air and your ankles form a 90 degree angle. Your knees should slightly raise off the ground as you turn your toes to the air. This frog position is how you want to sit in the kayak.

After trying it on the ground, get in your kayak. Sit upright and adjust the back band until you are upright, then replicate the position you assumed on the ground. Put your thighs or knees against the thigh/knee braces (depend on where they hit you — on some boats these adjust). Hold that diamond shape in the boat and adjust the foot braces until they touch the balls of your feet while you hold your ankles at about 90 degrees.

The ball of my foot makes contact with the foot brace. With my knees braced correctly, my feet angle slightly to one side.

Your kayak is now basically adjusted to fit you. At this point, you start tweaking the fit by adding foam.

Final Adjustments

Once you have the basic adjustments down, you need to custom fit the kayak by adding foam. Don’t worry; it’s an easy process. You need contact cement and foam outfitting. You can buy the foam as an outfitting kit or as a solid block. I prefer blocks of foam, because I can then shape a chunk to my exact needs. I usually buy thigh pads, too. You also need a small hand-held saw, 80-grit and 120-grit sandpaper, and I like to use a rasp for quick shaping. To glue in a chunk of foam, start with a rough shape with a smooth gluing surface, sand and clean the area in the boat where you’re going to glue the foam, then follow the contact cement’s instructions, press the foam into the boat, shape it further based on fit. Once it fits, sand the surface smooth with 120-grit.

For outfitting, start at your feet. If your foot is too short for the ball to hit the brace, add foam under your heel. Foam here wears out quickly, so expect to replace it often. Even if your foot hits the brace in the right spot, adding a thin layer of foam under your heel keeps it warmer on cold water and helps prevent it from slipping around as you push on the foot braces during sweeps and the forward stroke. If you notice that your calf muscles feel tense and overworked after kayaking, it’s probably because you exert force on the foot brace through the ball of your foot, which transfers the force through your calves. You’re not used to that, because you walk and stand on the heel of your foot and not your toes (you sort of tip-toe in your kayak). You will build strength the more you paddle, and the pain will go away after a while. One way to avoid the pain or remove it if it doesn’t go away is by moving your kayak’s bulkhead, either literally or by adding foam to it, until it becomes your foot brace. This allows you to brace with both the heel and ball of your foot, which feels more natural. Some paddlers like the top to tilt slightly forward. On plastic boats, the bulkhead isn’t strong enough, but you can mount a whitewater-style foot brace instead by removing your current braces and retrofitting.

Foam paddling in the thigh brace and covering the skeg control box. I should add a wedge of foam to help prevent my knee from blowing out of the boat.

The same kayak as shown above with a foam thigh brace glued in. I used a cut-up hip brace from a outfitting kit.

Point 1 is the front of the seat. Point 2 is the back. Also, note the wear on the foam near the foot brace.

Now the most controversial part of fitting your kayak: the back band. Some paddlers will tell you to dump it. I’m not one of them, but you really need to think about how you’re using it. If you always use it to support your back, then you’re using it too much. By leaning against it or having it hold your body forward, you’re losing power and rotation. None of your strokes will be efficient as they should be. You’ll be slower than your friends, your boat won’t turn quickly when you need it to, and most likely, because you’re leaning against the back band, you’ll feel loose in the knees, your feet will just rest against the foot braces. By leaning against the back band you take a two-fold power hit. First, your rotation becomes non-existent. Second, you can’t start a stroke by pushing with your foot. You do this during sweeps and the forward stroke. Imagine sitting in you kayak, you rotate your right hip forward in the seat, which raises your knee. That allows you to swing your torso and shoulders more forward to put the paddle in the water near your right foot. As you start the stroke, you push against the right foot brace which straightens your knee and pushes your right hip towards the back of the seat and left hip towards the front of the seat. This creates more rotation in your torso, and more power as you pull the paddle through the water. Now since you’re sitting reading this instead of paddling, try this: Lean against the couch and slouch slightly. Get comfy, like you’re going to watch a long movie with popcorn and a drink nearby. Push with your right foot. What happened? You butt and back pushed downward. It didn’t rotate because it can’t in this position. By leaning against the back band, you lose the ability to rotate. So, what do you do? Adjust it so that its role is to keep you on the seat. That’s it. It just stops you from sliding off the back of the seat. If you have trouble sitting upright, then add situps to your daily workout. If you don’t do situps now, it won’t take long to build enough strength to sit upright in your kayak.

Testing and Refining

You never get this right on the first go, so don’t expect to. Go out on a several mile paddle and bring a rasp, sandpaper and a marker. Try a few braces and rolls. Watch for rotation. Feel for any hot spots or uncomfortable areas. While paddling, mark the locations with a marker or just remember where you felt the pain. After a mile, beach the boat, pull out the sandpaper and rasp, and fix the problem. Also, see if anything needs snugging up. If so, mark the site and add more foam when you get home.

After you finish adjusting and adding foam to your kayak, it will feel more comfortable. You’ll get better performance. It’s worth the afternoon investment. Once you dial in the fit, you’re done.

Questions?

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: How to Adjust a Sea Kayak

The plans come as a pdf that you can print off at a office supply store, such as Officemax or Staples, or any printing store that can print up to 36 inches. If you don’t have access to a large-format printer, I included dimensions for every 2 inches. Using the dimensions, you can draw the cockpit out yourself. To do it:

1. Draw a 32-3/8-inch centerline on a 24 inch wide piece of paper. Tack the paper down to a piece of 3/4-inch plywood.
2. Mark intervals on the centerline every 2 inches.
3. Run a line perpendicularly to the centerline the specified distance at each 2-inch interval.
4. Place a nail at the end of that line.
5. Place a nail on each end of the centerline.
6. Run a flexible batten around the nails.
7. Draw a line around the batten to draw the cockpit outline.
8. Mirror the outline for the starboard side.
9. Add in the knee braces following the same procedure.

Note: To reduce the cockpit length to 30 inches, remove the sixth line from the left and make the spacing between the fifth and seventh line 2 inches.

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: Sea Kayak Cockpit Plans

On the Kayak’s Front or Rear Deck

It’s best to carry your spare on the deck, because if you break a paddle, it’s easier to get to than if you carried a four piece in your hatches. Because most kayaks have bungees designed to carry a paddle on both the front or the back deck, you can carry it on either. Both have advantages. On the front deck, the paddle is easier to get to, you can monitor it, but it’ll often throw up spray into your face and surf tends to push it out from under the bungees. On the back deck, it’s more protected in the surf, stays out of the way, keeps the foredeck open for maps, etc., but it’s hard to grab and hard to monitor. Your spare could float away without you knowing. I always carry mine on the front deck.

How to Carry It

There are lots of ways to carry and attach a paddle to the deck, but the three most common solutions involve fabric sleeves, PVC pipe or just deck bungees. The first two solutions protect the paddle and the kayak’s gel coat from scratches, and can make it easier to pull the paddle out when needed. Kayakers that use PVC pipes claim that it stops the paddles from coming out in the surf. To see the many fabric and PVC pipe solutions, check out Gnarlydog’s post. For a commercial version, check out Northwater’s Paddle Britches.

Personally, I’m a fan of using bungee cord. I like it for a couple of reasons. First, it’s light. Second, it’s versatile. My current setup includes three parts. I use the foredeck bungees to hold the blade to the deck. I like to face the back of my spare paddle’s blade to the sky and the spoon towards the deck. This helps prevent scratching on the boat’s deck and the paddles blade, but I think scratching is just the norm. I use the bungees in front of the hatch and compass to hold the paddle’s shaft. I use a third bungee with a plastic cliff to hold down the middle of the shaft.

For the shaft bungee, my kayak features three plastic padeyes. I run a long length of bungee through all three. I tie double knots on the outside padeyes to prevent the bungee from pulling through, and pull a bight of bungee from the center padeye. I slide a plastic cordlock over the bight and slide it down to the padeye. When I secure the paddle shaft, I loosen the cordlock, wrap a loop of bungee around the shaft, and then tighten the cordlock. See the picture.

Even though I feel that the kayak’s foredeck bungee and the shaft bungee holds the paddle tight against the boat, I picked up a trick last year from ACA Coastal Kayaking Level 5 Advanced Open Water Instructor Trainer Educator Sam Crowley. To further secure his spare paddle, he girth hitches a loop of bungee cord with a plastic snap hook on it to one side of the kayak’s perimeter deck line over his kayak’s front hatch. Then clips the snap hook to the other side’s perimeter deck line. This further secures the paddle. To get at the hatch, you just unclip the snap hook. See the picture.

Preventing Deck Scratches

With any spare paddle setup, you’re not going to prevent deck scratches on a composite boat. It’s just going to happen. When you accept that, you’ll feel better. But, if you like to keep your composite boat looking shining and new, consider covering the deck areas susceptible to scratches with Helicopter Guard Tape, which is the tape used to protect the edges of helicopter blades from damage. It’s tough and clear. Keep in mind that any tape you cover your deck with will help prevent the gel coat from fading, which means when you peel it off, the gel coat will be darker under the tape than in surrounding areas. That’s not a big deal if you always use tape.

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: How to Carry a Spare Kayak Paddle

This kayak has a long history with backyard builders. In the June 1923 issue of The Rudder magazine, Norman L. Skene published plans for a kayak, called the Walrus, based on the lines of the 1921 Southwest Greenland kayak. George Putz, who collected the article and republished it in his book, Wood and Canvas Kayak Building, writes that the boat was popular with home craftsmen and resort vacationers. Putz used those drawings for the plans provided in his book. More recently, several builders from the Kayak Building Forum, including Mike Hanks and  Bill Chelley, built Walruses in plywood, skin-on-frame and cedar strip. Several went back to the old 1921 Southwest Greenland plans to build “Skinny Walruses.” According to Hanks, the “skinny walrus” is stable, tracks well and turns easily when on edge. The high-ends ride up and over most waves. He says, “It rolls a little clunky, but is not too bad. It is quite stable right-side-up, upside-down, and on its sides.” He also notes that it’s so stable, it’s easy to stand in.

These free plans include: station and stem plans, a 3-D view and the linesplan. Because the deck beams aren’t shown in the drawings, I rounded the deck. Where Chapelle’s survey disagrees, I defaulted to the profile and plan views.

Specifications

Length: 17 feet, 1 inch
Beam: 19-1/4 inches
Depth: 6-3/8 inches

Recommended Kayak Building Books

• Building Strip-Planked Boats: Nick Shade’s kayak, canoe and rowboat building book. The instructions are the best out there.
• The Strip-Built Sea Kayak: Three Rugged, Beautiful Boats You Can Build: The gold standard of kayak building books. You should own this if you’re going to build a kayak.
• Kayakcraft: Fine Woodstrip Kayak Construction: Lots of great ideas.
• The New Kayak Shop: More Elegant Wooden Kayaks Anyone Can Build: If you want to build a stitch-and-glue kayak, then this is the book to own.

Sample Station and Stem Plans

The free drawings comes with a combined station and stem plan. You can work from this if you only want to print out one piece of paper. Great for framing and placing in the boat house (garage). Sample below.

Nesting Sample

These drawings come with multiple pages of nestings. Each station and stem is drawn separately. Use spray adhesive to fix the paper to your plywood before cutting out the forms. Nestings cost extra. Sample below.

Printed Drawings

Buy printed drawings that include the Station and Stem Plans and a full set of Nestings for $100. Comes printed on 24- by 36-inch paper.

Electronic Nestings

Buy a pdf of the electronic nestings for $30. You can print the file on 24- by 36-inch paper on your own.

Donate

If you build this canoe from the free plans, consider donating $30 for my time and effort. Any donations are appreciated. Whether or not you donate, please, send me a picture of your build–I’ll add it to a builder’s gallery.

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: Free Plans: 1921 Southwest Greenland Kayak

These free drawings include a pdf of the station and stem plans, a 3-D view of the boat with axis baselines and an image of the linesplan. The original kayak used two deck beams, but because they’re not shown on the survey, I decided to round the deck slightly following the profile view of the survey. Where Chapelle’s survey disagrees, I defaulted to the profile and plan views instead of his stations.

Specifications

Length: 16 feet, 6 inches
Beam: 20 inches
Depth: 6-7/8 inches

Recommended Kayak Building Books

• Building Strip-Planked Boats: A canoe, kayak and row-boat building book by kayak and canoe building authority, Nick Schade. A must have for canoe and kayak building.
• The Strip-Built Sea Kayak: Three Rugged, Beautiful Boats You Can Build: The gold standard of kayak building books. Explains everything from tools to epoxy work. You will save time when using the tricks and tips in this book.
• Kayakcraft: Fine Woodstrip Kayak Construction: Lots of great ideas.
• The New Kayak Shop: More Elegant Wooden Kayaks Anyone Can Build: Stitch and glue kayak building.

Sample Station and Stem Plans

The free drawings comes with a combined station and stem plan. You can work from this if you only want to print out one piece of paper. Great for framing and placing in the boat house (garage). Sample below.

Nesting Sample

These drawings come with multiple pages of nestings. Each station and stem is drawn separately. Use spray adhesive to fix the paper to your plywood before cutting out the forms. Nestings cost extra. Sample below.

Printed Drawings

Buy printed drawings that include the Station and Stem Plans and a full set of Nestings for $100. Comes printed on 24- by 36-inch paper.

Electronic Nestings

Buy a pdf of the electronic nestings for $30. You can print the file on 24- by 36-inch paper on your own.

Donate

If you build this canoe from the free plans, consider donating $30 for my time and effort. Any donations are appreciated. Whether or not you donate, please, send me a picture of your build–I’ll add it to a builder’s gallery.

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: Free Kayak Plans: 1883 Southwestern Greenland Kayak

Weather Lore

• Red sky at night sailor’s delight; red sky in the morning sailor’s take warning. Perhaps the most well-know saying. In the northern hemisphere weather typically moves west to east. When the sun can cast it’s light up on the underbelly of the clouds, it means that the sky is clear in that direction. So, if there’s a red sunset, there must be clear skies to the west. If there’s a red sunrise, the clear weather has passed to the east and bad weather is overhead. Another version: A rainbow in the morning, is the sailor’s warning; a rainbow at night is the sailor’s delight. Rainbows appear opposite the sun, so it must be clear in the direction of the sun. In the morning, it’s the east. In the evening, it’s the west.
• A ring around the sun or moon, means rain or snow coming soon. Halos form from the sun reflecting off of high altitude ice crystals. This may mean that a storm is blowing in and sending moisture high into the sky. When sun dogs surround the sun, weather will deteriorate within 18-36 hours.
• Frost or dew in the morning light, shows no rain before the night. And, when grass is dry at morning light, look for rain before the night. This saying depends on the night sky. If it’s calm and clear at night, the temperature will drop and dew forms. If it’s windy and cloudy, dew probably won’t form. Clouds and wind can indicate bad weather moving in.
• Mackerel sky and mare’s tails make tall ships carry low sails. Thin high cirrocumulus clouds that look like fish scales with blue sky in-between or long wispy high cirrus clouds. These clouds could indicate a warm or cold front approaching. Chances are for strong winds and in the case of a warm front, probably rain.
• A veering wind, fair weather; a backing wind, foul weather. Veering winds change direction in a clockwise direction and backing winds change direction in an anticlockwise directions. A veering wind means that the system is passing and a backing wind means the system is arriving.
• If clouds move against the wind, rain will follow. Stand with your back against the wind. If the upper level clouds are coming from the left, a system is approaching from the west. If the upper level clouds are coming from the right, the weather will be clear.
• When the glass falls low, prepare for a blow; When it rises high, let all your kites fly. This saying has to do with the type of pressure system that is approaching. Low pressure systems bring unstable weather and high pressure system more stable. So, when your barometer shows a falling pressure, expect bad weather, and good weather when it rises.

Do you have some favorite sayings?

Weather Lore Downloads and Resources

• Weather folk-lore and local weather signs by Edward Bennett Garriott: A U.S. Department of Agriculture publication from 1903 and now in the public domain. Includes lots of weather lore and prediction tools for cities across the U.S.
• Folklore in Meteorology: WRGB’s collected weather lore sayings and explanations.

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: Paddling Weather Lore and Prediction