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The Second Test Run of the Siskiwit Bay Design
After the deck line was completely installed, I wanted to test the comfort of using a canoe seat in a kayak, so on a beautiful November day in the Northland – we only get five beautiful sunny days in November on average – I took the kayak up to Two Island Lake, which is about 15 miles by road outside of Grand Marais. The lake was perfectly calm and clear and the sky blue and partly cloudy. There was a very light almost negligible breeze blowing. For this paddle, I spent an hour and a half on the water and paddled just under 3 miles (2.85 miles total.) The second…
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How long does it take to build a cedar kayak?
This is one of the last articles in my building log and represents the beginning of the end. Yet to come is an extend testing report, one article on the changes that I’ve made since I first built it and why I made the changes, but first a set of two articles that answer two question that a builder often asks before embarking on the adventure that is canoe and kayak building: a) How long will this take, and b) How much will this cost? When I first started this build, I made a decision; I would track my hours and expenditures on a spreadsheet in order to give myself…
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Cost of Siskiwit Bay Kayak
The table below is a breakdown of what I spent on the prototype of the Siskiwit Bay. There are a few items that stand out to me: I spent very little on wood compared to the cost of the whole project. First time builders seem to often want to cut costs in the wood, but wood is only about 5% of the overall cost. It’s the little things that add up. I spent a ton of money on the little things like sandpaper, gloves, etc… These things are often ignored when quoting how much money was sunk into a project. I spent around $250, which is around 24% of the…
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Bryan’s Homebuilt Boats from 2004 and back
Note: The plans included on this page are for historical reference only. Carlson’s Hulls, a windows only program, is required to view them. These are the boats that I’ve built or designed for myself. I’ve helped on other boats, but I am not including them. Please, feel free to contact me to learn more about these. If you have built or build one of these designs, please, let me know, or send me a picture. I would love to hear from you. Freedom 17 The Freedom 17 canoe is the first boat that I built. I lived in an apartment at the time and built this in my living room.…
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The Lightweight Secret
Most paddlers would sit up and listen when told they could actually travel the same distance without working any harder in less time. They'd lean in much closer when told that there was a secret that could allow them to travel an additional 24 miles in a ten day trip without any additional hours on the water, and most would be surprised to learn the secret is actually simple. Learn the secret in this article.
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Forward Paddling in a Kayak
Forward paddling seems easy, but there is room for improvement. Forward paddling is probably the most under-appreciated and under-practiced kayaking move. However, as you might imagine, this is the most important move that you can learn. Depending on where you’re going to be kayaking, and how long of a kayak tour you intend to go on, good forward paddling may end up saving you a lot of time, effort, and muscle strain. The most important thing to remember about your forward paddling, however is that you should only work on improving it if you feel that you can’t do everything that you want to be able to do while you’re…
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Dear Nessmuking: Your Questions, Our Answers
Dear Nessmuking, I am in the process of choosing an ultra-light canoe and becoming a little frustrated by the whole thing. There seems to be a lot of b.s. out there, especially from those trying to sell me a boat. I’ve narrowed my choices to the Bluewater Tripper and the Quetico 17′. A few dealers have been telling the Souris River oilcans badly and that it is a problem that will worsen with age. The others have told me the Freedom Tripper is too small for the occasional 3rd paddler (in my case all 3 people are a little over 51/2 ft. tall with a total weight of about 400…
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Free Aleutian Baidarka Kayak Plans
Free plans for building an Aleutian Baidarka Kayak using the Hulls boat design program.
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Siskiwit Bay Builder Photos
Pictures from home builders of the Siskiwit Bay. If you have pictures you’d like to share, please, contact us. Thanks. Drawings for this kayak are available. Jim Smith Project finished March 2014 Jim writes: I have completed construction of a completely 3D printed, customized Kayak. The Kayak measures 16ft 8in [5.08m] long and cost around $500 to make. It is made of ABS plastic, machine screws, brass threaded inserts and a little bit of silicone caulk. That’s it. And it floats. And I can Kayak around in it. In order to print such large, solid sections of Kayak, I had to modify my home-built, large scale 3D printer to print…
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Free Kayak Plans – Siskiwit Bay
The Siskiwit Bay is all-around fast mid-sized British-style touring kayak. This solid boat suits a medium to heavy paddler looking for good initial stability and with increased flare above the waterline lots of secondary stability. As the water gets rougher, this kayak feels more stable. It's a fast design slightly more efficient than most British kayaks in its class. When built with a Layback Lounge, it's an easy roller.
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Goodnow Kayak Free Plans
The 16' 8" Goodnow kayak is stunning. It's lines flow beautifully and it begs to be built and paddled. At 17 5/8" wide, I'd have a hard time fitting into it, so I decided to model the kayak for a possible upscale and build. Included here is the FREE!ship file for your download and some information about the kayak.
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Getting Light Weight
Learn about lightweight gear systems and how to reduce the weight of gear that you carry.
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Why Nessmuking?
The simple question is why? Why Nessmuking? Many wilderness travelers who've spent time in the woods using conventional gear and methods, upon seeing someone traveling with just a light bag on their back, a feather light boat, and a smile, often ask why travel so light. Here are some answers.
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