Retrieval on DeSoto Ramblings

In terms of performance I thought my kayak did real well today. It's the first time I've paddled it for more than thirty minutes on a lake. There was a stiff wind from the South that created some 1 to 1.5 foot waves. It wasn't that rough but the roughest water I've been on so far. If I turned the kayak so the waves were hitting the side, the kayak felt stable. Orienting head on into the waves caused the bow to spear into the larger of them and water cascaded across the deck. I can see that more buoyancy at the bow would be a good thing for rough water conditions. I purchased a waterproof, closed cell foam, camping mat and used that for a seat pad. One layer wasn't enough so I doubled it. On the way back it scooched out of position and it didn't do its job very well. It was a definite improvement though over the last pad I tried. I think I'll try to make a seat with some minicell foam at some point.

Profile

Here's a picture showing the relationship of the size of the skeg to the rest of the kayak. Note the sagging skin. Moisture gets inside the kayak from my feet when I get in. The water condenses on the inside and the ballistic nylon gets moist enough to wrinkle a bit. It doesn't make a noticeable difference while paddling. Cooler temperatures also make the skin loosen some. It will tighten back up as it dries.

Mounted Skeg

I more permanently mounted the test skeg I made the other day. I spread a little goop between the keelson and the skeg where the screw holes were, and tightened it down. It didn't seem to leak during our four hour paddle on DeSoto today. I scraped it on the boat ramp as I was pushing off as you can see in the picture. It's made of pine and not very strong. I'll reshape, sand and maybe coat it with marine epoxy. You can see how crudely the skeg is made and I'm sure it violates many hydrodynamic rules, but it does the job. The craft tracked real well during the paddle and still remained very responsive to turns.

Skeg

I carved a test skeg to see if it would help with the terrible yaw of the Retrieval. The blade dimensions are 7" long and 3" at it's deepest point. I duct taped it on and took it for a spin tonight. I was a little leery it wouldn't work but it was amazing how much it helped. For the first time I got into a rhythm paddling because every stroke didn't have to be a correction stroke.

Design Changes

I took the kayak out for it's first real test. We kayaked down the Middle Loup River for 5.5 hours. The first couple hours were spent getting used to the craft on the river. Then the kayak started feeling cramped and I started trying to adjust the exercise mat I was using as a seat pad. The last hour was pretty painful for my hind end and legs. Not too mention I was exhausted from paddling. I learned a lot about my kayak though and have some changes in mind.

There's too much rocker. Being able to maneuver is critical but just about every stroke with this kayak is a correction stroke. By the end of the day I was worn out mostly from just keeping the craft going strait. I'm going to try adding a skeg to see if that helps. The cockpit is way too cramped. I'm going to rip out the masik and put in a thinner laminated one to give more leg clearance. Also I think the foot beam needs moved farther toward the bow. I think those few changes should make the kayak more serviceable and enjoyable to use. Oh I need to add some type of thin seat pad that won't compress like the exercise mat. In general the next kayak I make for rivers will have more volume on both ends. The rivers in Nebraska are shallow and I'd like the kayak to ride a little higher in the water to get over the shallow sand bars.

Inside Bow View

In lieu of floor boards I used a bamboo mat from World Market, cut to fit and coated with urethane.

Inside Stern View

Deck Lines

These are the stern deck lines to keep needed items topside. As you slide the toggles toward the sides of the deck the lines tighten.

Combing

The combing is made of steam bent red oak. The dimensions are 21.5"x17."

Stern View

Bow View

Side View

Not the most flattering side of the craft :)

Two Action Shots

It's going to take quite a while before I start feeling I'm in total control of this kayak. It yaws like crazy as I paddle. It should work great on rivers around the state.

First Float

Here's what the kayak looks like with me sitting in it. It sure has plenty of rocker.

Resting

Here's a picture of the kayak resting on the surface. You can see the frame through the translucent skin. The skin is 8oz ballistic nylon coated with a two part urethane.

Finally Finished

I finished building my Retrieval kayak Saturday morning, with the installation of the deck lines. I took it for a short spin on the lake today. Here's a picture resting on shore.

More of the underside

Here is one more picture taken at a different angle.

Closer Look

Here's a closer look at the bottom of the kayak.

Bow

A picture of the bow.

Stringers are on

Here are a couple pictures of the frame with the stringers attached. Other than a few small tweaks the frame is ready for skinning. I've got to make the combing and paddle as well.