Don't scorn me! | SouthernPaddler.com

Don't scorn me!

jdupre'

Well-Known Member
Sep 9, 2007
2,327
40
South Louisiana
Beekeeper told me I should fess up. I bought a PLASTIC kayak! Yes, a bright lime green plastic kayak.......and it's great. I was just not in the right frame of mind to build anything right now. I had some mad money from selling a bonsai tree and doing some leatherwork and decided to splurge.

Pelican Apex 10 , 10 feet long, 30 " beam ( and about 30" at the waterline), 40 lbs., sit-on-top. It's got a comfy, built-in adjustable seat and even came with a paddle. I've had it a couple of days and put 6 miles on it. It's noticeably slower than an UJ pirogue, but I'm slower these days too. It still moves right along though. Very stable with a bit of bow wag when paddling. The glide is surprising decent. NOT a 10 mile per day boat, though. It is refreshing to not worry about every scrape and scuff.

1565
 

oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
What is this world coming to ....... Must be common sense.

When the wife retired we went over to one vehicle which put a damper on my trips and even making it to local rivers for float trips. Probably a good idea since our trips today , between the two of us , is to the doctors or the grocery store. I think i found a way to beat the system , just haven't taken the steps yep. The draw back is having to decide which way to go.
She could drop me off and then later ( say several days ) and pick me up down river.
A boat in a suitcase appears to be a good answer.
Sea Eagle inflatable Kayaks. Two models in the RazorLite series , one a solo boat and one a tandem boat. Leaning towards the 2 person since it has more room for a dry bag of camping gear.
.
 

PeteStaehling

Well-Known Member
Aug 23, 2020
146
2
72
Tallahassee Florida
It looks a lot like the little sit on tops we rented when we were snorkeling in the keys. They were great fun. We could climb on and off in deep enough water that we couldn't touch bottom or where we didn't want to touch the coral. We cold tow them on a leash when snorkeling. We had a blast with them!
 

jdupre'

Well-Known Member
Sep 9, 2007
2,327
40
South Louisiana
What is this world coming to ....... Must be common sense.

When the wife retired we went over to one vehicle which put a damper on my trips and even making it to local rivers for float trips. Probably a good idea since our trips today , between the two of us , is to the doctors or the grocery store. I think i found a way to beat the system , just haven't taken the steps yep. The draw back is having to decide which way to go.
She could drop me off and then later ( say several days ) and pick me up down river.
A boat in a suitcase appears to be a good answer.
Sea Eagle inflatable Kayaks. Two models in the RazorLite series , one a solo boat and one a tandem boat. Leaning towards the 2 person since it has more room for a dry bag of camping gear.
.


Chuck, that sounds like a great idea for your situation. Easy to store in the off season too.
 

PeteStaehling

Well-Known Member
Aug 23, 2020
146
2
72
Tallahassee Florida
I could see one of the two person inflatables in my future when the wife and I head out on the road when/if this pandemic ever gets under control enough that we decide to travel. We will likely be in a van type camper so space will be limited.
 

oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
The World's First and Only Kayak Made Entirely Of Drop Stitch Material
The World's First and Only Kayak Made Entirely Of Drop Stitch Material
The patented Sea Eagle RazorLite™ High Performance Ultra Light Kayak is the world's first and only inflatable kayak made entirely with Drop Stitch Technology throughout! This kayak uses 3" Drop Stitch material for the floor and 4" Drop Stitch material for the side walls. Our Drop Stitch material uses thousands of high tensile strength threads connecting the top and bottom fabric layers, creating thousands of I-beam supports. This enables the RazorLite™ to be inflated to a much higher pressure (10 psi) than other kayaks (3-4 psi) which increases overall rigidity. The unique Drop Stitch construction makes the RazorLite™ as fast as any rigid kayak in it's class and provides the added benefit of being able to pack in its own backpack. The RazorLite™ is as tough as nails, incredibly rigid, ultra light, and a delight to paddle. U.S. Patent 9,452,809
 

Kayak Jack

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
13,976
171
86
Okemos / East Lansing Michigan
Sounds good. The term of a drop stitch is misleading. In sewing, a dropped stitch is a faulty stitch, one that didn’t connect at all on one end. They’re using the term of drop stitch to describe a connecting stitch.

Their construction has to be very strong to withstand 10 psi; I admire that. I’ve seen inflatables trying to paddle upwind, with the wind lifting the front 2-3 feet of the bow up into the air. This boat sounds like it will hold its form well.
 

beekeeper

Well-Known Member
Mar 4, 2009
1,917
59
Beekeeper told me I should fess up. I bought a PLASTIC kayak! Yes, a bright lime green plastic kayak.......and it's great. I was just not in the right frame of mind to build anything right now. I had some mad money from selling a bonsai tree and doing some leatherwork and decided to splurge.

Pelican Apex 10 , 10 feet long, 30 " beam ( and about 30" at the waterline), 40 lbs., sit-on-top. It's got a comfy, built-in adjustable seat and even came with a paddle. I've had it a couple of days and put 6 miles on it. It's noticeably slower than an UJ pirogue, but I'm slower these days too. It still moves right along though. Very stable with a bit of bow wag when paddling. The glide is surprising decent. NOT a 10 mile per day boat, though. It is refreshing to not worry about every scrape and scuff.

View attachment 1565
Very close size to my son's "Bistineau" pirogue. Would you describe the hull as basically a flat bottom?
Most of the ones I have seen may have some form of creases or ridges but the footprint seems to me to be a flat bottom with soft chines.
You will enjoy the durability and little maintenance needed.
 

Kayak Jack

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
13,976
171
86
Okemos / East Lansing Michigan
Actually, the big thing to watch out for is strapping it down too tightly, and deforming the hull. Especially under hot, bright sun. Small deformations can often (not always) be mostly straightened using a hair dryer to soften the plastic.
 

jdupre'

Well-Known Member
Sep 9, 2007
2,327
40
South Louisiana
Bee, it's kinda hard to describe the bottom shape. Cross section-- fairly hard chines that start out concave with a 6" high by 6" deep rounded keel down the middle that narrows into a well rounded bow.
 

beekeeper

Well-Known Member
Mar 4, 2009
1,917
59
I have seen those kind. I guess my question is, do you think those shape features add much to the stability?
 

jdupre'

Well-Known Member
Sep 9, 2007
2,327
40
South Louisiana
I've come to the opinion that waterline width is THEE most important factor in stability. This boat has a waterline width very close to it's max beam. Can't really get more stability out of a hull than that. Now, people say that a wide, mostly flat bottom has a tendency to tip when leaned over hard. With an almost 30" waterline, you would have to do something GROSSLY dumb to get in that position. One thing though, a mostly flat bottom is more stable when used within it's parameters than a round bottom, which always feels a little skittish to me.
 

jdupre'

Well-Known Member
Sep 9, 2007
2,327
40
South Louisiana
I paddled about a mile and a half this evening. I'm learning the speed it prefers to go. I'd say it's a good, brisk walking pace......maybe 3 mph. For the same amount of work, my 16 foot pirogue went about 3.6 mph. The Swamper kayak went about 4.3 mph. 1.3 mph difference for WILDLY different hull shapes and size. Not earthshaking , by any means.
 

Kayak Jack

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
13,976
171
86
Okemos / East Lansing Michigan
In flat water, a flat bottomed boat is quite stable. On waves of 10”-12”, they begin to get exciting. On, say, 15” waves the term “pucker factor” is an operational term.

In the waters surrounding the Great Lakes - generally the norttherly part of the eastern third of America, plus most of Canada - a semi rounded canoe or kayak with sides that flare outwards a few degrees (say, 10-15) is a very reliable cross section. While a flat bottom will roll back and forth as waves pass underneath, a semi round bottom simply rises up and down. As it is leaned, the flared sides progressively displace more water, giving a predictably progressive stiffervresistance to further roll.

And any boat can be capsized. Just ask me. ;-) sigh