Sunday, May 20, 2007

My hand built Yak



Here are a few quick snapshots of my Kayak. This is my father's design and he has built several of them over the years. The one pictured is my second. The frame and trim are made of basswood which is light, strong, and flexible enough to make the curves needed to give it the proper shape. The "skin" is denim coated with oil based paint. While they are very light weight, they are surprisingly sturdy. When Dad was testing them back in the 70's, he and my uncle made some serious whitewater runs through the Nantahala gorge. Almost all of the kayaks survived the trip. I am looking forward to getting this one in the water soon on our local lake.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Big Sky Taku: Real interesting design. Looks like it has a fair keel, but hard chines. What are the specs on it? I imagine it is fairly stable due to the beam, but looks like it has a lot of tumblehome. Do you use a canoe paddle or a double blade kayak paddle? Seating looks pretty basic. Would like to get some of the design specs from you. Thanks.
BST

opax said...

Great work Murdock!

Murdock said...

Big Sky,

Early on we used home made sort of hand paddles - one for each hand. They actually worked really well. I have used a traditional kayak paddle with the boat as well. The seat is pretty much just a platform so I use a cloth folding stadium type seat to help support my back. Drop me an email through Flyfishmagazine.com and I will get you some more detailed specs.

Opax - Thanks!