Sea Through Rover - Launch!
Launching a new kayak is an exciting event. The anticipation of seeing months of work finally on the water, the worry about whether it will perform ok or end up being a dog.... Because of this I always try to launch on the quiet and never tell any locals when or where. In the STR's case being the first SOF I had built there was an additional worry - will it leak? All joins under the rub rail where glued and coated in silicon sealant so logic would say "no chance" but who's logical at times like this!
In the end my fears where unfounded. I loaded the yak onto the jeep and headed to the bay below the house for a photo shoot on a tree stump there, then took it to Enclosure Bay on the other side of the island for the launch.
Not wanting to scratch the new skin I carefully carried the kayak into the water and sat on the back deck so I could slide my legs in - wrong move! The aft deck and coaming is so low that water immediately rushed into the cockpit. Bugger, haven't even launched and I've sunk! With a solid coaming rim it wouldn't have been a problem, but I had built it so the coaming can press down below deck level. After emptying the kayak, I left the stern on the sand and squeezed myself in again. Stretching the tuilik on I pushed myself of the sand and was afloat. Sea Through Rover launched!
With my weight in it (78kg) the aft deck is just above water level by approx 1.5cm. Any slight lean puts the gunwales underwater and moving at speed has water wash over the back deck. But it didn't spring a leak and with the tuilik sealed around the coaming it didn't matter that the water was sometimes at that level.
Its not the most stable kayak which I think is a combination of low freeboard and the 18" beam, but I soon got used to it and consider it more physiological then design. The speed took me by surprise. Being a Greenland design it has a lowish top hull speed but it moves up to this with ease and the acceleration was great!
There is a term going around now on the Qajaqusa forum referring to cheater kayaks for rolling. Well this defiantly fits that term! Rolling is very easy, you just have to think about coming up and the yak virtually does it by itself. For example with balance braces on the Night Heron I have to struggle to get the hull any more then right angles with the water line, with this one I can just about lay it flat. After trying a few different rolls I started continuous hand rolling - not once did I have to give my hand a 2nd flick in the water. Soon became confident enough to try a straight jacket roll. I didn't survive this one but after a few attempts it was close and I think doable with the STR and a bit more practice.
One negative with a clear kayak is that on the water its not very clear. The moment you hop in the pvc mists up on the inside turning the kayak white. If I unsealed the tuilik the pvc should clear itself, but with such a low volume yak I would also soon find myself under water. Instead by putting my hand in the cockpit and wiping the mist off I could see for a short time unfortunately the water was not as clear as it could be.
As a summary its not my first choice of the fleet to take for a long paddle but as a rolling yak I can't see how it could be beaten!
In the end my fears where unfounded. I loaded the yak onto the jeep and headed to the bay below the house for a photo shoot on a tree stump there, then took it to Enclosure Bay on the other side of the island for the launch.
Not wanting to scratch the new skin I carefully carried the kayak into the water and sat on the back deck so I could slide my legs in - wrong move! The aft deck and coaming is so low that water immediately rushed into the cockpit. Bugger, haven't even launched and I've sunk! With a solid coaming rim it wouldn't have been a problem, but I had built it so the coaming can press down below deck level. After emptying the kayak, I left the stern on the sand and squeezed myself in again. Stretching the tuilik on I pushed myself of the sand and was afloat. Sea Through Rover launched!
With my weight in it (78kg) the aft deck is just above water level by approx 1.5cm. Any slight lean puts the gunwales underwater and moving at speed has water wash over the back deck. But it didn't spring a leak and with the tuilik sealed around the coaming it didn't matter that the water was sometimes at that level.
Its not the most stable kayak which I think is a combination of low freeboard and the 18" beam, but I soon got used to it and consider it more physiological then design. The speed took me by surprise. Being a Greenland design it has a lowish top hull speed but it moves up to this with ease and the acceleration was great!
There is a term going around now on the Qajaqusa forum referring to cheater kayaks for rolling. Well this defiantly fits that term! Rolling is very easy, you just have to think about coming up and the yak virtually does it by itself. For example with balance braces on the Night Heron I have to struggle to get the hull any more then right angles with the water line, with this one I can just about lay it flat. After trying a few different rolls I started continuous hand rolling - not once did I have to give my hand a 2nd flick in the water. Soon became confident enough to try a straight jacket roll. I didn't survive this one but after a few attempts it was close and I think doable with the STR and a bit more practice.
One negative with a clear kayak is that on the water its not very clear. The moment you hop in the pvc mists up on the inside turning the kayak white. If I unsealed the tuilik the pvc should clear itself, but with such a low volume yak I would also soon find myself under water. Instead by putting my hand in the cockpit and wiping the mist off I could see for a short time unfortunately the water was not as clear as it could be.
As a summary its not my first choice of the fleet to take for a long paddle but as a rolling yak I can't see how it could be beaten!
posted by Grant Glazer at 5:02 PM
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