American Hunter
Tuesday, June 26, 2007, 4 comments
Hello Bjorn!
I finally finished building the Hunter and paddled her on her maiden voyage yesterday.
What a fine looking AND handling kayak you've designed!! And fast, fast, fast...........
After a couple of hours of roll practice (or trying and missing!), I was tired but still able to paddle and hold a 4.5 to 5 mph pace for an hour or so as as the sun set.
The final length is 18 1/2 feet long, or 564 cm. Weight is 38 lbs, or 17.25 kg. Constructed of red cedar and a small quantity of white pine, the Hunter has Beckson screw in hatches, and padeyes like those used by Joe Greenley at Redfish Kayak to hold the deck bungies and perimeter lines. I used System 3 Silvertip Laminating Epoxy and 4 oz fiberglass, with double layers of glass as wear strips on the bow, stern, in the cockpit from front to rear bulkhead, and under the rear deck behind the cockpit for extra strength.
The Hunter has already become my favorite among the three touring kayaks I own. I'm heading to the coast soon for a week in July and am looking forward to paddling the Hunter in the ocean. I've attached a few pictures my friend Paul Diener took for me. And for what its worth, I did my first two rolls with a Greenland paddle yesterday in the Hunter.
Bjorn, thanks again for the wonderful design and making the plans available! I will send some more pictures in a separate email…
Best Regards from the United States of America!
Tripp Stanley
Update 070707: More pics on Flickr
