Fox,
I originally started with the idea of something like the attached pic. I quickly realized that an inflatable will obviously prove to be a bad idea for anything with a dorsal fin. I contacted some people with a tremendous amount of knowledge in boat design and they have been helping me through the process. I can make a float no problem, but a large scale project such as this, I would definitely need some help with.
Anyways, according to the product info for the pic- One of the oldest watercrafts known to man is a flat boat, which is neither a canoe nor kayak. Used by Polynesians to travel a thousand years ago from island to island and face storms and high seas. These modern Sit On Tops are ideally suited as rental craft because a novice can paddle it and it can easily be reboarded.
This alone made it clear to me that I could easily ditch the kayak and alternate between it and a flat boat.
After several different design blueprints, I decided that buoyancy billets would be my core material since their standard application is to float things in water and are inexpensive. I flip-flopped with a couple different designs:
Option 1: pontoon style with a deck
Pros
Option 2: true flat boat design
Pros
The final product comes in at 10"D x 40"W x 96". The hull has been planed to a 22° curvature much like a kayak. The deck is completely flat with a small covered hatch in the rear for small accessories such as backup knives, clips, water bottle, etc. I have also included 8 stainless steel eyelets for (4 opposite each other) for running bungee straps in a criss-cross formation like shoelaces. I currently use this method on a longboard modification that I did last year.
I originally started with the idea of something like the attached pic. I quickly realized that an inflatable will obviously prove to be a bad idea for anything with a dorsal fin. I contacted some people with a tremendous amount of knowledge in boat design and they have been helping me through the process. I can make a float no problem, but a large scale project such as this, I would definitely need some help with.
Anyways, according to the product info for the pic- One of the oldest watercrafts known to man is a flat boat, which is neither a canoe nor kayak. Used by Polynesians to travel a thousand years ago from island to island and face storms and high seas. These modern Sit On Tops are ideally suited as rental craft because a novice can paddle it and it can easily be reboarded.
This alone made it clear to me that I could easily ditch the kayak and alternate between it and a flat boat.
After several different design blueprints, I decided that buoyancy billets would be my core material since their standard application is to float things in water and are inexpensive. I flip-flopped with a couple different designs:
Option 1: pontoon style with a deck
Pros
- more cargo area
- can double a floating dock for the kids in summer
- easy construction
- slower
- less maneuverable
- heavier
- more chance of seam seperation
Option 2: true flat boat design
Pros
- single unit
- more responsive when paddling through surf
- faster
- less time invested into construction
- less cargo area (I will improvise by incorporating straps/bungees for lengthwise storage of fish)
- less stable
The final product comes in at 10"D x 40"W x 96". The hull has been planed to a 22° curvature much like a kayak. The deck is completely flat with a small covered hatch in the rear for small accessories such as backup knives, clips, water bottle, etc. I have also included 8 stainless steel eyelets for (4 opposite each other) for running bungee straps in a criss-cross formation like shoelaces. I currently use this method on a longboard modification that I did last year.