[Paddlewise] Launching the new kayak

The Launching

We'd spent a bit of Saturday afternoon pouring epoxy and
laying glass cloth on the bottom of my latest kayak before 
going paddling.

Sunday, the weather looking changeable and the epoxy, 
having hardened, what about doing a test paddle? We drove 
(easier than carrying) round to the nearby lake (pond), fairly 
unceremoniously dropped the kayak in and watched - it 
stayed the right side up!! I eased myself in and as it still 
seemed to be willing to stay rightside up, took it for a paddle 
about the lake. I also checked on stability when leaned (in 
the shallows).  

I got out and let W. have a go, she wondering if she'd be able 
to fit in. It's small, only a little bigger than a Skerray (not that 
she's really bigger than me, shorter but a little heavier). She 
carefully paddle out and back while I took a few more 
photos and complained that I'd not got any of the bottom of 
the kayak!!  

So the first of the Mist class have been launched after a very 
long gestation period. Similar to a Yare (tortured ply), 5 
metres, 3 mm ply, 2 bulkheads, large hatch openings and a 
rudder to be fitted. Actually it still needs cockpit and hatch 
rims, hatch covers, proper seat and rudder pedals so it might 
not seem surprising that I paddled without a PFD, wetsuit of 
any other equipment, could probably have grabbed a passing 
duck as a paddle float?

Performance? Interesting!!

Alex

--
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Alex Ferguson      a.ferguson_at_chem.canterbury.ac.nz
Electronics Workshop, Chem Dept, Univ of Canterbury
Christchurch, New Zealand
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