Re: [Paddlewise] Modern history of kayaking (was: Folding Boats)

  Derek Hutchinson says his 1967 North Sea Tourer was the first ocean kayak
made entirely from fiberglass and that it was inspired by a picture of a
Mackenzie Delta kayak. I believe Derek has also claimed to be the originator
of hatches and bulkheads on kayaks too. Somebody told me they heard the
North Sea Tourer's hull was based on the Wessex Sea Rapier's which dates
back to 1960 (built by J.L. GMach--who incidently also claims to have built
the first GRP (glass reinforced plastic) production "canoe" back in 1958.
Other information says the Sea Rapier was actually a design of a Norwegian
named Hoell who in 1942 called it "Seaway".  Sometime before 1965 the same
design was named "Norseman" (which had optional bulkheads, hatches & rudder)
and was built by Wessex owner(?) J.L. GMach.

  Werner Furrer Sr. (Werner Paddles founder) made a fiberglass kayak he
called an "Eskimo" back in 1964 (but didn't go into production with it)(It
had a steep V-bottom, hard chines, fine low ends, and lots of rake. He told
me its design was influenced by his friend John Heath's study of W.
Greenland kayaks (but Werner says he added a slight "V" on the fore and aft
decks). I paddled one in 1982 and again in 1996.

  The Tyee I (14'long by 2" wide) built by Linc Hales and designed by Wolf
Bauer was one of, if not earliest glass sea kayak produced in N.A. (if not
the world) and may also be the first fiberglass kayak ever to have a hatch
and a bulkhead, the hatch was on the rear deck. The Tyee I featured long
bilge keels of about 3/4" cross section and a huge cockpit (of surprisingly
modern rim configuration). I once managed to Eskimo roll one even though I
was sitting on a boat cushion for the seat, had no side support for my hips
and could barely reach the deck with my knees. I thought it handled wind and
waves a lot better than many modern kayaks and once on a day trip a couple
of women switched between it and a longer more modern 17' kayak and whoever
paddled it left the 17' kayak's paddler behind. An old timer at a WKC
meeting told me the idea to make a kayak out of fiberglass came from a
fiberglass boat (canoe or kayak) they had seen on a river kayak trip to
California. The Tyee I's date of first completion has not yet been exactly
determined (Feb. 92 Sea Kayaker p13 says Wolf designed it in the mid
60's)(after 1962 says Wolf in a WA Kayak Club video on the clubs history, he
also says then that it was modeled on the best of the folding kayaks)(An
April 2000 obituary for the builder in the WKC bulletin says the Tyee I was
first built at the end of the 50's)(Wolf told me at the 12/8/2000 WKC
meeting that it was first built in 1961). Wolf is in his 90's now and a few
years ago was still making a very entertaining slide presentation to the WKC
on shoreline erosion and man's misguided and often futile attempts to try to
control it. Wolf founded the Washington Foldboat Club (which became the WA
Kayak Club) back in 1949 (if my memory serves me). One of that clubs early
members was my uncle.  Back in 1934 Wolf ski raced in the first Silver Skis
race down from 10,000 to less than 5,000 feet elevation on Mt. Rainier. To
me this is another coincidence since my dad won that race in 1942 and the
uncle who became a WA Foldboat Club member also raced in those ski races and
so probably knew Wolf from their skiing connections before he started
kayaking. I suspect it was Wolf who influenced him to buy the Klepper he had
for so many years both here and in Alaska.

Matt Broze
http://www.marinerkayaks.com


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