New training / racing kayak
October 15, 2007
When you launch a new kayak, it is with mixed feelings. First, the happiness of seeing it hopefully works much like thought, and the relief of being finished with a pretty intense project - but also with a certain sadness ..
I know how satisfied I may be once it's done and how difficult the journey than have been, so after a while begins to satiety creep back again. It's kind of fun to be on the road than to arrive. If I ever were to build another one so maybe you could do this instead .. a little slimmer, a little faster .. A little better ..?
Now it seems that there might be a project and I thought to show how I go about when I design my boats. As usual, not the fastest way maybe ..
First, one must of course have some idea about what you like and what features are most important, and feel free to try other kayaks also to broaden the frame of reference. Since I will keep my last kayak tour paddling / camping, I can go the whole hog with this some more.
I would primarily have more speed, combined with a certain seaworthiness / rollbarhet .. - That a rudder kayak to train / compete on flat water and reasonable havssjö.
First draft
I always start my last model and sketches loosely on the longitudinal profile. The dimensions are not as important but for most to find some kind of line of it all. The waterline is increased and a rudder requires eg a different keel line to work against.
Somewhat later ..
Gradually it begins to settle, and even if nothing is fixed yet, you can switch to transverse & spantprofil. Here, too, I take the help of my old drawings as reference.
Find frames
This time there was little pyssligare because I wanted to increase the number of frames. Have always run with 12 frames earlier but 13 steps at 580 gives almost 45 cm between each pillar - difficult with a 5 mm strip and almost impossible with 4 mm. With 20 stages (19 frames) will be down in 29 cm apart, which gives much greater precision and better able to control the shape around the cockpit, etc.
Vector Graphics
I do the whole drawing in Illustrator, mainly because I use it everyday and I work pretty DEFT in it. It is not a CAD / CAM, but a 2D vector program so it will be a lot of measuring / adjusting. Even if you work in the computer, it will be a lot of work said P.
It's probably much easier in a dedicated special but I do not know if the results are always better ..
BearboatPro
When it starts to sue I check the routes in BearboatPro - a shareware program that also works on mac. It's pretty primitive and I do not draw in it, but to check balance, volume, distribution and so it works fine.
Comparing frames
Adjustment possibilities are quite limited but in the end you can usually get a model with reasonable similarity .. I pasted it together with my drawing to reconcile.
Equilibrium
The main figures for me are: LCB - Longitudinal Center of Buoyancy - that was the balance lies, LCF - Longitudinal center of flotation - was buoyancy lies, and CLA - center of lateral area - balance sideways, as you can adjust with a skeg for example .
There are a lot of other variables, but first, I do not think they fit properly, the PC value, for example, and not so important, like wet surface, which of course is primarily dependent on the displacement.
Here, I wanted to have a sharper bow and greater buoyancy in the stern to climb a bit on the bow wave without digging too much.
Frames
After much tuning, pill back and forth and kontrollmätande it starts to resemble something out. I save each version when I go on to be able to see the steps in the development, and sometimes when things have inspired a little bit you can see them in a different light.
Ready ..?
big picture
How does it look like - right now anyway .. A combined training / Racing for smooth water and havssjö. The measurements ended up at 580 x 48 cm (which can, within reason, be amended along the way ..) and the rudder was underlying. Probably some sort of lightweight shutters but otherwise I'll try to get the weight down as much as possible. Cockpit and pedal / steering stick is not clear yet.
With luck I can get started building sometime in December, get in the water in early spring and time to run into me before the summer. And I have signed up for DKM + 2008 ..
To be continued ..
/ Ulf
Labels: Drawing
October 16, 2007 06:12
Koolt! Will surely go fast as hell! Is it quick to build oxå? ;-)
October 16, 2007 08:58
Genuinely interesting to hear a little method and reasoning around the kayak constructing.
Are you watching a lot of other models? I had built something I would probably copied mostly from a commercial boat that works and failed to correct the "errors". Take the best and build the arrest:)
Are you going to leave room for the bones behave? I think you can win a lot of stamina to connect the legs fully. It will be well, however, always a compromise with rollbarhet etc.
Will it give great wave to hang on? ... I expect it to DKM 2008:)
Good luck
/ Ola
October 16, 2007 12:03
Kajakbyggarfarten seems to be some kind of inverse proportion to the expected potential paddling speed .. - Wheat at present how it all works ..
Well I have looked quite a lot of other models both race / tour boats and surfskis, but not the "templates" of any particular model. Even tried a few types Extreme and Ocean X.
Hull shape is really quite simple and follows well the latest findings with curved keel line and release the stern just in the water. Pointed at the bow and perfectly round from the middle to the stern. Will enough to tune it so that it becomes slightly nose-heavy to "climb" up on the bow wave and then reach equilibrium.
The cockpit is much roomier than my current, more room for the bones bait but preferably with a possible role. However, be quite low for the balance (to begin with, ia f..). Decently fast on flat water, but above all the capacity it work in havssjö - little surfski over it ..
Stern wave, we'll see how it is - hopefully not on a par with my old but ..
Have otherwise received much advice and counsel of Siven - think he has decent control of the situation .. :)
/ Ulf
October 16, 2007 18:20
Elt and suddenly we are forgiving you for not coming to Valö. This seems pretty gruesomely exciting!
Builds you two when you're at it? :)
Good luck!
/ / Patric
October 17, 2007 07:01
Dear U; fast o beautiful lines - will be interesting to see her grow up!
October 17, 2007 23:52
Really nice lines you have to! Funny that you dare to you on a curved keel line. Suspect that it was difficult to reduce the bearing capacity of the center section to prevent fore and aft is located above the water.
Straight keel line, I think gives the stamp and wet again. A little bend helps the canoe to watch better and maintaining better fluency. The disadvantage is that the canoe can be a little uneasy in the surf. A good rudder and steering system is a must.
I think 48 cm width will be fine. It might be a little too rank for really tricky lake, but you can not get all of a canoe.
It will be interesting what the outcome will be!
October 18, 2007 12:05
Does look stylish, fast and interesting.
Which displacement have you counted?
How is the idea behind the curved keel line at either amended displacement or length?
Do you run the resistance calculations?
Again. Attractive and interesting.
October 18, 2007 13:24
I counted to 115 kg (80 me, 15 kayaks and 20 extra, about ..). - Velade back and forth if I should increase or decrease the displacement but think it might be a reasonable compromise. The idea behind the keel line was primarily to increase maneuverability and secondly to reduce wetted surface / opportunity to climb on the bow wave / keep pace. Bonus for me is to come down a little extra in the water balance .. No resistance calculations but I think it can work well anyway, hull shape mimics a conventional racing kayak, though on a somewhat larger scale ..
The kayaks I've tried, I either have been a straight-on (type Extreme) or högavåg (Type Ocean X) specialist. And also maybe a little too bulky and highly liquid ..? In addition to ICF-racers (which I will never be able to master ..) so remaining tour boats. But if you live in Malmö, it becomes very channel turn when ..
The wish is thus a "sensation" offshore racing for the "Swedish" lake - more wind, but shorter and messier waves (sorry, no New Zealand Waves up here ..). Competition-wise matching of DKM + and maybe said (although with slightly less breeze thanks ..) and still be bearable on flat water. And above all it must be fun - bit bus / surfing / racing. Or something ..
But there are many personal opinions and wishful thinking .. - I'm more artisans than theorists so we'll see what happens in the end ..
/ Ulf
October 20, 2007 19:21
Hi,
Found up to you via Arnström that I often "looking in" at.
Your new seems very nice and pretty much what I thought about. Is a good distance away from completing a ICF canoe and looking for something with decent stability so I can concentrate on paddling. DKM has paddled twice with NYK. Rigel and Latvia Mann 530th Rigeln was light enough to carry in the lift but Lett Mann better for me at the end when the dryer was not so good.
What materials you build the canoe in? You write that you keel line helps to bring down the seat. How far are you down?
Can you imagine selling a drawing? Maybe hard to ask so without the canoe is tested first, but a little challenge should be good to have?
Erik
October 21, 2007 14:34
I had all-time high in besöksstatisiken few days in a row after Eric's note - every pretty stressed out by the attention / performance requirements actually ..
Has had some loose plans to build in divinycell, type John L / GKF, but since I have no previous erfarenhetet on the subject, it feels a slightly risky - both new and untried design and construction materials is a "new" too much for me ..
So it inclines to 4 mm spruce strip from Wirsen again. Unfortunately, the heaviest team but nice to work with an incredibly stiff bottom line. Thinking of maybe using thinner fabrics on the inside, combined with mill / grind away as much wood as possible on the deck for example. That and some other ideas .. - Will see later what happens ..
The curved keel line may be down throughout the kayak into the water - it goes deeper and is not affected as much by crosswinds example. And because it's nicely wide so that the seat will be around 2-3 cm above the bottom (the lowest position - will probably try to do a lowering / elevating variant).
In a flat-bottomed boat, you can certainly sit closer to the keel, but the hull floats higher, and with more wetted surface than a round (for the same displacement).
Currently, I sell no drawings unfortunately - do not know how it will come, however ..
/ Ulf
October 21, 2007 17:22
Excuse me, do not mean to rush you, but you designs and builds beautiful kayaks. In addition, dare you to new challenging approach. You can not get away from the active canoeists draw the best canoe. They know what properties they want.
Modern racers are so narrow at the bottom of the seat must sit a few inches above the bottom, otherwise, the hip bones in the hull too much.
October 24, 2007 20:08
Hi Ulf. What a delicious kayak and the nice size! Lovely with your drive to design and build your own kayaks. I will eagerly follow your building online. What I think about is the displacement. If you intend to keep your old kayak trips and so: Why do you do as much extra displacement (20 kg)? If you still aiming for a narrow kayak, why not forbid her to be designed to be easy oxå? 100kgs displacement ought to be enough? Is not there a risk that she floats with acts release above the water otherwise when she is easy? Just a jealous admiration from the gallery :-)
October 25, 2007 12:26
've Been thinking quite a lot of great displacement and it is a little on the high side.
I've compared to my old, with major dep, how it is in the water relative to the designed waterline - both still and in sea, empty and loaded. Then will probably be some stern cm above the water to then dig down a little in speed - just do not bow lift too much and lose both wavelengths, and stop rotation of the rudder. Think a little extra överdep also may feel better when running in waves, so you get more "leeway" and not too wet. And there are probably some ulterior motive to bring in some-pound pack, and maybe go up a few grams of myself An 'then ..
But everything goes of course to adjust yet - I get the courage I might narrows her down some more inches ..
/ Ulf
October 30, 2007 14:20
Is not wrong to have a few pounds extra displacement also in 20 kg sounds a lot. especially since the boat is so long.
the stern is a little out of the still is not a problem in my book it makes it more manöverbar and probably do it is fine to wave. Many racing canoeists paddle boats with an estimated carrying capacity of 10 kg extra.
November 10, 2007 17:59
Tjo,
What about construction? In full swing? Soon ready? ;-)
/ Erik
November 12, 2007 19:48
Soon finished drawing about ..
Has been a bit too much work and other crafts in recent times, but it begins to settle itself. Some small adjustments left, double check all figures and determine the final dimensions, the timber is going on but I have to order the plastic as well - then it's ready to go!
Aim for the start of construction in mid-December, down in the shop on a canoe club ..
/ Ulf
November 12, 2007 21:34
Hello!
Many comments related to the kayak's fine lines. I will also be impressed with the way the lines are done and presented!
As an architect as most draw straight lines in the CAD, but cheating in Illustrator and others Adobe Applications sometimes I get jealous of your ability.
/ Jonas
December 21, 2007 19:51
Hi Ulf!
Saw it here first today. Has barely been online on the web in recent months. Will be really impressed and envious of you. Since I have my fingers crossed in his hand and lack of patience will probably never own kayak building. May instead follow your building online. Hanging on Patric topic. You build good three kayaks while you're on the go? ;)
Merry Christmas!