I proved that my original difficulty with the offside roll was lack of flexibility. One way of checking is to paddle directly away from a point (drop the skeg, if fitted, to maintain direction while coasting) then look to your right to see if you can twist around far enough to see the point. Then tr...

Spikeedog wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 19, 2019 6:49 pm

I used a modified wooden egg cup and stainless steel rod mounted on a wooden plate that sits under the deck. Works and looks great.

Spikeedog, that's a good solution. I guess beech is a suitable timber: https://bit.ly/2kW3cRE
Nick.

The local 3d printing route hasn't worked so I've been looking at surfboard leash plugs, mock up in the pictures above. 20 of those are very inexpensive. I can drill the hole with a forstner bit and have a backing plate under the deck I think Oisin, that looks to be a good solution, provided it can...

My reading tells me that the long overhangs enable the kayak to rise up onto an ice floe when the kayak is paddled firmly towards the floe, either forward or astern. I guess the the long overhangs will also soften the motion through waves, as the buoyancy of the bow increases rather more gradually t...

Terry shortened his Shrike by removing 4 inches from the topside panels at each end, leaving the bottom panels untouched. This could be a useful modification for someone whose garage is too short to build full-size, but who wishes to preserve the stability of the full-size Shrike. https://media.ukri...

Vember on the right with raised topsides for a paddler who likes plenty of room in the cockpit, and a 110% scale lengthened Vember Expedition with the ocean cockpit option on the left:

Eagles Wang has built his Shrike (number 209)in Taiwan, our 51st country.

A specific rolling kayak will normally be used for short periods, so pointing the toes can be acceptable. My shoes are size 10 and I can use a 60 mm reduced freeboard Shrike-R. For a day trip one needs a more relaxed pose. If you want lower freeboard and you want more foot comfort you can emulate Pl...

From pages 7 and 8 of the latest version of the 48 page Build Manual (dated March 1st 2018), which comes with the free plans download at https://cnckayaks.com/shrike/downloads/: Vary the design to suit the weight of the paddler and the total planned maximum load . This can be achieved in two ways. F...

Mikko is from Finland, the 50th country to host the building of Shrikes and Vembers. This a Shrike-R, the rolling version, produced simply by reducing the height of the standard Shrike gunwales by up to 60 mm. All else is standard Shrike with the ocean cockpit option. The Shrike-R only weighs 23 pou...

Spike, that's a great plan. I build from scratch because I'm a retired old geezer, well past my three score and twenty, and a with a big enough shed, but for many folks a kit saves getting unwieldy full sheets of plywood delivered, and then cutting them into strips before cutting out the component p...

Chris Tipper of Selkie Kayaks, Newhaven, has produced a kit of machine pre-cut parts to build a Shrike. Shrike kits have been available in the U.S.A and Canada for several years, but this is the first in the U.K that is available for purchase. Chris Tipper is a craftsman trying to set up a small bus...

Today, Saturday is launch day. I'm so pleased that two ladies are taking part.

Charleston14, the differences between one West Greenland kayak and another are not ones that will be seen in photographs. The differences are too subtle. The way to appreciate the subtleties is to get hold of Harvey Golden's remarkable book "Kayaks of Greenland", ISBN 0-9787221-0-8, White House Groc...

Photo Peter M.

Silentjay, the BackSplash looks a fun boat for quiet rivers and lakes. The whole package is ingenious. I wouldn't take it out of the class of waters for which it is designed. (true of any kayak, of course) Waves and/or wind would be an issue any further out than the harbour-master's cat. Just look a...

Who wouldn't want to share this beach with Peter?

Silentjay, in this thread you've received excellent advice from a bunch of experienced and talented paddlers and builders. I would only add that I'd be happier if you could paddle a Shrike before you commit yourself. The knowledge that another Shrike is being built somewhere in the world always give...

Vember is a round bilge development of the Shrike, and Vembex is Damian's lengthened expedition version of Vember:

Oisin and Al, thank you for your good wishes. I am truly knackered. There is a great range of hatch styles, sizes and layouts and you can see them in the Gallery. I don't put a hatch in the foredeck, but I put one in the foot bulkhead, unless the kayak is for expeditions. I try to fit two hatches in...

Al, Damian is on the money, as always. Follow his excellent advice and you should be fine. When you joint the edges of the strips, make sure you use factory cut edges where possible, and use super glue with accelerator to tack the edges together before taping: https://bit.ly/2J3uQUO Where you will b...

Al, do not despair! I've been in bed for 4 weeks with pneumonia, but I'll check my response tomorrow when my brain should be working a little better. Meanwhile, a few quick thoughts: 1. The panels can be re-constituted by simple butt-strapping, reinforced both sides with glass tape and resin. I woul...

The complexity of website maintenance for small businesses comes partly from dealing with corruption. For example, our local boatyard Wordpress site has a corrupted home page, with print on top of print. The couple that run the boatyard have no clue how to deal with that themselves. Another issue is...