Re: info on chessapeake 1

Posted by Randy Knauff on Jan 3, 2005

I have a kayak instruction and guiding company and built a Chesapeake 18 to have a large volume boat for long trips and taking the extra gear I take for clients. I am 200 pounds and it carries a lot. I can get a double burner Coleman, all my gear, extra tarps and poles, my sleeping pads, and much more in it. It is very stable being as long and as wide as it is. It handles a lot of water conditions including quite rough water and wind conditions. You have a lot of wetted area and drag so it is not particularly fast and it is not a quick handling boat but is pleasant to paddle and forgiving. I haven't found bad paddling/handling characteristics. I don't have a rudder or skeg and in stronger following seas have throw in a pretty strong sweep periodically. I did make an external skeg system that worked fine. Unless you really need a lot of space, I'd build the Chesapeake 17 or their multi-chined 18. I've been happy with mine, put in extra deck beams for outriggers, made flush hatches, built in a Guzzler foot pump system. It is the only hard chine kayak I have but I like that too. Comfortable, stable, hauls a huge load if those are important to you. Randy

Randy

In Response to: info on chessapeake 18'? by jarem on Jan 2, 2005

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