Re: question on length

Posted by Kyle T on Jan 26, 2007

We started by trimming 1.5 inches off the full length of each of the bottom panels then we trimmed .75 off of each of the side panels. This gave us a tandem with about a 27-inch beam (down from the original 30") and enough reduction in height to make a big difference. When narrowing the kayak like this it meant the Chessy arched deck sits a LOT lower making it feel like you don't have to reach as far to paddle.

Before trimming we laid the panels in their approximate locations and marked the relative locations of the side to bottom because these cuts effectively shorten the bottom panels by an inch or two too. The marks allow us to align the panels and we then trim the front and rear overlap after everything is stitched.

I actually made scale models from the plans shipped with the kit to prove the pieces would still make a fair hull after the mods. No problems at all. The end result is a stable double that is about halfway between the original (dare I say 'battleship') and the Sport Tandem.

--KT--

In Response to: Re: question on length by Julian on Jan 26, 2007

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