Converting a Chesapeake 17 to an open cockpit sit on style kayak.

I built my Chesa 17 a few years ago but haven't got the use out of it that I expected.

My question is.....has anyone converted a closed deck kayak such as the Chesa17 to an open cockpit ?

The beam of the chesa 17 is about the same as a Kaskazi Dorado fishing kayak that I used to have and a similar chine so I guess the stability will be as good providing a keep the centre of gravity as low as possible.

 

I'm thinking that if I construct a very slightly raised seat (only an inch or so) that I glass tape into the cockpit space, I could then fit scuppers made from fibreglass tubing ?

 

Any thoughts if this is a possible project.

 


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RE: Converting a Chesapeake 17 to an open cockpit sit on style kayak.

Dave,

Try temporarily raising the seat, get in and see if the proposed scupper openings are above the waterline (and if they stay there when you turn, get hit by a wave, etc.) Also, see if raising that seat makes the boat too tippy. That will tell you the answer.

If it does seem to work, look over the Sea Island Sport construction gallery to get ideas on how a CLC-style SOT is put together.

All that said, my gut feel is that it won't work out, that by the time you raise the cockpit floor high enough to be self-draining the boat will be too tippy to use. But that's just an unsubstantiated opinion, hence the suggestion for the experiment.

Another possibility would be to increase the stability using something like the sailing rig. That way you could raise the floor as high as you need to and the "training wheels" would keep you from rolling over.

That's sort of what the Sea island Sport does with its sponsons, just in an integrated and elegant fashion.

Good luck,

Laszlo

 

 

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