What an interesting project. How many inches does the mirage drive add to the draft? 

   About 18 inches.

Nice job. Did you add anything to the rudder control line to make it hold possition? JRC   

JRC,

No I didn't. When I am pedaling my hand is on the coaming just above the rudder control. I just hold it with my thumb and forefinger. It doesn't seem to want to move around unless I push/pull it. I have thought of putting in something to hold it in the straight position so I don't have to worry about it when I am paddling. I did rig it so the control lines up with the scarf joint when it is pointed straight. That way I can tell if it is pointed correctly just by looking at it. Here is a photo looking down on the coaming. You can see the rudder control is lined up on the scarf.

   This is great. The Mill Creek 16.5 would also be a candidate for this specially with the flat bottom and large cockpit.

For coming into a beach or for the shallows pushing one pedal fully forward brings the flippers up flat to the bottom adding only a couple of inches to the draft.

   It looks like you used the Hobie fold away rudder. Was it difficult to adapt to the WD stern?

catboater,

It wasn't difficult. I just cut a block of wood 1 x 1 1/2 x 2. Did a "drill and fill" for the rudder pin and attached it to the stern with some screws and thickened epoxy.

You are right about pushing one pedal forward to bring the flippers against the hull when beaching or in shallow water. If you look at the picture of the trunk you will see a short piece of bungie cord with a hook. I hook that to the pedal when paddling in shallow water and it holds the pedals apart.

Dan,

I love this modification. I'd thought of it for my WD12, too, but didn't go anywhere with it because I couldn't get hold of the drive dimensions. Seeing it on your boat I can see that it wouldn't have worked on the 12. Thanks for doing the research for us.

The well extender is a seriously clever idea.

Really good design and execution on your part. Congratulations.

Laszlo

Laszio,

I built a WD12 as well and you are right, the cockpit it too small to mount it in the hull. I did come up with a crazy way to mount it off the stern like an outboard motor, You would have some sliding pedals in the cockpit and a pair of cables running to the back to work the Mirage drive. I built a prototype out of wood but I think the first submerged log strike would have cracked it. I need to use stainless steel or brass. It would allow you to put a Mirage in WD12 with out cutting a hole in the hull. I imagine you would get a lot of "what the.." stares as well with this contraption hanging off the back of your Wood Duck.

Dan

Since you had to extend the cockpit  do you think the wood duck double would be a good canidate for you adaptation?

I live in florida, any chance I can stop by sometime to take a first hand look at ou kayak?

Jerry

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J34769,

I think a Wood Duck Double would work just fine. No need to modify the deck. Looking at the seating diagram on the Double's page, there seems to be room for the rear paddler to use a Mirage drive. If you want to make it a solo kayak I think you would need to move forward towards the center of the boat. I wonder if a Sassafras 12 would work as well.

-Dan

   I was thinking what about an expedition wherry? longer by far but open cocpit, the design, with the non decked center  seems well suited to installing a drive?

J34769,

Yes, it looks like the Expedition Wherry could take a Mirage drive easily. You would sit more towards the back than if you were rowing it, but since the hull is more than 18 feet I doubt it will be that noticeable. My only concern would be the hull's 92 lb weight. The Annapolis Wherry is 65 lbs, the same weight as a Hobie Revolution 11. I'm planning to build a Sassafras 12 (only 28 lbs) and add a Mirage drive and see how that works. When you are the boat's motor, the less weight the better.

   Light is good on a human powered vehicle but the area where the drive is installed would have to be reinforced. I have an old Mirage Outback (85lb.) with the original smaller flippers and I can get to almost 5mph (gps) in a short burst (getting shorter).

Even if you don't sprint the area around the bottom where the trunk meets it will be subjected to forces it was not designed for and the light planking on the Sassafras would need to be stiffened to prevent cracking etc. 

catboater,

The plans call for the bottom of the Sassafras to be fiberglassed on the inside and out. My Wood Duck is that way and the bottom is pretty stiff.It also uses the same 4mm thick wood. I also plan to put a fillet around the box and then added fiberglass tape like I did in the Wood Duck.