Building an Outer Island

Finished Boat: First Launch

Carrying my new boat to be launch.

It's finally ready to launch.

The obligatory pose with the new kayak shot

Notice how the boat is resting on a soft piece of carpet. It's shiny and new now but will soon get it's share of scratches.

A couple of beauties

The local swimsuit model agency didn't have anyone available so my niece volunteered.

First test: It floats

Taking my first few strokes away from the dock to see if it goes straight.

Checking out the glide

It seems to go straight when I want it to and it glides real nice.

Trying a bow rudder turn

Second test: It responds well to a bow rudder turn. The seat in it is still too high so the secondary stability feels a bit low. I usually edge the boat over further when I do this.

Trying a high brace turn

I'm edging it over further now to see how it responds to a high brace turn. It turns very easily.

A view of the hull

That was intentional. This is test #3. How easy does it roll.

Success!

The Outer Island rolls very easily, about as easy as any kayak I've tried.

A successful launch is not complete without a bit of champagne

I wasn't going to break a bottle of champagne over the bow so the paddler gets christened instead.

Building an Outer Island Kayak