Launchings/Guestbook

I am writing this email for a friend of mine, David Norden, who just finished a 14 Kayak based on Steve Killing's 14 foot Venture design. The interesting thing is that David made it a sit on top kayak with an enclosed cockpit. Last year he built 2 cypress strip 15 foot 8 inch canoes and then got your book: Kayakcraft and read it closely for a couple of weeks and decided he had to build the 14 foot kayak, but he wanted a sit on top kayak, because our water is so warm here in Florida (Dave lives just outside of Gainesville in Archer Florida). He wanted to easily get in and out of the kayak and not have it fill with water.

He modified the design by increasing the width of the buttocks from 2 to 2.5 inches, this increased the kayak's width from 22.5 inches to 28 inches, which he needed for stability. He also slightly increased the height of the kayak and added a self bailing cockpit with scuppers. He made the kayak out of strip cypress with mahogany highlights. It weighs in at about 55 lbs.

David really enjoys boat building and found your book and Steve Killings design to be quite inspirational. Attached are several pictures taken on her maiden voyage last week on the Santa Fe River (that is Dave's daughter and David is paddling the kayak).

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