Lunch stop on the Dan River (click for larger image)
The Dan River Basin Association first Saturday outing from Anglers Park in Danville, VA to Milton, NC on Saturday was a great experience. The weather was perfect (perhaps a bit warm) but the runoff from recent rains left the water high and cloudy, hiding the historic batteaux navigational structures. The faster-than-usual current made for a relatively quick 10.6 mile paddle through this largely undeveloped section.
A lazy Sunday afternoon paddle down the Dan River
I had the pleasure of being invited to exhibit at the 2010 Eden Business Expo in early May with the Rockingham Community College Small Business Center and NC Project GATE (of which I am a scholarship recipient). Traffic seemed very good, with a lot of interest in fellow GATE exhibitors, the Small Business Center, Project GATE, and my canoe on display.
Fellow exhibitors included:
All of these new small business owners are wonderful people with tremendous passion for their businesses. Please consider them when doing business in the Rockingham County area!
The question I am most often asked is “how durable is the skin?” Here’s a great video clip that illustrates just how tough skin-on-frame boats can be (video credit goes to John Petersen of Shaman Kayaks):
The greatest hazard to a skin-on-frame kayak or canoe is puncturing, however, anything that would puncture the skin would wreak havoc on a composite boat as well. With proper float bags (inflatable bags that fill the empty space in the ends of a kayak or canoe) even a heavily-damaged skin-on-frame boat can be paddled to safety. The beauty of skin-on-frame is the ability to re-skin if necessary, returning a damaged boat to like-new condition with relative ease and low cost.
The canoe prototype built at RiverFest ready for its skin
How does one go about designing a kayak or canoe? It can be relatively simple to design a decent hull (there has been some research that suggests one needs very little knowledge of kayaks or canoes to design one that would be decent or better) however one can gain a lot by delving into the finer details, not only for the hull design, but also the building process.
For me, working out the shape of the hull is only the beginning. Using 3D CAD software, I create a hull shape to meet the design criteria as closely as possible (as can be determined by the software – testing is always needed to verify performance characteristics that cannot be easily measured with a CAD model). The design criteria can be relatively simple, such as overall size and rough displacement, to very precise requirements such as speed, draft, stability, tracking, displacement, and highly personalized fit for the paddler. Once the hull design is complete, the frame work is created digitally to fit within and give the desired hull shape. Building the framework digitally allows me to precisely locate the cockpit and work out other details that may present difficulties while building. Once the CAD model is deemed complete, it is used to create 2D drawings for component patterns that are printed and used for construction. This is especially useful for the ribs, which play a large role in defining the hull shape, and can be difficult to create accurately without knowing the exact shape required.
It is certainly possible to build a kayak or canoe from nothing more than an idea in one’s head and possibly an example or mentor to guide you – this is, after all, the way it was done for thousands of years – but there is always the potential for it to turn out differently than you intended. Some pride themselves on using only the traditional methods, and this is perfectly fine (with experience, it gives very nice results), but to me, this does not allow specific design requirements to be met with any certainty. Using modern design tools allows for one to design a kayak or canoe to specific and detailed specifications, and then build it with fewer prototypes and a shorter development cycle.
Testing the Yellowjacket on the Dan River near the new Draper Access
With the Yellowjacket prototype completed, I have been testing it in waters that it was designed for. It seems to meet the design requirements so far, although it has a bit less stability that I had hoped. It is manageable, but those without a lot of paddling experience may find it tender. It is quick on flat water, and highly maneuverable when picking a path around rocks. I think the final version will have some height added to the bow to sweeten the sheer line, but also to add a bit more volume to help keep the bow from burying off drops.
The completed prototype weighs in at 25 lbs, making it exceptionally easy to handle on or off the water.
The R1 (now known as Yellowjacket) prototype is nearly complete, and has undergone quite a few changes from the earlier version posted. I think it will prove to be a bit more versatile with a lot less rocker at the ends and greater depth to sheer. Moving the widest point forward means it should be less likely to bury the bow into the water after a drop or going through a wave. The very full-sectioned hull improves stability without necessitating a wider beam, although it will no doubt be less stable than most plastic competitors.
More information will be available once initial testing has been completed.
Aaron Hines Designs 
