MichiganKayaker.com

My family minus the dog. This is a pic from last July. My daughter is now 14 months. They are my inspiration to work hard and strive for a better quality of life. I am a very blessed man!

.... and my wife is already getting annoyed! :)

I guess I never noticed it before, but it sure does get annoying listening to my toggles banging against my hull. With this bungee loop I can still use the toggles but they stay up on the deck whenever the boat is not being carried. It seems stupid simple, I know, but it cleans up the paddle experience. No more clack, clack, clack......

I know this has nothing to do with kayaking but I just could not believe this! I went into my local Suncoast Movie Store and a buddy of mine was working. He told me that Suncoast is going out of business and I could have any movie I wanted for ten cents! So, 23 movies later I had spent less than $4 (I did end up buying a few that were still practically free but cost a hair more). Isn't that crazy? I guess I won't have to rent dvd's for a while!

Beautiful kids qajaq by Matthew Johnson. Check out his blog. It's full of great pics and good information. He is the guy who posted the great paddle making video. There is a link to it on the side of this page.

I have decided on a design for my new kayak. I originally planned to make a lighter, lower volume version of the Anas Acuta, but the ADD kicked in and plans change once again! I was on the Kayak Building Bullitin Board and someone posted a link to a site with free plans for a beautiful stitch-n-glue greenland kayak. I already have templates made to loft the panels for the other boat but I will just keep them and focus on this one. It is called the Point Bennet.

Dimensions:

Point Bennett 17.5

* Length: 17½ feet
* Width: 21 inches
* Cockpit depth: 12 inches in front and 8 inches in back (add 1 inch for coaming height)
* Recommended paddler size: 5 feet, 6 inches to 6 feet tall and 150 to 180 pounds

Point Bennett 18

* 18 feet long
* 21½ inches wide
* Cockpit depth: 12¼ inches in front and 8¼ inches in back (add 1 inch for coaming height)
* Recommended paddler size: 5 feet, 8 inches to 6 feet, 2 inches tall and 180 to 210 pounds

Boat building is an obsession. My poor beautiful wife. She had best learn to use a Japanese hand saw or she's never gonna see me (just kidding )!

Going for an evening paddle changes my view on the whole day. I am not a very religious man, but there is definitely something spiritual about the whole experience. I can understand how some people can dedicate a lifetime to paddling.

For those of you out there who don't understand us....push a boat out onto a lake and watch the sun go down. Then, try to go home in a bad mood. It's impossible.

Don't you get excited when you get new plywood? What you are looking at will hopefully be the start of my next S&G kayak. I need the temp to rise a little. I am going to try to get this project outside, instead of in the garage. I think I am going to do some kind of temporary shelter behind my house. With the motorcycle, wifes Trailblazer, four other boats, and all my tools, I need a little more room.

My friend Jeremie and I worked on our second set of Greenland paddles. As you can see, he's getting ready to use the jigsaw, which is his least favorite part. It is hard to keep the blade from walking or bending. I think I need to give the japanese handsaw another try. For me I know I use the jigsaw for the time savings but it never turns out the way I want it too. I end up crossing my lines. It makes for an ugly blank. Though, so far, my mistakes have all been fixed by my hand plane.

Today was a great day to be paddling! The air was 61 degrees. I wish I had had something to measure the water temp but it seemed to be warming up. I paddled without any gloves.

This Pic is of Cedar Hedge Lake. It is a small but beautiful lake in Interlochen.

This was my first real test of the Anas Acuta. My first paddle attempt, in Grand Traverse Bay, was short due to dangerous conditions. One thing is for sure......I LOVE THIS BOAT! It is quick and responsive. The rocker makes it fun play around with. It turns on a dime. Also, the secondary stability is fantastic. For as narrow as it is, it is very stable. I did play around with the drop skeg a bit today also. Although it seemed to work, I need to figure out what to do about the friction cleat used to hold the line tight, and the skeg up. It sits right next to the cockpit and I keep banging my knuckles on it. It was installed by the original owner of this boat so the rigging is on the deck. Hmmmm, I'll have to give this one some thought...

Today was the first real test of my storm paddle. It has a two fist loom that I think I will shorten a bit when I decide to build another one. Otherwise, it worked fantastic. I am still paddling with my full sized Greenland paddle with no finish on it. I like the way it smells and feels, although I will probably oil it eventually.

This is my first season using greenland paddles. Besides learning to roll this summer, I am going to focus on my paddle technique. This week is going to be spent doing research on different strokes.

I found a great site to buy foam for kayaks! The prices seem fair. It is obvious that they are focusing on whitewater boats but they have a great selection. They even have 4"! If anyone finds someone less expensive, let me know. So far this has been the best I can find.

Kayakoutfitting.com