KAYAK RESCUE, subtitled: When a Homebuilt Falls Into the Wrong Hands

RM Anderson

RM Anderson

Well-known member
While out for a walk with Berta this morning I happened upon a kit built homemade kayak 15'9" long with a for sale sign. Knocked on the door to inquire but nobody home. Eight hours later I got to thinking about this little boat and thought about inquiring about its history and maybe getting to know the builder. Turns out it was purchased used by a elderly woman for her grandbabies who never leave the house. When asked how much she was asking, she replied that she would take $100. Done deal. RM
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RM Anderson said:
I happened upon a kit built homemade kayak 15'9" long with a for sale sign.
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Pretty sure what you have is a Chesapeake kit kayak. This model can be built with or without the forward hatch. Also there was a choice of cockpit style, recreational or keyhole. There has been some design changes thru the years, so it may not be exactly the same or I may not have matched up the correct model.
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Huntindave McCann said:
Pretty sure what you have is a Chesapeake kit kayak. This model can be built with or without the forward hatch. Also there was a choice of cockpit style, recreational or keyhole. There has been some design changes thru the years, so it may not be exactly the same or I may not have matched up the correct model.
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Dave,
Thanks for finding that out! Looks like a good fit for me at 165 lbs. The fiberglass is in reasonable shape with one small area of delamination. In talking with the owner, I learned that the builder spent a year on its construction. I will likely give it a good sanding and a 4 oz layer of fiberglass to supplement the sun damaged areas. No water damage that I could see but the varnish was peeling pretty badly.
RM
 
RM Anderson said:
Dave,
Thanks for finding that out! Looks like a good fit for me at 165 lbs. The fiberglass is in reasonable shape with one small area of delamination. In talking with the owner, I learned that the builder spent a year on its construction. I will likely give it a good sanding and a 4 oz layer of fiberglass to supplement the sun damaged areas. No water damage that I could see but the varnish was peeling pretty badly.
RM
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RM~

Yup - Dave beat me to it! (Weak excuse: I've been on the road....)

Enjoy!

SJS
 
Yup Dave beat me to it too. My dad made two of the CLC boats. Not that one specifically. He actually got the plans for him and I to make the Mill Creek 16.5 together for hunting the salt marsh for marsh hens and tailing reds. We never did get to it but I am pretty sure that I still have the plans for it.

That kayak looks to be in great condition. You got that for a steal!!!
 
Dani said:
Yup Dave beat me to it too. My dad made two of the CLC boats. Not that one specifically. He actually got the plans for him and I to make the Mill Creek 16.5 together for hunting the salt marsh for marsh hens and tailing reds. We never did get to it but I am pretty sure that I still have the plans for it.

That kayak looks to be in great condition. You got that for a steal!!!
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Dani,
Thanks. What were your impressions of the boats that your dad made stability wise? I can swim but don't necessarily want too. I've always been a canoe guy so this will be a learning experience paddling something so narrow.
RM
 
Richard,

My dad built the Yare and the Cape Charles 17. The Cape Charles 17 was the precursor to the Chesapeake 17. I actually hunted rail and fished for redfish out of both a good bit. The Cape Charles is a very stable kayak. It definitely is a bit different shooting out of compared to a canoe. But for fishing, it was great. I found both boats much more maneuverable than my clunky canoe. I never managed to flip the Cape Charles. His has two hatches so a good amount of gear could be taken somewhere if we wanted.

The Yare.....now THAT boat is the boat from one of my friends favorite stories of rail hunting with me. I managed to fall out of that kayak twice because it is a pretty tippy design. I fell out of the boat within about three minutes of each flip into the water. Luckily, I was in very shallow water so collecting all my gear off the salt flats was easy. But it was pretty hilarious even at the time.

For just cruising and enjoying time on the water, I actually preferred the kayaks over the canoe. They were quieter, easy to maneuver, both considerably lighter than my canoe and prettier to look at.

Dani
 
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