Learning about this boat has been adventurous.
The literature says that baidarkas are tippy and fast. Tippy? Yep, that's for sure. I had made the center more flat-bottomed than called for ('cause I am more flat-bottomed than the typical skinny paddler). Thought that might make it more stable. Nope.
Sure is pretty. The durable plastic skin about doubles the weight of the boat though. Not a problem in the water. It is easy to get up to speed and has enough volume to carry anything I care to toss in. However it's heavy to carry and to toss on the car. Someday when I need to re-skin it I think I'll go to a light nylon or something.
For now I'm enjoying having a transparent boat. Actually, the best part is when I've put the boat on my shoulders to carry to or from the car. That puts my head in the cockpit like a giant hat. With any other boat, all I can see is my feet and a bit of the road ahead. With this boat I can look right through the hull and get a clear view of where I'm going!
Fast? Oh yes. Between the 19 1/2 foot length and the smooth skin, I can boost up to 6+ mph. Makes it to cover lots of distance.
Also, in waves it is just amazing. Dry, fast into, across and with the waves. It catches and rides waves and wakes like nothing else I've ever paddled. Strangely enough, the boat is much more stable in big waves. I think the waves support the v-shaped hull making it less tippy.
I don't have any pictures of paddling in waves. I can see the appeal of a head-mounted camera. No way I can get out my camera out of the dry bag to take pictures while riding breaking ocean waves!
Initially I had a problem with going fast. At top speed it was directionally unstable. I'd cruise for a bit and then suddenly the boat would veer off and neither a steering stroke nor one-sided paddling would help until it slowed down. Strangely enough, it tracked better in rough water than smooth.
Looking at this picture of the boat floating in the water you can see that the stern on the right is high out of the water.
When I lashed up the stern the boat was upside down on saw horses. The boat is flexible and apparently it drooped. When I lashed the stern I locked in the droop, making it curl upward when right side up.
This might not matter if I'd left the cockpit further aft. But with my weight centered the stern was barely in the water and failed to provide tracking.
Deep sigh - I had to slice open the top deck skin on the stern (straight lines) so I could cut the lashings holding the stern plate (looks like a fixed rudder) and let the boat straighten. Then I cut a fiddly shaped block (circled) to fill the new space between the stern plate and the rest of the boat. Then I lashed all the parts back up and glued up the skin.
Oh yeah, that looks better!
The difference in performance is dramatic. Osprey is fast AND tracks! Hot diggity I can just go and go and go!
The high sloped deck sheds waves. The tall cockpit coaming keeps out the splashes. After years of low-volume Greenland paddling through, rather than over, the water this staying dry thing is novel and delightful.
Last but not least, the boat is very quiet. The long sleek shape makes very little wake. Also the resilient plastic skin is very quiet, no slapping or spanking as it goes through the water. Perfect for gliding up on wildlife to take photographs.
I've put enough time in to get a feel for how she balances. Meaning I am able to pull out the camera and take pictures without feeling like I'll go over. She will never be a rock solid barge, for sure, but I can work with this.
The shallow draft lets me slide into places most boats have trouble with.
Sure, it's a fast open-ocean boat. But it's kinda fun to keep following the water until you're getting branches and seeds on the deck...
I have had a great season. Now the snow's falling on the ski hills and it's time to switch over to winter sports.
Until Spring!!
