John Winters writes "(The Kite) is what I perceive to be the ideal small solo canoe for Canadian wilderness travel. The designed displacement is adequate for a large paddler on a week long trip, or a smaller paddler for longer trips. Unlike most American solos, this boat is heavily rockered forward with slightly less aft. The combination provides good maneuverability in smaller streams and excellent tracking on open water."
Despite its relatively low freeboard, it is a dry boat (I have paddled the north shore of Lake Superior in it without taking on more than a few small dollops in the most severe conditions one would like to paddle in) and the sculpted tumblehome midships allows good stroke mechanics despite the boat's 30 inch maximum beam.
Included in the Plans:
- Three 36" x 48" [91cm x 121cm] Drawing Pages including: Full size form or mold station drawings showing all the sectional forms and the end/stem forms. You will trace the pattern on your form material. The drawings are copiously annotated with Martin Step's notes on building this design.
- The Builders Notes: This 14 page set of builders notes created by Martin Step details his techniques for creating his nice construction details.
Recommended Manual:
- CanoeCraft - Ted Moore's bible on wood strip canoes goes into the canoe building process in great detail.
- $95.00
