Osprey vs Kite?

[Steve in Idaho]

So, my gut tells me to build the Kite. I'm thinking either should be at least as fast as the Sojourn, even with the additional 1" of width. Also think either will turn easier (doesn't just about anything turn easier than the Sojourn? ). As for fishing - we'll deal with that somehow.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

Now if you want an excellent all around solo that will continue to carry you as your waistline grows and your tripping load increases, order plans for the Raven from Martin.

Isn't that what Kim's latest boat is? I think I could really like that, but isn't it a bit longer? I'm trying to stay under 15' due to storage and transport limitations - as well as wind. I'm not seeing a link for the Raven.

 

[memaquay]

The Raven is not advertised on Martin's page, but he has plans for it. It is a big solo, lots of rocker, designed for river touring, but I found it to be great on flats too. It's 15" 3" I think. Here's a link to my facebook build of it. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.342271810053.343227.826425053&type=1&l=d04e17d509

Here's a link to the swift site for a description https://www.google.ca/search?q=swif...=hVZDV5iMKMLTjwTFvqSQCA#imgrc=fQ-wI-acJxMNoM:

And if you want to see it in action, here is a trip report with some pics. http://www.canoetripping.net/forums...lake-northern-on-lots-of-pics-not-for-dial-up

It's not for everyone because of the size, but I will be building a new one next year, my other one is mostly worn out.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

Yeah, that's a bit oversize for my needs . The storage spots I have where that would fit are taken by the Prospector, Malicite, and Coho - and I'm not giving any of those up.....yet. Anyway, wind is so often an issue where I do most of my paddling that I have developed a preference for shallower canoes. The Kite is already deeper than my Sojourn, and the Raven specs deeper still. The Sojourn is proving to be up to cl2 wave trains in my hands, and that is enough for the bulk of my use. I expect that either the Kite or the Osprey would cover anything I might do in the foreseeable future.


Board selection has begun. Too cheap to buy retail, so we'll see how long that takes. I think I'm still going with the Kite.

 

[stripperguy]

Here's where the subjective nature of canoeing comes into play. For several years, the Osprey was my primary solo and it went through the worst conditions possible. It carried me across 3 kilometers of open water with six foot swells, dry. I ran countless class 2 and 3 rapids with it, mostly dry. And I very rarely kneeled.

Subjective for sure, everything is relative. I paddled my strip built DY Special for 8 years, so I am very familiar with twitchy hulls. Sure you can get used to anything, I see guys with arms missing, guys that have been married for 38 years...yeah, you can get used to anything.
But from my seat of the pants comparison, I did not like my buddy's Osprey. Maybe if I had climbed out of my DY and into the Osprey it would've been a different story. His Osprey felt nervous, my Kite feels confidence inspiring.
I will also throw this out there...buddy says he's selling that Osprey because it is too uncomfortable for him to fish from it.

 

[memaquay]

Sometimes I wonder about hulls changing shape during a stripper build. I built one osprey without stems, and the gunwales ended up being about two inches closer than they should have been. The hull had more of a rounder look to it too. I never paddled it, gave it to one of my students to finish, so I can't comment on it's stability. It seems odd that there would be that much difference between the Kite and the Osprey.

 

[Jim Dodd]

Sometimes I wonder about hulls changing shape during a stripper build. I built one osprey without stems, and the gunwales ended up being about two inches closer than they should have been. The hull had more of a rounder look to it too. I never paddled it, gave it to one of my students to finish, so I can't comment on it's stability. It seems odd that there would be that much difference between the Kite and the Osprey.

The stripping method, especially stapleless, may have had more to do with the hull change, than building stemless. Also stripping pattern

Many of the builders from Minnesota that I fell in with, were pretty convinced that you needed to Herringbone the strips. They said it maintained the hull shape better. Those guys never beaded and coved their strips either.

It's a thing that no two cooks make a cake the same, given the same recipe. Cakes and canoes, have a lot in common.

 

[stripperguy]

--- It seems odd that there would be that much difference between the Kite and the Osprey.

No one was more surprised than me!! I came home after the weekends paddling and compared the form profiles between the two. There shouldn't be so much of a difference. Hmmm, I do wonder if my buddy pulled in his gunnels? I guess I'll have to measure his boat the next time we're together...

 

[dogbrain]

When you buy the Kite plans, Martin throws in the Osprey plans for reference because it has all the various notes for strip building that might be usefull for building the Kite. When I first got the plans I did look and compare the two, station by station and did notice a little difference in the shape of the forms below water line, but didnt seem like enough to account for SG's first hand experience. I'm not sure what to expect with my boat. I'll be able to give a full accounting in a couple weeks.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

....I'll be able to give a full accounting in a couple weeks.

Looking forward to it!