lhunt Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Perhaps the DIY'ers in the NSPN crowd would be interested in the following story: Mustang Sally is a stripper... Hmm, no, that doesn't have a promising sound to it... :-) I am a proud co-beneficiary of a new John Winters design for a low-volume "Fast Sea Kayak" (FSK). A true low-displacement 18' racer is a rare beast, and I was so enamored of the design I was going to strip her myself (lack of skills notwithstanding). But at the last minute I stumbled across the web site of Dan Caouette in northern NH, and common sense (not to mention impatience) prevailed - now there's an expert in charge. Dan is building her at astonishing speed, documented in his Facebook page. She'll be painted like a race car, so she has been dubbed "Mustang Sally". Target weight: 32 lb. Target date: May 5 (!) I'm working like crazy trying to get the engine in shape in the meantime. Sally's 20" beam and other aspects of her hull shape make her a little tippier than my current boat, so I'm not sure how long it will take me to learn to keep the colored side up in rough water, but I'm looking forward to the challenge. In the meantime, following the build online is a real trip. Just thought I'd share it! Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prudenceb Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 What a beauty - can't wait to see her when she's all dolled up and ready to ride!pru Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gcosloy Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 She looks like a rocket Lisa, good luck with it! And good for you in contributing to the kayak designing and building economy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suz Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Looks really lovely. I have always wanted one of Nick Schade's designs but not enough to attempt to make it. This might be an alternative someday.Suz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhunt Posted April 3, 2012 Author Share Posted April 3, 2012 Thanks, all! As you can see, I'm like a dog with two tails about it. (Should change the little guy to say "Wahoo") Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brambor Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 wow. It looks wonderful. So, it will have a racing stripe ? red/white? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeaguiar Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Hi Lisa,Looks great. Fiona will have her work cut out for her this year at the Blackburn!WahooooMike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhunt Posted April 3, 2012 Author Share Posted April 3, 2012 So, it will have a racing stripe ? red/white?Red deck with black stripes right down the middle (one wide one, two narrow to either side). Tentatively, that is. And a black graphite hull. Here is my very bad drawing - Dan is going to make me a better one when there is a chance. It turns out there won't be any visible black hatches - they'll be wooden and painted like the boat. Looks great. Fiona will have her work cut out for her this year at the Blackburn!I wish (!) -Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EEL Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Sally's 20" beam and other aspects of her hull shape make her a little tippier than my current boat, Lisa: The 20" beam should more than enough, but the forms suggest a rather rounded as opposed to a flared hull so it might be light on secondary. Rocker and fullness looks good for a fast, but seaworthy boat. Not that I know anything about boat design. I believe you will have not just a fast boat, but a beautiful work of art as well. Ed Lawson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasL Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Lisa, Beautiful potential. You will be paddling among the Gods! LOL Seriously I wish I possessed the patience and focus for such an effort. Your reward will be what most of us dare not hope for. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leong Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Hi Lisa, Looks great. Fiona will have her work cut out for her this year at the Blackburn! Wahoooo Mike "Fiona will have her work cut out for her this year at the Blackburn!" Unfortunately, me too! Lisa went from paddling a 12-foot rec. boat in the Concord River (circa October 2008) to a custom designed racing sea kayak today (almost). I used to work pretty hard to keep up with her when she paddled her QCC 600X in our weekly training sessions. Who knows what will happen now? Perhaps I should beg Dan (the builder) to attach a sea anchor to Mustang Sally! You go girl! Leon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katherine Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 She's booty-licous (in keeping with the stripper theme...)Congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pintail Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Nice-looking, Lisa; but here was I, thinking <this> was Mustang Sally... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhunt Posted April 4, 2012 Author Share Posted April 4, 2012 Nice-looking, Lisa; but here was I, thinking <this> was Mustang Sally...Ooh, cool. Guess it was a popular song! I don't think I want that decal (!), but the paint job rocks... And she's a survivor, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pintail Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Lisa: she's alive and well and gracing the skies over South Africa with the <glorious> sound of her Rolls Royce Merlin! Mind you, I <love> the lines of yours -- somewhat "Epic-ish"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhunt Posted April 4, 2012 Author Share Posted April 4, 2012 somewhat "Epic-ish"?Well, it's a tiny bit bigger at the 4" beam (for safety, since the Epic is the "ceiling" for the Blackburn Challenge). As for the rest of it, I guess my untrained eye has a hard time picking out the subtle differences in the hull between any two performance boats of similar size. The decks of the Wahoo are more crowned, I think, but you can't see that yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leong Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Mind you, I <love> the lines of yours -- somewhat "Epic-ish"? No way Sir Christopher! Ms. Sally evolved from a similar boat called the Minke, also designed by J. Winters. The Minke had a kinda fat rear (some have called the Minke badunkadunk*). Anyway, this area was completely slimed down for this svelte new boat for Lisa. On the other hand, I call my Epic 18X Ultra, Mr. Ugly, because it has an even fatter aft end than the Minke. * I’m sure it’s okay to use the term I used because there’s no double standard allowed and, of course, Katherine already used a similar term, booty-licous. Gotta go do some sprint training now or Lisa will really cream me when I return to New England. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhunt Posted April 4, 2012 Author Share Posted April 4, 2012 evolved from a similar boat called the MinkeWell... not quite - They're quite different, it seems, from the forms. The biggest difference from the Epic is that Epic is "one size fits all". The Wahoo is for small paddlers (by paddling standards - I never thought I would consider myself to be a "smaller" anything, but that's the way it is). I think the Epic's wide deck (and the overall beam of the hull) is to accommodate larger people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhunt Posted May 3, 2012 Author Share Posted May 3, 2012 All dressed up for homecoming next weekend! Guess those motorboats are going to be able to see me coming OK. That is, if you are going to be a speed bump, might as well be a brightly-colored one. More pix on Dan's FB page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leong Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 All dressed up for homecoming next weekend! Guess those motorboats are going to be able to see me coming OK. That is, if you are going to be a speed bump, might as well be a brightly-colored one. More pix on Dan's FB page.Wow, Lisa! That’s some beautiful racing machine. Use it in good health. I hope you'll still be willing to train with me. Leon (still your training partner, I hope) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brambor Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 gorgeous boat Wow, Lisa! That’s some beautiful racing machine. Use it in good health. I hope you'll still be willing to train with me. Leon (still your training partner, I hope) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casousa81 Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 Wow! What a gorgeous boat! Let me know what you think of the graphite bottom. I've been tempted to do the bottom of my Chesapeake 16 in graphite this summer when it comes time for re-varnishing. The varnish tends to scratch up far too easily on our rocky shores. ~Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhunt Posted May 4, 2012 Author Share Posted May 4, 2012 Thanks, guys! Chris, yes, I'll try to remember to shoot you a message when I have a good feeling about how the graphite bottom is doing. Apparently it matters what ratios you use when mixing (graphite and silica). I read on the web that some people have a problem with the black graphite softening in the sun on a very hot day - we'll see.Email me (first name, underscore, last name @ yahoo) if I forget...-Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasL Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 All dressed up for homecoming next weekend! Guess those motorboats are going to be able to see me coming OK. That is, if you are going to be a speed bump, might as well be a brightly-colored one. More pix on Dan's FB page. Looks like that new Epic 18...but MUCH sexier! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katherine Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 She's beautiful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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