Preliminary rendering of the Blackburn II sea kayak

Last month a previous customer from NH (see the “Azure” Njord project) asked me to help him design a new strip-built sea kayak.  He’s smaller in stature and has a hard time finding high-performance sea kayaks that fit him.   The new hull is roughly being modeled on a SOF that he designed and made with a friend of his in VT.  He’s an avid kayak racer.  The SOF was designed to compete for the tough Blackburn Challenge race off Cape Ann in Massachusetts.   It’s a 20 mile off-shore race for canoeists, kayakers and rowers that’s held annually every July.  Fittingly he called it the “Blackburn.”  The new hull is codenamed the “Blackburn II.” It’s not a race boat by any stretch of the imagination.  Like I said, it’ll be a high-performance rough water sea kayak aimed for people who weight less than 140 pounds.

Original Blackburn SOF

We just completed the preliminary design stage.  The old SOF wasn’t modeled on a computer so I took the offsets he gave me and created a new  3D model of the existing SOF.  The hydrostatics and estimated speed data were very comparable to the actual boat.  I then reshaped and massaged the model to meet his new requirements: it’s shorter and wider.  The hull has more rocker, less deadrise and the sides have less flare.   The deck has flat sections forward and aft of the cockpit.  The cockpit is smaller and is more square-shaped (like the Japanese Waterfield “Qaanaaq” series).  The stems are also higher.

Preliminary Gaussian Rendering of the Blackburn II"

He’s planning on building it himself this winter.  He’s talked about having us supply him a basic kit with pre-cut forms and strips.  We might also supply some solid carbon fiber bits and bobs (like a pre-made recessed coaming and seat like on his Njord).  Who knows…

In the next few weeks as it evolves I’ll post more updates.