Fri - December 8, 2006

Van Dusen Mohican Unlimited Racing Kayak - Insider View from a Factory



Jack Sanderson provides often an interesting insider view from Van Dusen racing boats factory. In the recent thread on Guillemot Kayak Building Forum, he writes and answers questions about the new Mohican kayak he is just building. He also posted a couple of pictures from the factory.
Van Dusen Mohican racing kayak

Van Dusen Mohican racing kayak

I havn't been to the builders site recently but I thought you guys might be interested in a new design I have been building. Its called the Mohican and is designed by Ted VanDusen. Ted is known primairly for his olympic ICF racing boats but he spent the last two years working on the problem of how to make a boat that is as fast as an ICF racer but has the stability of a sea kayak. The result is the Mohican.

The boat is 21' is a cross between a kayak and surf ski, and can be paddled by an intermediate paddler. It has the same or less drag than the fastest ICF boat at all speeds except an all out sprint. The cockpit is sealed with a closable scupper. If you go over, you just get back in like a surf ski and open the scupper and it will empty itself within 100ft.

We built the prototype this spring and raced it this summer. Everyone who paddled it were impressed by how fast it was but were amazed by how stable it is. Erik Borgnes won the USCA nationals in one (the first time he had paddled it)

We are just ramping up production so the backlog is building up as fast as I have been building them.

We offer it with an "open" cockpit or a closed "surfski" style. The open model is for folks who only want to race flatwater and should make for a lighter boat. The Mohican has an adjustable footboard with the option of a tiller or foot peddle steering. The other option is an overstern or under stern rudder. The understern is for ocean paddling and is 30" forward of the stern so it doesn't come out of the water on big swells The overstern is a spring mounted rudder that sheds weeds and snaps back into position after hitting a rock/log/bottom. The open cockpit model comes with a K1 type seat. The closed cockpit obviouly has a bucket seat. Ted is working on a version of his rotating seat that would install into the bucket seat, holding you up a little higher and letting you hips rotate but it isn't available yet.

If you are interested in a technology used in manufacturing Mohicans check these pictures of a vacuum infusion process.

Van Dusen Mohican appeared in several of my earlier posts in fitness paddling. I have also a record of 5 miles time trial by Ted Van Dusen on the virtual race site.

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Posted at 12:55 PM    


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