fitness paddling: exercise, train, race by kayak & canoe

Pax 20 is a quite popular kayak. It is often built with some modifications, e.g., an open cockpit, a rudder instead of skeg, different hatches. I saw Pax 20 built by Doug Rhude several times in action during Texas Water Safari. In the 2005 TWS he showed up with the new kayak more suitable for the race conditions: Pax 20 with an open cockpit and a modified hull shape.

Recently, I found that Robert Finley, owner and operator of Kayak Lake Mead, also built Pax 20 and posted some pictures from the building process on his website. He applied an unique painting to his kayak. Pretty cool!

I asked Robert for some comments on the Pax 20 performance:

This is a fast boat. But, she's long therefore, you have to be in shape for her. To get her to turn at all in a static position, I have to edge her steeply. So steep in fact, that I do sort of a forward-sweep-brace. Rear sweeps, forget it. Cross bow draws, forget it. However, while gliding along she responds nicely to edging. In fact, if you edge her steeply enough you can turn quite a nice 360. Upwind, she is a dream. Downwind she screams. But, without the skeg deployed while running downwind, she will auger right in unless you apply some fierce ruddering to keep you upright. If you like paddling hard for fitness and going fast; this is a good boat.

In 1999 I built a stitch-and-glue Patuxent 19.5 designed by Chris Kulczycki, a founder of CLC. It was the fastest kayak from CLC at that time. She was later replaced by Pax 20. Building and paddling my own kayak was a wonderful experience. Patuxent 19.5 was my first hard shell kayak after paddling folding kayaks for more than 20 years.

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Technorati tags: Chesapeake+Light+Craft rel="tag">Chesapeake Light Craft kayak racing Pax 20 Patuxent 19.5 kayak building stitch and glue wooden boats Kayak Lake Mead