Waterline beam question

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Morecowbell
Posts: 48
Joined: Sat Jun 28, 2014 10:41 am

Waterline beam question

Post by Morecowbell »

Greetings again,

I'm back after two wonderful trips in the BWCA/Quetico in a kevlar Wenonah Boundary Waters canoe, so that's my point of reference. I'm still thinking the Kipawa is a good fit for us for future trips but in comparing the WBW specs to the Kipawa I noticed that the waterline beam measurement on the WBW is 35" and on the Kipawa its 32.5. Is the narrower waterline beam on the Kipawa anything to be concerned about? We're not always graceful in the boat! I know the Kipawa has a great reputation, but just curious if anyone can comment on it stability. The open water and crosswind on the way to the Canadian ranger station from the US side made me realize speed isn't everything :laughing

Thanks as always,

Clay
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Cruiser
Posts: 867
Joined: Sat Apr 27, 2013 10:21 am
Location: Bowmanville, Ontario

Re: Waterline beam question

Post by Cruiser »

This is the link for the Kipawa I built last year (if you have interest), it starts near the bottom of the link page, by Cruiser.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=637&start=75

I have taken the production models from Swift out many times and they are a great boat and very stable when loaded, unloaded I find they can be a bit twitchy ...

The cedar strip version seems to be very stable loaded or unloaded, granted I lower my seats some, simply because my knees don't tolerate kneeling much anymore. On the last trip, the boat saw some pretty rough water, loaded and unloaded ... neither caused any issues with stability.


Brian
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Jim Dodd
Posts: 1359
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2006 11:08 pm
Location: Iowa

Re: Waterline beam question

Post by Jim Dodd »

Tripping and racing are two different sides of a coin.
Me I'd stick with you WBW. Width equates to stability, and carrying capacity. Those are a lot more important than speed. But now if you don't take a lot of gear, and are in a hurry to get from point A to B, and you have plenty of cash, I see no reason not to go for the Swift Kipawa.
Pretty simple, but I hope it helps !

Jim
Keep your paddle wet and your seat dry!
Morecowbell
Posts: 48
Joined: Sat Jun 28, 2014 10:41 am

Re: Waterline beam question

Post by Morecowbell »

For some reason I had assumed that the Wenonah Boundary Waters was sort of a high performance design, might have been the kevlar! But on researching it, its a pretty docile performer. I wouldn't say its effortless to paddle, but not a slug either, a good stable tripping boat, which has been fine so far.

Brian, I have drooled over your Kipawa in the past, and the design has a great reputation, so good to hear your feedback.

Jim - should have prefaced that I will be building, not buying!

Thanks,

C
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