Kudzu Craft comfort frames
One of the drawbacks of fuselage frame kayaks has always been the frame hit you in the calf muscle. While I loved my first fuselage frame boat I hated the frame in the back of the calf muscle! It took some experimenting but I solved that issue some time ago and found a way to keep the frames strength and remove the frame from under the calf muscle. All of our boats (except the free plans) have incorporated this design for some time now.
The past year I have been working on another issue, knee room. To get adequate knee room under the coaming with plywood frames, the deck height has to be pretty tall, This raises the coaming up to high and would lead to banged knuckles on the coaming.
I have been experimenting with a simple laminated beam to replace the plywood frame at the front of the coaming. The idea worked better than expected and it also allowed me to redesign the deck shape and improved the looks of the boat. It works so well that we are slowly incorporating it into all of our kayaks plans and kits.
Kudzu Craft is the leading innovator in Fuselage Frame kayaks. We are always looking to improve and innovate.
KIDS KAYAK
Tadpole
12 feet x 19 inches wide
Tadpole is our Kids kayak design. It was designed to look just like Dad and Moms boat but it is scaled down for the smaller sizes. Tadpole is 12 feet long and has a beam of approx. 19″. Her maximum displacement is 150 lbs. This is a good way to get them started young and in a proper boat. Plans are available in the store.
FReeB
12 feet x 36″ wide
FreeB is a 12′ recreational kayak. It has a 36″ long coaming making it easier to get in and out of. It is designed to be very stable and should be comfortable for first timer paddlers. I can imagine this boat being used for fishing or photography from in flat water. I would not recommend it for open water.
Mess About/Cast Away
15′ x 28″ and 12 x 27″
Mess Abouts & Cast Away You have asked for it and it is finally here, a smaller, open cockpit, recreational style boat. There are a lot of people interested in a short boat to just “Mess About” in. It is larger more stable receational boat with an open cockpit styly.
Cast Away the fishing version of the Mess About is available. It has a flat rear deck for rod mounts and a opening for the fisherman’s milk crate that are so popular.
Curlew
15 foot by 23 inches wide
Curlew is what I like to call a fast cruiser. However, top speed was never a consideration in this design, instead it was optimized for the 3 to 4.5 mph range. The speed range most recreational paddlers paddle 95% of the time. This way you get the most speed for your effort. This Is one of our most popular designs and and excellent all around boat.
RAVENSWOOD
15 foot 6 inches by 24″ wide
Ravenswood is another fast cruising hull. It is based on the Curlew hull but has a little better performance in the 3-4.5 mph range. The resistance is a little lower than the Curlew, making it a good choice for most paddlers. If you are into fast paddling this is not the boat for you. At 5 mph the resistance starts to increase dramatically. But this is into sprinting speeds for the average recreational paddler.
Like Curlew is very popular and a very god paddling boat.
RAVENSWOOD LOW VOLUME
15 foot 6 inches by 21″ wide
Ravenswood Low Volume
Designed for the smaller paddler, it is basically just a smaller Ravenswood. We have found that the lightweight paddler doesn’t sink the Ravenswood enough and boat has very little tracking with so little of the hull in the water. We we modified the design so that it will sit lower in the water with the smaller paddler.
Short Shot
16 foot 6 inches by 23″ wide
Short Shot as the name implies is just a shorter version of the Long Shot. It has a multi chined (round) hull shape. By going with a rounder shape the boat has less wetted surface area which lowers the resistance. It is a couple of pounds heavier because of the extra wood and takes more time to build, but it is probably my favorite design.
VARDO
17 feet by 24″
Vardo The design goals were for a boat a new paddler would be comfortable in and not outgrow. Large enough for weekend camping and a larger cockpit with lots of knee room.
Vardo has meet those goals. It’s performance has been better than expected and I find it to be a good all around boat. I often use mine when I am going fishing on one of the creeks. I have not camped from it but it has the space. A couple of hatches for access to the ends of the boat and it would be a good touring boat.
SHAD
17 feet 6 inches by 23 inches
Shad can trace its lineage to Greenland hunting boats. Of course it is long removed from it’s distant relative but it inspired this design. I have long been a fan of traditional Greenland boats with the long pointed bows. Many people say the long bows were a waste but they actually served a purpose where they were paddled. I just think they look cool!
Long Shot
18 foot by 22″ wide
Long Shot has a multi chined (round) hull shape. By going with a rounder shape the boat has less wetted surface area which lowers the resistance. It is noticeably faster and it has quickly become my go to boat. The low seating position makes it more stable the numbers imply. If you are a stronger paddler this is a boat you want to consider!
Firefly
18 foot by 22″ wide
Firefly is what I like to call a “Modern Baidarka”. It is not true to the ‘traditional’ Baidarka design but is very much inspired by them. Most single hole Baidarkas were very small boats with low stability and a small ocean cockpit. Not something most paddlers today want. I have always loved the Baidarkas but was always afraid I would never be happy with one so I decide to design my own.
Sling Shot
18 foot 9 inches by 23 inches
Sling Shot is a performance boat with a single hard chine instead of the multiple chines like Firefly and Long Shot. In order to increase the performance potential the hull is longer and has a narrower water line. It also has a more pronounced V shape. The trade off is it’s lower stability.