JEM Watercraft

Great pics!!

When that little sweetie gets to be 4 or 5, start taking her camping. In the meantime, take her on day trips.

The more we expose our kids to the outdoors, the woods, the lakes and rivers we inhabit, and teach them about animals, and let direct observation of animal behavior teach them - the better adults our kids will be.

Jack,
Instead of "no child left behind", I subscribe to "no child left inside".

Well, I installed all the rigging yesterday. Too bad I have to take it all off to sand and varnish her in a few weeks.

I used Sea Dog Line 1/4 turn deck plates from Duck Works.
- 4" for the stern access to rudder fittings
- 4" for access below cockpit in the seat area.
- 8" for access below cockpit in the cockpit foot area
- 8" for accessing the front deck storage compartment from the top.
- 6" for placing rods into the front deck storage compartment from the cockpit.

For the deck compartment behind the cockpit, I purchased an 8" hatch and I can't remember the brand. It has one twist lock and is easy to open. I put it behind the seat because I figured it was the easiest to open but hardest to access.

I drilled holes through the lip of each hatch on the inside of the hatch, so I would not compromise the integrity of the seal. Then, I secured them to the kayak by some heavy duty braided line. I would hate to open a hatch and drop it overboard. That could result in a lot of pumping on the bilge.

For the two rod holders behind the seat, I ordered some Sea Dog Flush Mount Rod Holder with Cap that had a sealed bottom from Austin Canoe and Kayak . I took Bemm52's advice on where to mount them. I will probably only use them for a net/gaff and my fish bonker. I will probably mount additional rod holders on a crate for storing rods. I installed a Hobie Twist and Stow rudder from Austin Canoe and Kayak. I used 1/4 inch irrigation tubing as cable guides. The stainless steel cable for the Sea Dog rudder controls is actually downrigger wire I found on clearance. I got a spool of 150 feet for $12. Should be enough for a couple more boats.

The fish finder/rod holder mount is made of various Scotty pieces and a ram mount and Ram adapter for mounting the FF to the Scotty Triple Rod Holder 257.

Sorry about the blurry photos. I hope to put her in the water today and then I can get some good daylight piccies.












I have yet to rig the anchor trolley, and I have not finished mounting the fish finder.

Well, I better go put her on the trailer and see if I can muster my little crew members. Its a beautiful day. Not too many left for this year.

Every time i look at this boat it just keeps getting better Thats a Great Looking Ride

Mike

Thanks Mike.

Here are a couple of pictures from this evening after her maiden voyage. The rest will be in the out and about when I get time to post. I love this boat. It is so stable, I bet I could stand in it in calm water. I should have tried, but the river we were in had lots of snags and a current. I didn't think it would be the best place to work on re-boarding for the first time. Not to mention the fact its not the cleanest of rivers.

Pre-launch:




I was with my 4 year old boy and my 79 year old father. He is in my pirogue paddling away. I don't think he has paddled a boat since the 1960s. I think i just converted him back to the dark side.



Here are the two side by side after upon return:



Did I mention I love this boat
Of course, I love them all, but this will be a fishing machine. If only I had more time.

craiggamesh wrote: this will be a fishing machine. If only I had more time.

I knew you would love it and I know what you mean by not enough time

Enjoy

She tracks straight and true and the rudder helps her turn on a dime when needed. Well, maybe not a dime but at least a quarter.

With me and my son (about 240 pounds) the water is still below the scuppers. I will have to weigh her outfitted. I'm not sure of the outfitted boat weight yet. Please ignore my ugly toes.

She is very stable






and with the little one (approximately 38 pounds) the water comes up to the top of the scuppers. This is good to know for gear storage purposes. That is way more capacity than I would have expected.




When he was in the Pirogue with Grandpa, I took the opportunity to slide up forward and access the front foot well hatch seen in the above picture. The water came above the scuppers to about the bottom of the lowest hatch screw. So, I feel it would be safe to access that hatch while at sea. This is good because, as I posted earlier, that is where I wanted to store my rods while going through the surf.

I can't wait to get her out to a nice lake and flip her to practice getting back on.

Craig
After admirering your boat in this tread and out and about I noticed your unusual paddle

Is this what they call a Greenland Paddle? and what are its benifits.............. one seems to be it takes up less room when stowed

Cheers Paul

Paul
You are correct. It is a Greenland paddle. The advantage is you can paddle all day long at a low profile and it doesnt catch a lot of wind so they are great for long trips on open water. One of the reasons the Eskimos used them (other than a lack of large timber). The other advantage is it cost about $2.49 to make. The price of the clear cedar 2 X 4 from which I carved it. Utilizing a GPS, I compared the two paddles. I could accelerate faster with the Euro style, but could obtain a higher top speed with the Greenland. However, it was barely higher. Also, it is only 29 ounces. That is in the range of carbon fiber paddles.

The disadvantages are that for an open cockpit boat, the Greenland is a much wetter ride due to more water running down and dripping on me. And, it is definitely not a shallow water paddle. I was using it so my dad would stay drier.

I actually prefer the Greenland paddle if I am wearing a drysuit or in a kayak with a spray skirt. I am going to build another with a ferule in the middle so I can take it apart and it will fit through the 6 inch hatch in the Sabalo. It will be my back-up.


A lot of people I know will only use the Greenland paddle. I feel both are of equal value and I choose depending on the paddling circumstance.