SS@G Northwind

[tx river rat]

Well its time for the pucker pic I forgot to post



Always hate cutting the hatches

and two big holes in my boat


rigged the tie downs and she was ready for a little trip.
Ron

[tx river rat]

I have enough miles on the NW to know I want to finish this boat out right.
Glued my stems on today


I do mine a little different than most folks do , I finish out the bow and stern justlike I am not going to apply stems then come back instal my stems and put cloth over them. that way the boat is still sealed even if I wear through a stem.
Patched a few scratches from not letting the epoxy age before using it.
.


Ron

[tx river rat]

got the stems covered in glass and the first two coats of epoxy and graphite put on






one more coat and then a final sanding to the rest of the hull and start work on finishing it while the bottom coat gets hard.
Ron

[tx river rat]

two coats of varnish on ,one more sanding and then another coat , should be able to call it good then ,she is starting to shine
Ron

[tx river rat]

I am doing this a little different than most boat reviews. I decided I was going to put some miles on the North Wind and paddle in as many different environments as possible before I wrote this up,so here we go.
This boat is 17 ft 2 inches long bye 28 ½ wide finished weight was 54 lbs ,not a little boat by any stretch of the imagination



When I built the deck I set it up for a 58 qt cooler ad the capability to carry 8 rods all that worked out well
And the places for the rod holders are also used when I just pull up and want to bank fish or troll.



She has been slimed


Been paddled tandem



Loaded heavy



Stability is awesome ,my seat is 11 1;2 inches high and I never feel tippy.
Paddling speed is awesome ,if your paddling beside most yaks you have to back off a lot because just paddling at a normal cadence you will walk off and leave them.
Comfort and weight carry capabilities are great ,as you add weight she just doesn’t notice it at all and the 7 ft cockpit is easy in and out, two 5 ft enclosed decks carry a lot of gear. A note here she does like to be loaded tail heavy.
This last weekend we paddled 14 miles loaded 7 up and 7 downriver,shallows ,deep holes , going through blow downs with a lot of current .she just handles it all in stride , the hull is slick enough to paddle upriver better than any boat I own.
I have to rate this boat head and shoulders above any boat I have ever paddled . I guess that says it all.
Ron

[rodot]

Good report Ron. With my limited experience in this craft I have to agree with everything you have said. I think one of the things that really impresses me is its versatility. It can handle so many roles without compromise.
Eight rods though You certainly like to cover any contingency. I normally target what I am after and take the bare minimum. With reluctance I take a spare rod for Justin. Actually I find that when I have too much gear I spend more time sorting it out than I do enjoying myself.

Roger

[tx river rat]

Roger
I dont normally carry 8 but I do have the capability
We pretty well have our camping set up down pat ,it usually takes me and Darrells about 10 minutes to set up camp..
Ron

[Darrells]

Coming back up the "Falls" is very difficult, but I paddled the Northwind farther at low water with a heavier load than I have ever paddled another boat.
She likes to go straight and will carry anything I want to take (and looks good doing it), what more could I want in a boat.

[toolman]

I am doing this a little different than most boat reviews. I decided I was going to put some miles on the North Wind and paddle in as many different environments as possible before I wrote this up,so here we go.
This boat is 17 ft 2 inches long bye 28 ½ wide finished weight was 54 lbs ,not a little boat by any stretch of the imagination



When I built the deck I set it up for a 58 qt cooler ad the capability to carry 8 rods all that worked out well
And the places for the rod holders are also used when I just pull up and want to bank fish or troll.



She has been slimed


Been paddled tandem



Loaded heavy



Stability is awesome ,my seat is 11 1;2 inches high and I never feel tippy.
Paddling speed is awesome ,if your paddling beside most yaks you have to back off a lot because just paddling at a normal cadence you will walk off and leave them.
Comfort and weight carry capabilities are great ,as you add weight she just doesn’t notice it at all and the 7 ft cockpit is easy in and out, two 5 ft enclosed decks carry a lot of gear. A note here she does like to be loaded tail heavy.
This last weekend we paddled 14 miles loaded 7 up and 7 downriver,shallows ,deep holes , going through blow downs with a lot of current .she just handles it all in stride , the hull is slick enough to paddle upriver better than any boat I own.
I have to rate this boat head and shoulders above any boat I have ever paddled . I guess that says it all.
Ron

The boat looks really good Ron.I'm new to this so I hope you don't mind me having a look at your work. It could help me with my build and could always use some ideas.Nice looking fish.

[tx river rat]

Toolman
] If I can be of any help just holler.
Ron