Updated Sunday, September 14, 2008 4:06 PM
Plans kayak - Njord, €100
images | information | lines | particulars | history
Njord is a hybrid – designed to combine Nomad´s touring qualities with the playfulness of Black Pearl. More precisely I have strived for the speed and efficiency of Nomad and the ease of rolling from Black Pearl. Some compromises are of course inevitable - Njord does not load as much as Nomad and it does not manoever as easily as Black Pearl.
Instead, Njord is a kayak with a large action radius with or without camping gear, with a potential for high touring speed i all conditions, and at the same time as easy to roll as a small playboat.
Dan Caouette built a Njord for Gonzalo Martínez-Monche Zaragoza in Spain:
"Dear Dan,
Nereida is just INCREDIBLE
We have been paddling together an is FAST, ELEGANT...and almost sexy!!
I still don´t have photos on the sea, but believe: everybody turns and stare at her.
I can stand about 5-6 Knots, she surf waves, is stable...the perfect kayak??
I am a HAPPY MAN
Thank you Dan!!!!!!!!!!!".
Building photos (many!) from another Njord built by Dan CaouetteDan Caouette
Images - Njord
More on Njord
Maximal efficiency (most miles per spaghetti serving) is at just below 5 knots (9 km/t), due to a long waterline and a relatively high PC (0,56). Njord is therefore primarily aimed at strong paddlers with good technique, but with a narrow waterline beam and a very small wet surface it is easily driven at lower speeds as well.
Directional stability is on the low side, to enhance maneuverability in a long kayak, and an adjustable skeg is recommended for touring. Leaned turning works fine and feels safe due to a very high secondary stability. Njord is easily handled – tight turns, sideslips, high brace stops etc – can be spectacular with a technically good paddler. The high secondary stability makes balance brace, even without paddle, very easy.
The volume is relatively small and a little packing discipline and ingenuity comes in handy for longer tours. The experienced backpacker will find room for a weeks supply – but for a paddler used to wide and high commercial kayaks it might be a challenging proposition.
The Njord will initially feel a bit tippy for the novice. The initial stability is relatively low, while the secondary stability is very high – giving a very soft and dry ride. For the experienced paddler Njord feels safe and reliable with easy, predictable movements in challenging conditions.
Njord is based upon eastern Greenland designs and thus have a low deck – some 2 inches lower than the typical commercial kayak (but an inch higher than the original Greenland 19th century kayak). It takes a little getting used to a new seating position, but after a couple of hours the kayak feels like a well fitting shoe – good contact without pressure anywhere. The comfort of a small cockpit may come as a surprise for paddlers used to large volume kayaks, where one have to be tightly locked in between knee pads, hip pads, footrest and a back band to gain control of the craft. The deck behind the cockpit is low enough to reach with the back and head, during a layback roll.
The Njord can be built with an ocean size cockpit or with a large keyhole cockpit. Bulkheads and hatches – two large hatches and a small day hatch - are indicated on the plans, but Njord can be built Greenland style without them. The bulkhead are placed so that the volume in the cockpit is minimized, the aft can be integrated with the seat and rim.
The waterline is long and extended aft, making Njord usable without a skeg or rudder, keeping weight and mechanical complication down. But the downside is loss of speed in a side wind, and for serious touring an adjustable skeg is recommended.
The hull form follows the eastern Greenland designs, with hard chines – but the chines are softened towards the stems, keeping noice and splash down in a chop. The deadrise is slightly steeper than the Greenland originals, which together with a pronounced rocker gives a good balance between directional stability and maneuverability. The rocker furthermore places the paddler a little deeper in the water, increasing stability and lowering the sheer, and thus making the paddling movements more comfortable.
Njord is also slightly more full-ended than the original –- partly to increase the PC and thus the potential top speed and partly to increase the buoyancy without the need for high and wind catching stems. The overhangs are shortened to increase waterline length. The decks are arched to provide more room for gear – except for a flat surface just behind the cockpit (where a paddle can be held as support).
Lines - Njord
Particulars - Njord
| Length: | total/lwl: 559* |
| Beam: | total/lwl: 51 cm |
| Draft: | 11 cm |
| Cockpit: | 50 x 39 cm* |
| Height: | in front of/behind the cockpit 26/17 cm |
| Weight: | 17 kg |
| Load capacity: | 130kg - 305 liter |
| Calculated speed: | 9,3 - 12.7 km/t** |
| PC: | 0,56 |
| Wetted surface: | 1,99 m² |
| Calculated drag: | (4 knop) 1,59 kp - (5 knop) 2,80 kp |
| Stability: | (80 kg) low - (max load) normal |
| Intended use: | Expedition and touring, coastal and deep sea. Rolling and advanced paddling. Day tours and exercise. |
* These dimensions can be adapted to suit personal needs or wishes.
** The speed numbers are based on mathematical standard formulas (175 lb paddler + 30 lb carco weight) and corrected from the kayaks actual performance om trials, on tours and in races.
I can also offer complete kits and professionally built and finished canoes. Please contact me for prices and terms.
The plans
Two sheets contains the nescessary information to build the kayak.
Njord - background and history
The south east Greenland kayak found its form later than the west Greenland types, but late in the 20th century it began to gain popularity around the coast. Compared to older types it was narrower, lower, with more overhangs and a straighter sheer, less deadrise and more flare. It was overall faster (particularly against the wind) and it maneuvered better. With less initial stability it was a demanding craft. In eastern Greenland seal was hunted from kayak until until a couple of decades ago and the tradition is unbroken.
Njord is loosely based on the east Greenland kayaks, mainly the one depicted in the American Museum of Natural History (fig 208 i "the Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America"). While no replica – strip instead of SOF, raised deck to create room for gear, less overhang etc – I have strived for an overall feel in handling that is close to the original.
The name is after the god of sea and weather in the old Nordic mythology (in the Icelandic tales he was called Njórdhr and was one of the vanes, father of Frey and Freya).
