Norton
Latest updated Sunday, December 04, 2011, 3 comments
Images | Particulars
Plans, Norton - 94 EUR
Purchase
The name Norton comes from Norton Sound at the north coast of Alaska, as a tip-of-the-hat to a suberb craft from the 19th century. But Norton is far from being a replica. The historical Norton Sound kayaks just provided the visual inspiration.
Norton is a deep sea expedition kayak for the experienced paddler – fast, straight tracking and roomy. It has less initial stability than Kavat, Thule or Nomad, which means easy, predictable movements in heavy weather. Together with the lean, powerful stem it lets a skilled paddler press on against almost anything. The straight tracking hull needs some persuasion to turn – by leaning over in turns or by mounting a rudder on the stern.
The length can be adapted to personal wishes simply by altering the distances between building frames. The size and form of the cockpit is also easily altered. Many builders favour a small cockpit hole to facilitate rolling. Although bulkheads and hatches are shown in the plan set I suggest you build your Norton without too many gadgets – the way kayaks have been used by countless generations of Inuit experts.
Particulars
| Length¹ |
546/518 cm (total/lwl) |
| Beam |
54/49 cm (total/lwl) |
| Draft |
12 cm |
| Cockpit¹ |
80x40 cm |
| Height¹ |
28.5/26 cm (in front of/behind the cockpit) |
| Weight² |
16-21 kg |
| Load capacity |
145 kg/145 litre |
| Speed³ |
7.7/11 km/h |
| Prismatic coefficient |
0.56 |
| Wetted surface |
2.14 m² |
| Drag⁴ |
1.61/2.99 kp |
| Stability⁵ |
3/4 (no load/max load) |
| Intended use |
Expedition and touring, coastal and open sea. Day tour and exercise. |
* These dimensions can be adapted to suit personal needs or wishes.
** Depending on type of wood, equipment, care with epoxy usage, sanding etc. etc.
*** 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.
⁴ Calculated resistance in 4 and 5 knots (at nominal load capacity).
⁵ Initial stability and secondary stability on a subjective scale, where 1 is very tippy and 5 is very stable.
Stability
The curve shows the calculated stability with a static load, and therefore of limited use for a real paddler. The part of the curve near zero degrees indicates the initial (primary) stability – the steeper the curve, the more stable. The part of the curve left of the peak indicates end (secondary) stability – the higher and wider, the safer you feel edging the kayak. The position of the peak shows also how much the kayak can be leaned without tipping over. The part of the curve to the right of the peak with rapidly decreasing righting moment is almost impossible to take advantage of.
Plans
The plan sheets contain the information needed to build the kayak/canoe. Station molds, stems and construction details are in full scale. For kayaks the recommended cockpit size is shown half scale with offsets for a full scale drawing and advice on altering the size. On the plans you will also find advice on how to shorten or lengthen the craft. Lines and construction drawings are in metric scale 1:10.
The illustrated step-by-step building manual is in Swedish only, but it is available online in english: it covers all steps in detail and will guide first-time builders through the project.
Plans, Norton - 94 EUR
Purchase
