Smart
Latest updated Tuesday, March 05, 2013, 10 comments
Images | Particulars | More about | Background and history
Plans, Smart - 96 EUR
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Smart is a handy little kayak with the same hull form as Kavat and Nomad. Designed primarily as a safe and easily handled kayak for youngsters, Smart makes a excellent touring kayak for anybody who have learned the fine art of travelling light. And I do not mean "spartan travelling light". With a load capacity of 125 kg, Smart offers luxuaries that a backpacker could only dream of. On a day tour Smart would float even heavy paddlers.
Like Kavat, Smart is light, swift and extremely maneuverable. Since stability and balance to a large extent are built in the kayak, even the novice will feel safe and experience full control in a seaway. Movements are calm and predictable - you can park the paddle and take a photo, take on or off an anorak or have a cup of tea.
For its length, Smart has a high touring speed. The hull is designed so that friction and wavemaking simultaneously hits a low spot slightly below 4 knots, indicating that you can go 4 knots with very little effort. The downside of this arrangement is that top speed is not very impressive - do not enter races in Smart! But if you do - feel free to blame the designer if you do not win. Due to its maneuverability, Smart is fun to use in rapids, surf and for rockhopping.
Particulars
| Length¹ |
485/442 cm (total/lwl) |
| Beam |
59/57 cm (total/lwl) |
| Draft |
11 cm |
| Cockpit¹ |
80x40 cm |
| Height¹ |
27/22 cm (in front of/behind the cockpit) |
| Weight² |
15-20 kg |
| Load capacity |
130 kg/305 litre |
| Speed³ |
7/10 km/h |
| Prismatic coefficient |
0.56 |
| Wetted surface |
1.99 m² |
| Drag⁴ |
1.59/3.4 kp |
| Stability⁵ |
5/5 (no load/max load) |
| Intended use |
Coastal and open sea touring. Lakes and rivers (rapids included). Day tours 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, Smart - 96 EUR
Purchase
More on Smart
Smart is an ideal turkajak on really flowing water and rather wild rapids. A smart but solid plaice is actually a really skilled creekingkajak - maneuverability will be good enough to even though it really is a bit too long. Keep the other hand, plaice, if you must paddle a long way. Or building an adjustable skeg, you can choose.
In order to maintain the payload and volume, Smart laid on an inch around the waist - 59 cm against Kavat 57th Top speed drops slightly with reduced length, but in return will be less friction which means less work at normal cruising speed.
This makes the Smart a very easy to handle and safe turkajak for both ocean coastlines and inland waters. The cargo capacity is adequate for weekly tours - also speed was, as the difference in speed between Smart and the really fast kayaks in the figures are relatively small and affect in practice neither tour planning or day-haul.Paddling a long ride when accompanied by technically skilled paddlers in fast kayaks can however be difficult for both parties.
The stability is very high, both empty and fully loaded. The hull shape means that the kayak handles waves just fine without the intervention of the paddler. Normally I sit then relaxed with legs free - there is no need to as Eskimos in kayaks with small cockpit squeeze your knees against the deck to control the kayak. For beginners, the Smart a very safe kayak in rough seas and poor conditions. For experienced paddlers, it means the possibility of such as photography, coffee, or take it off or on a jacket in fairly rough seas.
Smart is very easy to turn and are therefore easy to control in strong winds and rough seas. A short kayak always feels safer in very difficult circumstances. As a consequence of maneuverability, the price stability to be worse.For the vast majority will be sufficient price stability rather than being developed in paddling technique but for those who want, an adjustable skeg be a welcome aid.
Like other kayaks can be built smart with or without bulkheads and doors, with fixed or adjustable skeg or rudder - all included in the drawing kit and assembly instructions.
Smart – background and history
Smart is simply a scaled Kavat and was designed as a response to repeated requests for a shorter kayak - both from builders with limited space for construction and storage, and partly from those who figured out that a short Kavat would be ideal for surfing, surf and whitewater.
