Njord – Jukka Vanne

Thursday, September 5, 2019 (Launchings, Njord), 0 comments

"Hi there Björn!

Now finally my new Njord is ready. Here are some pics. Weight with all rigging included (bunjy cord etc.) is 17 kg. Considering I used some mahogany for the looks, I guess the weight is ok - was hoping for 16 kg though.

Haven't yet been on the water too much, but from what I have tried, it does seem very good - seems to have nice speed, stability is ok (95kg paddler) and with a little skeg exposed, it paddles like on tracks. The rope skeg works nicely!

Thanks! - a great design!

Yours,
Jukka"

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"Btw. was paddling today... the Njord slices calm water very nicely, but still the biggest difference compared to my Expedition Sport (One Ocean Kayaks) has to be the way it just keeps its speed going against waves. Sidewind or head-on, works beautifully. =)

Also tried some eskimo rolls. I was surprised to find myself upright on the first go... Yes, much easier on the Njord. About half of my tries were successful although it's a looong time since I last tried. Also, re-entry in the water and roll up worked without a paddle float. Now as the chances of getting back up seem quite a bit more probable, I think it lowers considerably the threshold to practice - which is, of course, a good thing. Nice to notice also that the hatches are watertight. No water even after eskimo rolls. I was initially a little worried...

So thanks again for a great design!"