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> I appreciate your thoughts!
I'll pussyfoot around a bit by saying that black flat round rubber hatches are an anathema to all kayaks.
These machined round blotches of plastic and rubber make a grotesque mating with long flowing kayak lines. And to actually put them in conjunction with a material of character - as in strip, stitch and glue, or especially skin - results in jarring cacophonous visual abortions!
On any kayak, but especially plastic ones, my immediate visual imagery is of a floating septic tank. They don't look too different. The curvaceous lines mutate into a cylindrical form with an access cover in the top. Horrible musings of olphactory terrors waft thru my mind.
Aside from flat topped kayaks (works best for Bobby), the design implications of a round flat sizeable constraint, causes geometrical gymnastics that interrupt and disjuct the kayaks shape. In order to not catch spray, they have to be depressed, maybe the leading edge a bit more. (I scratch my head in amazement at Foster's kayaks)
Leaving off the septic tank imagery and its nasty associations, are there any others?
So how about garbage cans? Don't these hatches look like plastic garbage can lids?? How about building a nice Guillemot with a cool strip pattern and cutting a hole for a garbage can in the back and one in the front? Something doesn't fit here and it's obvious what it is.
These black blobs of iniquity only belong on septic tanks and garbage cans.
-mick
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Guillemot Kayak - High
Performance Wooden Sea Kayak Designs
