Ganymede

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The design brief for this boat is to create something very easy to build yet sophisticated in form. I want a boat that would be easy and comfortable for a novice paddler, but responsive and fun for experienced kayakers.

I started with a simple 3-panel hull as about the simplest method to create the basis for flotation. Then I came up with a 3-panel deck with a peaked fore-deck to shed water and a flat back deck that created a raked cockpit that provides easy entry without being too big.

The result is a cute little boat with character.

This is a versatile design. As a stable, easy to paddle comfortable kayak, it is ideally suited for easy paddling trips in calm bays, ponds and rivers, yet for the more adventurous it could make a fun rough water and surf play boat that carves down waves and turns quickly. To make it even more adaptable, the plans include lines for three different deck heights so you can create a roomy boat the capacity for a large burly paddler, or build it smaller for children or petite women.