SS@G Northwind

[tx river rat]

Seat mount finished and seat mounted.
I cant stand it any longer , I am fixing to weigh her and then get her wet
Then I will come back and finish her.
Ron

 

[tx river rat]

54 lbs ready to float, not bad for a 17 ft 2 inch boat.
Water is coming shortly.
Ron

 

[tx river rat]

I loaded her up and headed to the local lake

Dont look half bad

Unloaded and shoved her in the water ,dang she floats shallow , with a small cooler seat and camera bags both ends are out of the water

We need some rain bad here are a few pics of the shore line

I crawled in and shoved off , rocked and rolled sideways ,dang boat is like a rock
I had my seat up 5 inches ,I am going to raise it a couple more the next time I go
The initial stability is great , leaned her on over and it was like hitting a wall,
OH I LIKE IT
Started out across the lake and started turning back and fourth , she doesnt need a rudder , that was one of my concerns.
This is not a sprint boat , got it up to just a little over 5 miles an hour. killing yourself might do 6 for a short time. But oh the cruise speed, my T-V cruises at 3.75 mph this boat can be paddled all day at 4.2 to 4.5 I love it.
This was on a lake with a chop , balanced decks worked great the wind just didnt bother me at all . in fact I turned side ways to the wind and let her drift she
she stayed that way no weather cocking.
I have built some fast boats that can out sprint this one ,but at the end of the day I think they would be playing catch up.
My thoughts on the North Wind , it exceed my expectations .
Rudder not needed
high cruise
I think I need at least a hundred more lbs in her to really see her perform I hate to say it but I think the T-V just got demoted to second place.
Still a lot to do to her ,but now I know she is a winner.
Matt thanks for a great design.
Ron

 

[mosportsmen]

looks great. Think it could carry two adults? My guess is that it could for recreational paddling but could use another couple feet of length to go fast with two people. I would love to give this one a try next time I make sawdust.

Tom

 

[JEM]

looks great. Think it could carry two adults? My guess is that it could for recreational paddling but could use another couple feet of length to go fast with two people. I would love to give this one a try next time I make sawdust.

Tom

My son, when he was 12, and I went fishing in a Sea Wind. My North Wind is based off the concepts of the Kruger Sea Wind. It was tight because of the cockpit and a bit twitchy because of my son being 12 and the tight quarters. But with a larger cockpit a husband and wife of average height and weight could paddle in comfort. I would not go fishing after strong game fish in it.

 

[JEM]

Ron,

Great report! May I use the pictures?

If using a kayak paddle, you shouldn't need a rudder. But if you used a short canoe paddle like Verlen Kruger did with his Sea Wind, it has it's advantages.

And you're right about the speed and capacity: It's made to haul a load over long distances with ease.

I'm happy to hear about the stability. When I paddled the Sea Wind, it was empty and I thought it to be just a hair too twitchy. Might have been because I didn't "know" the hull very well. Anyway, when I designed the North Wind, I tweaked it ever so slightly to adjust for that.

Knocked your TP-TV off it's top dog position? Now that's saying something!

I'm like a proud papa over here! :lol:

 

[tx river rat]

Matt
You should be, This boat is awesome.
I have built 15 or so boats but I have never been as excited and pleased by one as this one. Thats all Sondra has heard since I paddled it. As soon as I hit the house after the paddle I was on the phone to Darrel ,I think after my bragging he was out in the shed sanding last night. :lol: :lol:
You hit it on the stability I felt like I could stand up in her.
This boat is more complicated but is well worth the extra effort. It took me a bit to launch ,this boat draws some attention
Matt You are welcome to any and all picks of any of my post, I will get some with her being paddled and floating .
Yesterday I played with her for about three hours just getting the feel , did some heeling , carved some turns, she even paddles good backwards,I backed out of a creek for a hundred yards just playing.
I still have a lot to do to her , seat height , footpegs ,That will help the performance some more. cut in the decks,rod holders, light mounts,and I think a fish finder is going to be mounted.
Then I will finish sanding and putting the final finish on her.
Can you tell I am super happy with the NW.
I will always have a T-V in my fleet and I rated her a 9 but this boat has to be a 15.
Can you tell I am excited and happy about this build
Ron

 

[tx river rat]

Did a little rigging on the NW today ,
Jacked the seat up to 8 inches

I will try that height out tomorrow .
Drilled holes for my rod holders and trolling holders

Trolling or drifting they will be in this position.

Transporting like this

I like the rods in front of me so I can see if they snag on anything.
Ron

 

[mosportsmen]

I like it when they snag on a fishes face.

 

[tx river rat]

I just looked back and I started asking questions about this in 2008 :shock:
Ron

 

[tx river rat]

The 8 inch seat height worked great , rod holder also worked well and the 52 quart ice chest fit in front of me just right for access .

So far everything is coming up roses on this boat, I think I could stand in her , might have to try that.
I sat back and kicked my feet up on top of the cooler and just relaxed ,she was still stable as heck.
I am disappointed in one thing about this boat
I cant think of a single thing that I can improve on , first time I dont have the itch to build another boat . sort of feels funny. :shock: :shock:
Ron
PS She is a good fishing platform to

 

[JEM]

I am disappointed in one thing about this boat
I cant think of a single thing that I can improve on , first time I dont have the itch to build another boat .

whoa.... hold up.... let's not get silly. Words like that are bad for business! :shock:

 

[Darrells]

I am about to start another (as soon as I finish the NorthWind). My wife has decided she needs a Woody :mrgreen: . Matt and I just have to decide which one will be best for here.

 

[tx river rat]

Took the NW for another stroll a couple days ago , slimed her a little more .
The 8 inch seat height is still as stable as a rock and super comfortable.
The rod holders worked great.
It was very windy ,lake white capping and she just plowed on through ,no hull slap and the wind didnt seem to bother her much.
If someone tells you that you need a short boat to fish creeks , dont believe them I ran up in a creek a long ways and turned her around , creek was about 18 ft wide ,no problem.
I am still a happy camper with this boat.
Ron

 

[tx river rat]

The Lady bug is gone so it is time to start finishing up the Northwind.
I tried a seat but it was to low ,so I built another base , front of the seat is at 11 inches ,that gives me a pretty good size box under the front for sponges and etc.

Also built a place in back of seat for drinks and etc

I have been ask a couple times just how I mount my seats so I am going to go through the processed

I cut two strips , these are 5/8 eide by 2 inches tall ,space them
and drill holes on 6 inch centers, then glass to the floor and bulkheads

I normally use a 2+4 standing on edge ,cut my groove with a table saw and cut the nothes for adding the seat support. You can see the shape in this pic

This seat is pretty tall but you just have to find the height you need and adapt it for your boat

I use two pins and a bunji to hold them in place

I like this set up ,it braces the floor I am able to remove the seat or secure it with a lot of adjustment for different loads.
Ron
Got to go paddle it tomorrow so I can see if I am to high.

 

[tx river rat]

The 11 inch high seat worked great ,still plenty stable and super comfortable.
The only problem I had was when my grand daughter and I were paddling tandem ,we both were paddling in time and when we both got a good bite with the paddle on the same side it made the boat a little squirely

If paddled tandem I would drop the seat 2 inches, oh with 2 paddlers she will flyyyyyyyyyyyyy
Ron

 

[tx river rat]

Well its time for the pucker pic I forgot to post

Always hate cutting the hatches

and two big holes in my boat

rigged the tie downs and she was ready for a little trip.
Ron

 

[tx river rat]

I have enough miles on the NW to know I want to finish this boat out right.
Glued my stems on today

I do mine a little different than most folks do , I finish out the bow and stern justlike I am not going to apply stems then come back instal my stems and put cloth over them. that way the boat is still sealed even if I wear through a stem.
Patched a few scratches from not letting the epoxy age before using it.
.

Ron

 

[tx river rat]

got the stems covered in glass and the first two coats of epoxy and graphite put on

one more coat and then a final sanding to the rest of the hull and start work on finishing it while the bottom coat gets hard.
Ron

 

[tx river rat]

two coats of varnish on ,one more sanding and one more coat and I am going to call it good for now.

Ron