Redemption
for the Quark
03
July 03: Although
I was disappointed and depressed after my initial launching,
and dunking,
in the Quark, I have not given up on this little boat.
I love its lines, and I've been using the experience
of capsizing this spring to learn more about boat design.
One thing I did was take out the plans and look at them;
I noticed that the displacement is 215 pounds and other
reading helped me see what you probably knew -- displacement
includes the boater and all gear. This boat weighs about
30 pounds, so it is a stretch for me to expect it to
float with me in it.
Not
only did it float with me inside, it floated for two
others, too. We all felt that the boat was tippy, but
none of us got wet. I found that paddling was the problem;
a longer double paddle, with more weight in a larger
diameter shaft would put some weight outboard and make
paddling easier, too.
I'm happy that this little boat
is proving itself, so I'm planning to offer it for sale
through Messing About in Boats -- $250.