ust write some brief descriptions, not elaborate into details about building my new boat: Serenity-2. It’s already the 7th kayak that I’ve built, there’s not much new things to talk about, the same steps, the same techniques. First is about the design, a 15.5′ hull, in addition to a very curvy shape, turns into something I’ve found comfortable when having to ride waves, though speed in a long run wouldn’t be best for sure! The boat is not built for surfing neither, I just feel the need for some controllability when caught in gales which happen very often during the monsoon season here in VN! Those gales could be mild, but sometimes it could bring much troubles with waves in exceeding 1m in height!

The quite narrow (50 cm), deeep-V, curvy hull with lots of rocker offers a good ride in turbulences, but it also comes with an inherent weakness, the Cb (block coefficient) is only 0.36, that’s why I added a built-in skeg to help with directional stability! The skeg is built into the bottom-aft section, protruding 10cm under the hull, about 1m long, and going all the way into the rudder post! The rudder is meant to be auxiliary, its small blade (8 x 40cm) is deployed only under unfavorable conditions! Normally, I would prefer to paddle with the rudder retracted! Designed Cp (Prismatic coefficient) is around 0.5 when fully loaded, which signifies that this is clearly a touring boat, with the maximum load at 155kg.

155kg seems to be a big number, but me myself is already 77kg, plus the boat final weight would be around 27kg (it’s sturdily built for “expeditions”), so you could carry less than 50kg of provisions! Paddling in tropical climate consumes lots of fresh water, I usually carry onboard about 20~22 liters, enough for 5~6 days. For trips longer than a week, obviously I would need to plan a stop somewhere to replenish the water supply! Luckily (or unluckily), VN is a extremely-over-populated country, it’s quite easy to make stops along the shores to seek for goods, foods, and other services! With experiences from the previous built, Serenity-2 is slightly re-designed to be easier to roll, with a less full deck!

Believe me, being able to roll is a huge psychological aid, though I also think it’s rarely needed in reality, unless you do rock-n-roll! During those long hours of paddling, you would waste a fair share of your metal energy to read the tides, the weather, making estimations, predictions, decisions, propose to yourself plan A, plan B, etc… lots of uncertainties, anxieties and procrastinations. Having some more skills in your techniques-bag makes much differences and boost the tenacity very much needed to complete those long mileage! Plus, all my past and future trips would be all alone, there’s just me, so I have to prepare for any situations by myself, would need to spend some effort horning my rolling skills!