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West River

The West River kayaks are strong fast touring boats for paddlers who prefer a multi-chine hull shape. They cruise easily and maintain speed with little effort. With their moderate rocker and fine sterns they resist weathercocking and track straight in all sea conditions.

The West River 18 is designed to be the fastest multi-chine kit boat available. She is the perfect boat for those who wish to win races but also need to carry camping gear. She excels as a medium volume touring boat with lots of foot room, dry ride and superb tracking. Yet, with an overall length of 18 feet she qualifies in many races in the touring class. With a waterline length of 17' 2", and a very low wetted surface area, she has the speed to win.

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Chesapeake

The Chesapeake Kayaks are expedition touring boats that excel in rough water and steep seas. With their high volume bows they cruise over big waves. Their radically cambered foredecks shed water quickly and provide plenty of foot room on those 35 mile days. The stern design assures train-like tracking and minimal weathercocking, even in fierce crosswinds. The hard-chine hull is strongly influenced by West Greenland designs. It is easy to lean and turn, handles following seas with ease, and surfs beautifully. The long waterline and moderate rocker assure plenty of speed. The high volume hull swallows up expedition size loads. The 18 is a substantial boat which will comfortably carry substantial people over long distances: 6' 5" 19 stone paddlers with gear. The 17 has a maximum load of 270 lbs and the 16 has a maximum load of 240 lbs.

The 17 is our highest selling kayak by far.

The Chesapeake is also available in a double or treble seat version. A Light Touring Version is available for day trips.

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Chesapeake Light Touring

The Light Touring kayak is designed for day paddling and occasional weekend trips. It has the same proven hull design as the Chesapeake but is lower and has flatter aft decks. This reduces volume and windage and makes them a little lighter. Epoxy end pours at the bow and stern simplify construction and provide extra impact strength. Shorter paddlers and Inuit-style paddlers prefer the lower deck since it allows a lower paddle position.

Chesapeake Double/Triple

The highly regarded Chesapeake hull shape is now available in a double and triple kayak. It offers the same efficiency, great handling characteristics and ease of building as the singles. They are very stable, track superbly, resist weathercocking and, thanks to a 20 foot waterline, are very fast. The maximum capacity is over 700 pounds but tracking is excellent even with two children paddling. Although many people use these for family day trips the Double and Triple are designed for rugged expedition use. The gunwale construction is strong and rigid. The cockpits are supported by laminated deck beams and structural bulkheads. The large hatches make loading easier and keep equipment safe and dry. At 74 pounds and 78 pounds (including hatches, watertight bulkheads and deck rigging) these boats are 30 percent lighter than most comparable fibreglass kayaks. The Triple has three full size cockpits: the centre one is great for taking a child or pet along.

The building time, from a kit, is about 60 hours.

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Fyne Boat Kits
Unit 5, Station Yard, Burneside, Kendal. LA9 6QZ
Tel: +44 (0)1539 721 770

Email: info@fyneboatkits.co.uk