Motorized DIY stitch-and-glue W catamaran kayak – the movie, by Berny Marsden

I took it on Coniston water in the English lake district.
It is brilliant! The 43 year old Seagull 3 HP motor starts 2nd pull and has lots of compression. It’s very light and the perfect size for Banana Split (the boat). On my own it will do about 7 MPH, and in tandem with my wife Andrea it pulls 5 MPH.

I have made a centre board and am making a rudder, mast and sails as my next development. Sadly, the English winter is nearly upon us so I might not get the chance to test until the spring.

I have found a seaside boating lake that should be ideal for testing the sails.

Berny

United kingdom

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Kayak Stability and Fishing Standing

A kayak's stability is key, especially if you want to fish standing in it in full confidence.
Many kayak manufacturers claim they designed their kayaks for stand up fishing, but other than pictures in glossy magazines and videos showing young and athletic fishermen who stand on their kayaks and fish in mirror flat water, how practical are these products for average anglers in everyday fishing trips? How well do those kayak perform in real world conditions?
Can a middle aged or elderly fisherman feel at ease getting up and standing on a SOT kayak, and could they ever feel confident fishing from it?
There is more to standing up and fishing from a kayak than just that - You need to do it comfortably and safely, have a plan B in case you lose balance, and be able to focus on what you're doing i.e. casting, reeling, and landing the fish, and not on maintaining your balance through constant micro-adjustments.
If you want to understand the physical and ergonomic principles that affect a kayak's performance in terms of stand up fishing, read about it in the article entitled Paddle and Fish Standing

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