Posted on October 4th,2008I just test-drove three Chesapeake Light Craft boats:a Wood Duck 12 Hybrid kayak,a Chester Yawl pulling boat,and an Annapolis Wherry. You may recall I have written about them before. I really like what they are doing.
The Wood Duck is a pretty little kayak (the hybrid refers to it being part stitch-and-glue and part strip-built). It is too small and short for my taste (I do too many longer trips and want better tracking),but for a light,easy-to-manage boat,it is a nice option. It is way,WAY nicer-looking than I lot of light recreational boats.
The Chester Yawl surprised me –pleasantly –with its rowing capability. It is attractive,but not stunning,to my eye,but I liked its performance. It also has a really clean,flexible layout that strikes me as useful across a range of purposes. The center sent and foot stretchers are designed to hook into the floor-boards,basically allowing a myriad of configurations for different preferences. Very nice touch.
And then the Wherry. It is gorgeous and it rows extremely well and I made an absolute hash of rowing it. Complete embarrassment. I know it has been a while since I skulled,but geez…If I wanted a really nice rowing boat,though,I would definitely look at this boat.
One more thing…
I got to talk to Chesapeake Light Craft’s principal and designer,John Harris. I asked him about the rig for the Skerry,which always seemed too small to me. His fascinating response:a) everyone says that and b) everyone is surprised when they actually sail it. As-is,it has the same sail area / displacement as a Laser. Huh. Apparently they are pretty peppy with this rig and any more would be dicey (though a bigger Bermuda sloop rig exists). Shows what I know.
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