Design
Northwest Passage XL
Designed by Dave Kuperstein
Northwest Passage XL is the same kayak as the Northwest Passage, built the same way, but for paddlers of 180 to 250 pounds. She is 18 ft 8 in long and 23 5/8 in wide, with sides an inch higher at 9 in and an extra inch of depth on the centreline for freeboard and foot room, and she weighs around 47 pounds.
Kuperstein's reasoning is worth knowing before choosing her: he gets the extra capacity mainly by adding length rather than scaling every dimension, because a longer hull gives better overall drag for the same load and stability than one simply blown up by five percent. The plans can be drawn at any length from 16 ft 3 in to about 19 ft to match a paddler's weight and strength, and he will supply a table of length against drag on request. Construction is stitch and glue with his pipe formed scrunch and glue round bilges.
What building a Northwest Passage XL actually takes
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Builds of this boat
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Start the first log of this boatBoats like this one
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| Design | Plans from | LOA | Logs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angler's Big Trip | Ashes Still Water Boats | 18′ 6″ (5.64 m) | 0 |
| Shearwater Double | Chesapeake Light Craft | 18′ 6″ (5.64 m) | 0 |
| Tandem Quick | Ashes Still Water Boats | 18′ 6″ (5.64 m) | 0 |
| Expedition Single | Chesapeake Light Craft | 19′ 0″ (5.79 m) | 0 |
| Razor-Billed Auk | Chesapeake Light Craft | 19′ 0″ (5.79 m) | 0 |
| 18' 4" North Star | Newfound Woodworks | 18′ 4″ (5.59 m) | 0 |