SEA KAYAKER - JUNE 1999

CHESAPEAKE 17 BY CHESAPEAKE LIGHT CRAFT (KIT) review

Reviewers: TE 6'1", 200-pound male. Day trips from calm conditions to winds to 25 miles per hour, waves two to three feet, cresting over shoals and breaking alongshore; KW 6'2", 200-pound male. Day trip in calm conditions; MH 5'10", 190-pound male. Day trip in 20-knot winds, light swell, two-foot chop, surge and clapotis in rock gardens.

CHESAPEAKE 17™ REVIEW

The Chesapeake 17™ kit produces a hard chined hull and arched deck of 4mm plywood. The hull is glassed, but the deck is not. The kayak we reviewed has a painted hull and a varnished deck that shows off the wood grain of the mahogany. "The cambered deck has some flex at points not supported by bulkheads or the cockpit coaming. The exposed edge of the deck [which is not fiberglassed] shows noticeable wear and rough edges where it has been repeatedly rubbed by the paddle" (KW).

When carrying, the boat balanced at the thigh brace flange, which "produces uncomfortable pressure on the shoulder" (KW). "I found it easier to carry the boat upside down with both thigh braces resting comfortably on my shoulders." (TE). "The [nonstandard brass padeye fittings] forward of the cockpit were right on the edge of the deck and often caught my paddle shaft and my thumb-ouch!" (KW). The normal deck fittings are loops of webbing screwed to the deck and would not cause the same problem. There was neither a grab line nor a provision for a spare paddle. Since the hatch straps were essential for holding the hatch down, I didn't use them to hold deck gear" (TE). "I had plenty of room for size-12 Sandals. The deck in front of the cockpit is just low enough to stay out of the way of paddling" (TE). "The cockpit opening is quite large and allows for easy seat-first entry, but the deep cockpit hindered large amounts of edging or laying back" (KW).

For KW and MH, the molded foam seat and padded back band were "quite comfortable" (KW). MH was comfortable for the first hour, then, "since my knees were angled tip fairly high to engage the deck, my thighs were not in contact with the seat, putting more pressure on my butt bones. After a while I developed a sore spot." The foam seat was supplied loose and would need to be secured in place to prevent losing it in the event of a capsize. The Yakima foot braces are solid and easily adjusted by foot. The thigh-bracing has an extension on the coaming, but not enough foam was glued to it to get a good grip. The sheer clamp joining the deck and hull had a sharp edge inside that can be painful against the knee. Builders should smooth or pad that edge.

The Chesapeake 17™ has "moderate" (KW) to "very good primary stability, making it a comfortable boat to sit in with my hands off the paddle" (TE). The Secondary stability is "very strong" (KW). "The stability makes putting the Chesapeake 17 up on edge feel very solid even in rough conditions" (TE).

"This boat steered great. It tracked straight and carved nice turns when edged after a small sweep to get the turn started" (KW).

"In 15 to 20 m.p.h. crosswinds over flat water, the Chesapeake 17™ weathercocked only slightly and was easily corrected with an occasional edge" (TE). "It has a tendency to turn upwind and a beginner may want a rudder, but slight edging corrects this. It's fine without a rudder" (MH).

KW thought the Chesapeake 17™ "has good cruising speed, but was quite sluggish to accelerate." TE noted that it has "above average speed; it accelerated well enough to catch most waves I was trying to surf." MH found it "efficient to paddle and quite fast."

The Chesapeake 17™ "catches waves easily and responds well to [paddle] ruddering and edging" (MH). It "catches waves about average, but is better than average steering down the wave face. The bow seems to lift and the hull seems to plane, so the bow does not get easily locked into a broach. A stern rudder [stroke] can swing the boat across the wave to keep a good line down the face. When it did broach, it didn't swing around abruptly cut a run short" (TE).

The configuration of the rear deck rigging was not done according to kit instructions. It was, however, possible to do a paddle float reentry by holding the paddle up against the coaming. "The high coaming made this easier, but had a tendency to snag gear on my PFD. The cambered rear deck increased the difficulty of the reentry by reducing the stability of the outrigger" (KW).

The Chesapeake 17™ has "lots of room, making it suitable for long outings" (MH). The hatches have single gaskets pressed against the deck& Rolling and rough water drove several cups of water into the compartments. The forward hatch "shoots spray up to face level" (TE).

The bulkheads are 6mm plywood caulked in place.

"I really enjoyed paddling the Chesapeake and found I covered distances easily. It was fun playing around in rough, confused waters. Its stability would lend it to extended touring, fishing and photography. Beginners would love it and be able to grow with it" (MM). "I thought the steering. tracking. and balance of the boat in the wind were a very good combination. The boat feels big, but it is nimble enough to be a fun performer" (TE). "This boat has an excellent cruising design with a nice combination of nimbleness and storage room. The combination of moderate initial stability and strong secondary, and its lack of weathercocking make this an excellent boat for beginners to learn sea kayaking. even advanced skills" (KW).

 

[The review notes that the boat tested was built from a kit by an individual, who installed nonstandard deck rigging and did not fiberglass the deck or sheer. It also notes that the hatch design had been changed to the current hatch system some time after the kit was built. -- CLC]