The Pax 18 and Pax 20 designs were developed at CLC for skilled paddlers seeking waterborne sports cars for racing, exercise, or just plain fun. Starting with a clean sheet of paper, we sought out all of the features that make kayaks fast and combined them with CLC's proven construction methods, creating two very exciting and beautiful DIY kayaks in the process. Kits were in production for 20 years for the Pax 18 and 20, but at present they are available only as plans.
The ends of the Pax 18 and 20 are nearly plumb for maximum waterline length (the heels of the stems are rounded to shed race-killing weed or kelp). Substantial flare is worked into the stem and stern above the waterline to gain buoyancy for work in waves. This extra volume also helps to reduce "squatting" at sprint speeds. Both boats have extremely narrow waterlines, 15-17" depending upon crew weight, which translates into effortless speed in the hands of a skilled paddler. Tracking is solid. Narrow boats can be a handful when surfing at speed, even for experts, so we have included a retractable skeg in the plans.
Narrow boats can also be cramped, so we have taken pains to accommodate large-statured paddlers in both boats by specifying 31-inch coamings and highly cambered decks for footroom. The aft decks are flat and use a standard 7.5" VCP hatch for storage.
Construction is obviously as light as is consistent with hard usage. Bottom panels are 4mm, while the sides and decks are 3mm, and the entire hull and deck are fiberglassed for strength and stiffness. Four structural bulkheads (two of them watertight) are standard. The smoothly radiused decks incorporate a flush mahogany stringer for strength and beauty.
The Pax 20 is best suited to strong paddlers who have found themselves limited by "hull speed" in a smaller boat. With an 11" deep cockpit and enough footroom for size 12's, most long-legged paddlers should be comfortable. While the Pax 20 is only 19.5" wide, primary and secondary stability are surprisingly friendly due to the hard chines and long immersed length.
The Pax 18 is a much smaller boat, suited only to paddlers weighing a maximum of 175 pounds. The hull flares from a razor thin waterline to 21.5" (10% of overall length). Because of the strong flare, most paddlers will find the Pax 18 far more stable than its speed would suggest.
Do you fit in this kayak? Study our kayak fit chart.
Build this boat if:
- You weigh 175 pounds or less
- You are racing in an 18-foot kayak class
- You paddle fast for excercise
Builders also looked at:
Pax 18 
view Kayak Comparison Chart
