The Caspian Sea

The Caspian Sea is targeted at novice paddlers who want excellent tracking and control, but do not want to invest in the complication and expense of a rudder. Slightly hard bilged, the Caspian Sea has high initial stability yet is extremely docile in lumpy conditions. Departing from the trend towards boats that are steered with heel, the Caspian is helm neutral when heeled beyond 10 degrees. This means that paddlers will not be surprised by unanticipated turns when their balance wavers.

The photo above shows a beautiful Caspian Sea called the Dragonfly, built by guitarmaker Jim Kozel. Jim says "I'm very impressed by the boat and quite surprised at how strongly it tracks and yet, how easily it turns on a dime. Definitely no need for a rudder here... I REALLY like paddling the boat. I didn't know a boat that tracks so strongly could turn so quickly. John Winters designed a very special boat. I can't imagine anyone, beginner or advanced not enjoying the boat."

To see a larger copy of the Dragonfly click here. Also, you can see photos of its construction on Jim's website including Jim's unique approach to building the hull and the nifty carbon fiber cockpit coaming.

The prismatic coefficient is moderate for efficiency at low speeds. Much shorter than most sea kayaks intended for touring, the Caspian derives its efficiency from low wetted surface. None of us are getting any younger so the deck is highly crowned to make getting in and out easy.