Family just got bigger so I clearly need a bigger boat :). (Disclaimer... I realize the redbird isn't that much larger... this is just an excuse)

I've got a freedom 17 now. I love it. I was thinking of maybe doing the bigger freedom.... but the redbird has got that classic canoe look. Truth be told I was torn between the two when I built my freedom.

Anyone have or had experience with a redbird? What are your thoughts on handling, capacity, etc..

Thanks in advance.

Always good to hear of the possibility of another build !
You can get a comparison from the two hulls on Canoecraft's site. At least mathematically. They have all the specs.

Please share your build with us !

Jim

quote 1JimD: " Always good to hear of the possibility of another build !
You can get a comparison from the two hulls on Canoecraft's site. At least mathematically. They have all the specs.


Please share your build with us !


Jim"

Thanks. Done that many times. Just looking for some real world experience.

Grizzlyman!

If you really need a more traditional look I would suggest the Nomad. It will increase your capacity a bunch. The Redbird is pretty, but does not improve your capacity. Also, I think it is a real twitchy boat. If your need for a larger boat includes children you need a more stable boat than your Freedom, not less. The Nomad provides that. My smaller tandem is a 16' Prospector from which the Nomad was developed. Loaded to capacity and traveling big lakes with wind and waves it always performed well.

The Freedom 17'9" does it even better in my opinion.

I have a canoe that is even a little bigger than the Freedom 17 9 , but with similar characteristics. I love it as we are big people, but it also is a great boat for kids. Up to 5 or 6 YO we just let them roam free in the canoe and never have to make them sit still. They can hang their arms over the side and collect things out of the water, it doesn't matter. We took a 2 1/2 year old for his first ride in a canoe recently. Parents figured 45 minutes because its hard to sit still. Three hours later he snagged a stick from the water and was trying to figure out how to use it as a paddle.

Thanks sedges.

Nomad was on my short list also but I was looking for a little more of the redbird bow/ stern appearance.

The nomad seems like a good compromise between a redbird and the freedom in design element. I'm slightly concerned that the nomad will paddle like a bathtub.

I have 2 ideas to get what I'm looking for.

1. I add some more upsweep to the nomad at the bow/ stern to make it look like a redbird. This shouldn't be too complicated as long as I modify the stem forms and the last form or two slightly to adapt. This is all above the waterline so it shouldn't affect hull dynamics much if at all.

2. I modify the redbird to increase capacity by adding an extra inch or two of beam amidship and feather it back to the ends. This needs to be done on the horizontal without adding rocker. This option is obviously more difficult and will have consequences to the design dynamic... but it also sounds like more fun :)

I'm not opposed to modifying the design as I think it's what makes building interesting.

Any thoughts on these from the group?

DP

Just an update. I've spent the last week toying with delftship and have decided to just build my own boat from scratch. :)

I'm going to build an 18' 36" boat. I think I've settled on a final design but am still fairing. The body is going to be a lot like a nomad with the bow/ stern of the redbird. I'm also going to make it asymmetrical like the freedom.

Delftship with all the hydrostatics is pretty awesome to measure stability and prismatic coeff, etc..

I even lofted a few bear mountain designs like the freedom and prospector to compare hydrostatics and make sure my cad techniques end up matching that of bear mountains specs.

I'll let you know when I've got a final plan.

I've never tried lofting before. Did you have lofting experience before attempting this? If not, can you recommend a good source to learn how?

quote SaganagaJoe: "I've never tried lofting before. Did you have lofting experience before attempting this? If not, can you recommend a good source to learn how? "

Ive used a number of programs to design other things like remodels, etc.. so some experience but I'm not an engineer....

The software is called delftship.

not only is it a great tool for designing a boat, but it does immediate hydrostatic calculations- like displacement, surface area, stability factors, etc...

it is tough to get the hang of it though once you figure it out its pretty easy.

once designed, you can ultimately print out station molds or export offset tables too.