I grew-up just a couple of miles from the Palos Verdes peninsula along the coast of Los Angeles County  and would often snorkel in those waters for abalone and lobsters with a group of my friends. One of the first “boats” I ever worked on, a leaky, 12′ paddleboard rescued from the heap out behind the main Lifeguard station in Redondo Beach, was used to explore the area with my buddies. 

Guarding the northernmost entrance to Lunada Bay is Rocky Point. The waters around Rocky Point can be anything from totally benign and calm, to a full tilt, out of control melee of oceanic surges and thundering waves. When I started to design boats, I instinctively drew upon locations from my boyhood watery exploits and the name for this sea kayak, Rocky Point, came from this familiarity.

Length Overall - 18′ 6″ 
Beam Overall - 20″ 
Length at Waterline - 18′ 5″ 
Beam at Waterline - 19″ 
Displacement - 300 lbs. at design waterline 

The Rocky Point is designed as a very fast, no nonsense expedition touring boat with the capacity to carry the necessary gear and stores for an extended stay away from civilization. Obviously, with it’s narrow beam, this is not a beginner’s boat. Experienced paddlers, though, will settle-in quickly to its gently lessened stability and be able to make the most of the very small frontal area and very long waterline.

The prismatic coefficient of the hull is set to .55 which will allow the paddler to reach and hold a very fast cruising speed. The boat should be equipped with an expedition class rudder to provide a gentle assist in turning as the hull has reduced rocker from my other sea kayak designs.

Just about all of my sea kayaks are designed with what I refer to as “a modified barrel back” stern. Not only do I wish to set my kayak designs apart from the everyday Greenland style craft, but I wanted to reduce the windage signature for the entire boat. My take on the Barrel Back form comes from the Art Deco inspired speedboats of the 20′s and 30′s, a very creative era in boating which continues to inspire me.

The construction method is via stitch and glue technique from a 3-4mm marine plywood. The boat is glass/epoxy inside and out. The builder can choose to do a carbon or Kevlar layup inside with durable S-glass on the exterior for a rugged, easily repaired hull that is stiff and light. Standard layup in glass should yield a boat that is under 50 lbs. complete.

This is not an all-out racing machine. Instead, it is a very fast sea kayak in the racing boat style with its lowered aft deck, minimal foredeck height, maximized waterline for length and a hull shaped for performance. It is intended for experienced paddlers who want to really stretch it out and can maintain a fast clip on the water while carrying a enough gear for a decent trip.

Chris Ostlind
Lunada Design
Chris@Wedgesail.com