In the back of his mind, Quinn Connell had been dreaming up the ultimate whitewater kayak for as long as he can remember. While finishing his engineering degree at Dartmouth College, Quinn pitched a study in kayak design, focusing on fluid dynamics: the study of water. Quinn was able to make his dream come true having the support from a professor with lab space and from TotalBoat for supplies.
The kayak was mostly made from carbon-fiber and 5:1 epoxy and was not easy seeing that he had little work with composites before-hand. Using Jamestown Distributors’ thorough tutorials and guidance from the Thayer School of Engineering, the kayak prototype was a complete success. Quinn said that laying up the composite was an intensive process and he spent the better part of a month working on it virtually nonstop. It was a challenging experience, but it was equally rewarding. Quinn said, “Knowing that I placed each fiber of the kayak myself made it even more special to me. “
As you can see in the images below Quinn took the maiden voyage down the Grand Canyon of Colorado. In the video he rides the Lunch Counter wave outside Jackson, Wyoming. The Lunch Counter is a six-foot wave with a huge steep face, perfect for surfing and riding in his own custom built kayak. It’s actually what the kayak was made for. Be sure to check out all 5 parts of Quinn’s process. There are also images and video below. Show us your custom work using TotalBoat products in the comment section!
