True North Expedition Kayak

Product Description

The True North XPD is a high volume wood-strip expedition kayak design from Bear Mountain Boats, providing more capacity for the bigger-than-average paddler taking extended kayaking trips.

Bringing the thrilling performance and graceful styling of the Endeavour 17 to the big or tall paddler, the True North expedition kayak has a generous keyhole cockpit to aid getting in and out without compromising the effective knee bracing when paddling. To make room for larger feet, the deck height has been raised by over an inch. This also increases comfort for taller paddlers by providing more room to stretch your legs.

Ted Moores of Bear Mountain Boats is the author of Kayakcraft, the standard reference book for wood-strip kayak building. The book is recommended to accompany the kit or plans. It is packed with tips and techniques and has inspired countless first-time kayak builders around the world.

Length

5.87 m (19′ 3″)

Maximum beam

650 mm (25½″)

Beam waterline

610 mm (24″)

Beam gunwale

650 mm (25½″)

Bow height

380 mm (15″)

Centre depth from sheer

230 mm (9″)

Displacement

163 kg (360 lb)

Optimum capacity

136-208 kg (300-460 lb)

Draught

102 mm (4″)

Wetted surface

2.49 m² (26.8 sq ft)

Weight to immerse

120 lb/in

Prismatic coefficient

0.563

Weight

22.5-27 kg (50-60 lb)

Cockpit opening

850 × 470 mm (33½″ × 18½″)

Kit

We manufacture our kits to the highest standard using European-grown Paulownia for the planking strips. Uniquely, the strips in our Bear Mountain Boats kits have not only a bead-and-cove profile but also a pre-cut finger joint at each end, making the neat joining of strips even easier for builders at home.

The kit includes:

• Plans
• Instructions booklet
• CNC-cut building forms
• Paulownia strips with bead-and-cove edges and finger joints on both ends
• Ash stem strips
• Paulownia sheer clamps
• Sapele sheer guards (rubrails)
• Marine plywood bulkheads and cockpit coaming
• Fabric covered foam seat and backband
• Adjustable footbraces
• Waterproof glue for the strips
• Epoxy resin and activator
• Dispensing pumps
• Digital scales
• Epoxy fillers
• Woven glass fabric on a roll
• Free technical support from a competent builder

Please note that the kit does not include the box beam strongback for mounting the building forms on. You can either use a straight length of suitable timber or order the box-beam strongback we supply.

Hatches are not included as standard. There are many ways of making and fastening kayak hatches and we can supply the parts.

What else do I need?

Strongback

This strongback is made up of CNC-cut MDF panels that fit together to form a strong and stiff box beam measuring 200 mm × 200 mm and long enough to build the boat. You'll need a pair of trestles or sawhorses to raise it to a comfortable working height.

Plans and Instructions (not required by kit purchasers)

The plans contain sufficient information to make it possible to build the boat from scratch rather than a kit. The plans are printed in colour and include scale plans and full size drawings for all the forms.