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| Martin and
his partner, both on surf skis, were the only kayakers in the group
to complete the crossing and traverse the Chukchi Peninsula. It
proved the concept that touring with a fast hull was advantageous,
but Sinclair's surf ski had its drawbacks. "Steve Sinclair and
Tom Sherburne designed it as an ark for open ocean survival and
storm sea paddling," said Martin. "It's a tremendous craft but,
for my purposes, it was a bit heavy at 75 pounds, and its bulbous
bow was a bit too buoyant and slowed the boat in certain conditions.
It was also difficult to take to windward." Martin turned his attention
toward finding a full-blooded racing kayak. Around that time, my father, Hunt Johnsen, an innovative designer/shipwright in Hawaii, was also thinking about racing designs. According to Martin, "Hunt has a deep understanding of how boats move through the ocean on scientific, practical and artistic levels. He builds beautiful boats with exceptional performance-they are usually ahead of their time and blow people away," he comments. After years of watching racing surf skis of varying designs careen across the Moloka'i Channel, Hunt knew he could build one that was faster and that had more ocean savvy. In 1991, he built a surf ski he called the "Cheetah." The final design was 20 feet long and had a reverse transom and an ocean-going bow, proving itself exceptional in ocean swells. Its round hull and 14.5-inch waterline beam, influenced by an Olympic K-2, contributed to its speed at the expense of stability: It had none. It had only a brief resistance when leaned at 45 degrees. The Cheetah collected dust.  A
few months before meeting Martin, I had dug the Cheetah out of
the boat yard and launched it. I spent the first day with my legs
hanging over the side like training wheels. Once I got a bit of
speed, the boat became slightly more stable. Just when I thought
I'd gotten the hang of it, I'd find myself upside down. To say
the Cheetah teaches you good balance and bracing skills in a hurry
is an understatement. After a couple of days, I could keep the
Cheetah upright, and I was quickly hooked on its speed. When Martin and I met, I introduced him to the Cheetah. Initially, we used the Cheetah with wing paddles to train and do short expeditions in Hawaii. We moved the rudder farther forward under the hull to eliminate ventilation in swells, and eventually Hunt designed the retractable skeg/rudder assembly. Support from resin manufacturer System Three and fabric from Hexcel and Dupont allowed us to experiment with various layups, which became lighter, tougher and more resilient until we were satisfied with an expedition layup. For the Arctic version of the Cheetah, Hunt also redesigned the sit-on-top deck to accommodate a low-profile, Olympic-style cockpit. This type of cockpit offered protection in Arctic climates without compromising proper leg drive when using the wing paddle. It also had the added benefit of easy entry and exit, which was important given the unstable hull. Thigh straps anchored to the inside of the cockpit provided a firm connection to the boat, allowing total control and rollability. The final Arctic Cheetah, constructed of Kevlar, S-glass and epoxy, weighed only 35 pounds. It utilized cutting-edge construction materials and techniques, and was virtually indestructible: It was a modern touring kayak that was faster, lighter and stronger than any other. Foam-core construction eliminated the need for internal pillars, which gave Martin the extra storage space needed for long expeditions. An innovative "trimmable" seat and foot steering bar assembly were completely removable and eliminated the need for hatches. All equipment was stored and easily accessible in stow bags, leaving nothing but safety lines on the deck. Every detail was designed to withstand the rigors of the Arctic, and to be field repairable in an emergency. Having already paddled the coastline between the North Pacific Ocean and Inuvik, Canada, in previous years, Martin set his sights on reaching Hudson Bay, over 2,000 miles to the east. Paddling the Arctic Cheetah and carrying an "alpine style" expedition kit (see Appendix) weighing only 30 pounds, he could travel fast and light, taking advantage of the short and fickle Arctic paddling season. This method also gave him the ability to drag or carry his kayak and gear in one trip, without unpacking, which cut any portage times significantly. With the creation of the expedition kayak complete, the second half of the venture lay in the paddler's skill. Martin set out to increase his ability and refine his technique in order to paddle the Arctic Cheetah with maximum efficiency. "Traditional kayakers built the best craft they could and had the skills not only to paddle them, but to hunt from them," says Martin. "The evolution of kayaks did not always lead to wide, stable craft. It led to sleek, tippy kayaks. Doing an expedition in a racing kayak meant that I, too, would have to rely on my skills." |
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