SPECIFICATIONS

Overall Length 14' 0" | Waterline Length   12' 6"
Beam   5' 10" | Waterline width 4’3”
Draft (board up/down)   5" / 36"
Depth amidships   19"  
Bare hull weight ~175 lbs | rigged ~250 lbs

Displacement 596 lb

Sail areas 97 / 98 (lug only/sloop)

Bruce Elfstrom, a designer-friend of mine, father of two now grown daughters, and small boat nut, drew the original KDI for his two girls. He was quoted in Small Boat Magazine, "I wanted them to have a big deck to jump off of, climb up on, swim off of -- to go out and just Swallows and Amazons stuff". That sums up the spirit of what was behind Bruce's thinking when he drew the KDI in 2009, inspired by the double-enders of Scandinavia and wanting a modern take on these classic work boats. What resulted was much more. Many describe the KDI as a fusion of the Koster boat with Catboat. The boat is simply fast, with a powerful but not over-canvassed lug rig, and NACA-shaped foils for rudder and centerboard. The hull is very wide for its length which favors sailing speed. That said, the boat rows well because of its lightness and the ability of the aft part of the hull to act as a skeg, which helps the boat track. The oarlock-to-oarlock span of the boat does require 10-foot oars but Bruce uses his KDI's with 9-footers. Two rigs have been drawn for the boat and proven equally effective: a lug only sail and a lug-with-jib rig. A generous fore-deck and side deck makes for extra security and comfort when sailing. Bags and gear can stow beneath the fore deck as well as in side tanks via fitted hatches. The ends of the boat are enclosed and sealed to provide flotation. A wonderful feature of the boat are the floorboards, which can double as a sleeping platform for camping on board with a tent formed over the boom.

Key Features:

• Stable and comfortable with generous side seating

• NACA shaped foils gives quick performance

• Built-in flotation and decking of safety

Note that hull #7 and up are the MkII version which in fact is the same as the two original KDI’s built and still moored in Deer Isle. The Mk 1 kits were narrower and whereas the MkII’s match the beam of the originals but do have a “frying pan” bottom, meaning the first few planks are fitted together “stitch-and-glue” style and glass sheathed. The remaining planks are fit glued-lapstrake. The mark I kits are no longer cut and shipped. The MkII has the original performance or better than the originals and added ease of construction due to the modern kit design.