new mark 2 stretch

[george]

Took delivery yesterday of a new mark 2 stretch.

Have only had time so far to put it together and take it apart once.

I am so far very impressed with build quality.

The only thing I have not figured out so far is how to get everything in the bags. I have to do a better job of folding the skin so it packs better.

I went extra on a few things and have some positive comments about these extras.

I bought some of their cockpit bags. They are tailored to fit the boat and they are well designed and well built. Strongly recommend them.

I also got the packing sleeves for the ribs. Instead of piling them together in a single bag they now are well protected inside their own individual sleeves.

I got the kayak cover, again very well designed and fits like a glove.

I am pretty big so Mark made some adjustments to the expedition spray cover. What he did worked well.

I am committed this weekend so wont be able to do the maiden voyage for a little while longer.

All I can say is after working with one of their boats all other kayak products seem flimsy and cheaply made by comparison.

Mark is a master and he is generous with his time and energy. Long Haul is a real treasure of a company.

[mje]

That’s one of the great things about Long Haul- every boat is customizable. That’s something you can’t get with a factory boat.

[george]

Maiden voyage went well. Boat is super comfortable and stable. It all fits me well.

I am working on building a navigation board that will hold a compass and mount for a Garmin GPSmap 78sc. I am building it out of a gorgeous piece of highly figured Sapele.

I should have that done this week and plan to go out for the first time solo this weekend. I will post pictures later.

Right now the water is too cold to mess around much. When the weather warms up I plan to take this to a warm freshwater lake and do some stability stress tests.

It has been said here many times, but Mark and his team are a class act all around. They were very helpful and generous with me in answering questions and they delivered exactly what was promised.

I