Ninfa 430 Plans

NINFA is the name of a kayak which used to be built in plastic, reinforced with fibreglass by Alessandrini's company ASA, a historical canoe factory around 30 years ago; it was also my first kayak and gave me great satisfaction. Since then, as with all other boats, kayak designs have evolved considerably, with greater specialization, according to the field of application. It is, therefore, quite unusual nowadays to find standardized production of canoes similar to the NINFA. However, according to us, this type of model still has its appeal, especially for those who wish to have a nice looking kayak - which is easy to use and a good introduction to Paddling.

Nearly all its features are middle-course. Its 64 cm beam is abundant but not excessive and, together with its flat-bottom, affords good stability. Versatility may be its main characteristic: ideal for excursions in calm waters, at sea, as well as easy down river slopes. It is obvious that in this case the bottom will have to be reinforced with fibreglass to protect it against possible stones. It is quite short in length to enable it to be carried easily on the roof of a car. The chine version comes with a flat bottom and two chines which, according to us, represents the best compromise between ease of construction and best performance of the chine. The round bottom has granted us greater scope in determining shapes thus resulting in greater stability and wetted surface, without compromising any of the other characteristics.

8 sheets A3
Building
instructions
and material list

hull ROUND OR CHINE
skills requested
chine hull NO EXPERIENCE
rounded hull LITTLE EXPERIENCE
construction method
chine hull STITCH AND GLUE
rounded hull STRIP PLANKING