Hi all Just been reading through some recent digests. The thread about lightweight boats, and not having hatches to save weight was a bit of a giggle. Reminded me of cycling, a bit. Weight is really crucial to speed, acceleration, climbing ability on a bike. I love light bikes. However I wouldn't spend 1000 big ones to drop a couple of pounds from a bike, and funnily most (ignore racers and obsessed triathletes) cyclists with super light bikes that I know could save WAY more weight by not spending money on donuts and beer :-). DOH! So back to kayaks. All those folks who are worried about 5lbs on their hull, how much extra weight ya carrying around the middle :-). While your thinking about that, and taking care not to sit on your bendy deck, your not really going to put 60lbs of clothes, tents, cookers, food, bottles of cloudy bay SB etc etc in there are you ? He he. Thanks for a great thread. Made me giggle anyway. Cheers Colin Calder 57º19'N 2º10'W Ps for those of you who don't know, VCP hatches don't leak. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
At 12:48 PM +0100 10/13/98, Colin Calder wrote: >Hi all > >Just been reading through some recent digests. The thread about lightweight >boats, and not having hatches to save weight was a bit of a giggle. Reminded >me of cycling, a bit. Weight is really crucial to speed, acceleration, >climbing ability on a bike. I love light bikes. However I wouldn't spend >1000 big ones to drop a couple of pounds from a bike, and funnily most >(ignore racers and obsessed triathletes) cyclists with super light bikes >that I know could save WAY more weight by not spending money on donuts and >beer :-). DOH! > > >So back to kayaks. All those folks who are worried about 5lbs on their hull, >how much extra weight ya carrying around the middle :-). While your thinking >about that, and taking care not to sit on your bendy deck, your not really >going to put 60lbs of clothes, tents, cookers, food, bottles of cloudy bay >SB etc etc in there are you ? I agree with the general sentiments here. The only time I consider weight significant is in swing weight. A boat with heavy ends will be harder to manuever and I think a boat with lighter ends will deal with waves better. Usually this just means you shouldn't throw your water bottle in the ends of your boat. Nick Nick Schade Guillemot Kayaks c/o Newfound Woodworks, 67 Danforth Brook Rd, Bristol, NH 03222 (603) 744-6167 Schade_at_guillemot-kayaks.com http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/ >>>>"It's not just Art, It's a Craft!"<<<< *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Colin wrote; >>So back to kayaks. All those folks who are worried about 5lbs on their hull, >>how much extra weight ya carrying around the middle :-). While your thinking >>about that, and taking care not to sit on your bendy deck, your not really >>going to put 60lbs of clothes, tents, cookers, food, bottles of cloudy bay >>SB etc etc in there are you ? A valid concern about weight has to do with pitching moments and boat response. I cannot recall when it was but my brother wrote a good article about this for Sea Kayaker some time back. Dan (my brother) is a Nordkapp fan but in most other respects he is perfectly sane. :-) Today, after a tough day working around the the lower forty I would say another good argument is that the boat is easier to get on the car. Not long ago I would have laughed at 50 pounds. Today I don't laugh, I grimace. Cheers, John Winters Redwing Designs Specialists in Human Powered Watercraft http://home.ican.net/~735769/ *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
The main reason why people like light boats is that they are easier to load/unload from their cars. The second reason is that they think that light boats go faster. We have already talked about that here; maybe it is a good time to bring the issue back. To give my 20 lira ($0.02), I must mention that getting out through surf is a much easier in a heavy boat. A light boat does not get enough inertia to punch through breaking waves, and pretty soon one gets inside a salt water kitchen blender being dragged back to the beach. Another effect is psychological. When a heavy boat falls on the back side of a wave with a "kaboom!", versus the shy "paf" of a light boat, the paddler feels powerful. If someone landed through the surf on a 30feet steel kayak, board surfers would not argue about who has the right of way ;-). - Julio *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
> Another effect is psychological. When a heavy boat falls on the back > side of a wave with a "kaboom!", versus the shy "paf" of a light boat, the > paddler feels powerful. If someone landed through the surf on a 30feet I admit it. That sound *is* highly satisfying.. Especially if you get most of the heavy boat out of the water going over the crest. Richard Walker Houston, TX *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
ROFL! > the paddler feels powerful. If someone landed through the surf on a > 30feet steel kayak, board surfers would not argue about who has the > right of way ;-). *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
At 12:48 PM 10/13/98 +0100, Colin Calder wrote: >Hi all > >Just been reading through some recent digests. The thread about lightweight >boats, and not having hatches to save weight was a bit of a giggle. > >He he. Thanks for a great thread. Made me giggle anyway. > >Cheers >Colin Calder >57º19'N 2º10'W > >Ps for those of you who don't know, VCP hatches don't leak. It is not for saving weight , at least for me. All the kayaks I have built I have had hatches so I prefered one with out any hatches and only rear deck lines. Look better to my eye, clean deck, and the heck with weight Dana *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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