[Paddlewise] strength of okoume (was British kits)

The 4 mm okoume boats I design and build have fiberglass cloth on the lower
outside surface of the hull.  The rest of the seams are fiberglass taped.  The
"exposed" surfaces have two coats of epoxy and several more of varnish.  These
boats are not babied, and handle the San Francisco bay chop and nearby ocean
without problems.  They also weigh 40 pounds and lighter, which is nice when
you are car topping.

I have been interested in the strength question myself and have asked on this
list and Nick Schade's kayak builders list if anyone has ever experienced a
structural failure in an okoume boat.  The answer, so far, is no.  This doesn't
include failed seal landings in 6 foot ocean swell or being t-boned by your
buddy surfing a wave, or other accidents that would equally damage commercially
available boats.

Follow the designer's instructions and you probably can't go wrong.

Keith Kaste
(Megan loves her new Lightning paddle)


"Mark H. Hunt" wrote:

>       I recently acquired a Granta kayak kit (Angalmagsik? I knew I
> should not try to spell it from memory) for a rediculously low price from
> someone who had second thoughts about building & paddling it after buying
> it. Though I am adding epoxy and 6 oz FG to both inside and out, I was
> amazed to find that the directions which came with it suggested using
> resin and FG tape only on the seams between panals. This leaves 4mm
> okoume sealed with varnish for most of the rest of the boat. Is this
> configuration actually used? I would be afraid to paddle in adverse
> conditions with a boat so constructed. Am I just overly conservative?


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