Re: [Paddlewise] Heavy Brittish Heavy

I agree with Dan on most points.  I have a Romany 18 and I must admit it is a
bit of a heavy weight.  There does appear to be a fair bit of extra resin and
they could cut down on the weight by vacuum bagging their boats.  However some
weight is worth it.  The brit-boats tend to have a thicker layup on the deck
than many other designs.  Often the decks of sea kayaks are made of a thinner
fiberglass (for example on less layer of cloth than the bottom of the boat)
than the bottom.  The decks of the armored brit-boats are less likely to
oil-can, or dent if you put weight on them - I would be nervous doing group
rescues with some boats that have lighter deck layups.  Although I have never
heard of hull failure under rescue conditions I have seen some boats dent and
pucker in an ugly way during rescue practice.

The brits also lay a generous glob of extra resin and gel coat along the keel
line. This adds almost nothing to the tensile strength, but it does make a nice
sacrificial layer for general rock bashing.  After several seasons of brutal
crash landings on steep boulder beaches I have only now given in to adding a
keel strip my boat.  I have been very impressed with how much abuse these
layups can take.

Hoisting that heavy boat is good  strength training.  With practice you can
pump yourself up to the point where you can load your 70 pound kayak with one
hand without spilling the pint of ale in your other hand.  Best of all there is
none of that digging around in the trunk of the car to find the jack when you
get a flat tire.

Dan Hagen wrote:

> Gerald Foodman wrote:
> >
> > I saw a British boat up close for the first time.  ...
> > You would have to be governor of Minnesota to lift it.
> >
> > Will someone please mail some Kevlar to England.
>
> It's my understanding that there are a couple of reasons that British
> boats tend to be on the heavy side. First, relative to most North
> American boats, British boats tend to be constructed with additional
> layers of glass and/or kevlar. (Yes, the Brits have Kevlar, as well as
> other modern materials.) These heavier layups (which can be ordered as
> an option on most North American boats--at additional expense) make for
> a more robust boat. Second, British boats tend to have excess resin in
> the layup. Unlike the first point, this adds weight but not strength.
> The excess resin may be due in part to the fact that they are generally
> laid up by hand (as opposed to vacuum bagged). This may be changing. I
> understand that NDK, for example, is investing in new technology.
>
> Dan Hagen
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