I saw a British boat up close for the first time. A Romany 18. I tried to pick it up. Holy cow! You would have to be governor of Minnesota to lift it. Will someone please mail some Kevlar to England. Jerry *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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 *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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 > *************************************************************************** > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List > Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net > Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ > *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
My british heavy... the Romany 18 has sprung a leak in the aft section... The culprit (I hope) is a cracked tube housing the skeg cord. (1) Anyone know the inside diameter of this rubber tube? Inches or metric; and (2) what can you recomend as a sealant when refitting the replacement tube? *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Bill: Thanks. I will try the hose replacement first. I'm a bit disappointed because I just bought the boat from the dealer, who must have known it was leaking... it was sold to me as a new boat. Robert >Robert - you may be right about the skeg hose leaking. The commonest place >for an aft compartment leak is, of course, come component of the skeg box. > >Strangely, the box itself is a more common place for the leak to occur than >is the hose or its connections. This happens most often when someone has >tried to push or pull the boat into the water (stern toward the water) with >the skeg not fully retracted. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
>My british heavy... the Romany 18 has sprung a leak in the aft section... >The culprit (I hope) is a cracked tube housing the skeg cord. > >(1) Anyone know the inside diameter of this rubber tube? Inches or metric; >and >(2) what can you recomend as a sealant when refitting the replacement tube? The rubber tube is clear vinyl tubing, approx. 5/8 inch ID. No sealant required, just two hose clamps. More likely the leak is coming from the rim of the KayakSport hatch. The rim is made of glass filled polypro and does not adhere completely to the kayak with the resin. I was in Anglessey in the fall and asked them about it. They've tried several things. They were constructing a mold to make the rims out of fiberglas which should solve the problem. I had good luck with sealing the crack between the kayak and the rim with a very thin bead of 3M marine sealant on my Romany. Dennis *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Even Kevlar is heavy when you coat it with 1/8" to 1/4" of gelcoat. At 6:12 PM -0800 4/1/99, Gerald Foodman wrote: >I saw a British boat up close for the first time. A Romany 18. I tried to >pick it up. Holy cow! You would have to be governor of Minnesota to lift >it. > >Will someone please mail some Kevlar to England. > >Jerry Nick Schade Guillemot Kayaks 10 Ash Swamp Rd Glastonbury, CT 06033 (860) 659-8847 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/ ***************************************************************************
My British boat, a Nordkapp is made of a carbon/kevlar weave and weighs in at 40 lbs. cu -----Original Message----- From: owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net [mailto:owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net] On Behalf Of Gerald Foodman Sent: Thursday, April 01, 1999 9:12 PM To: paddlewise Subject: [Paddlewise] Heavy Brittish Heavy I saw a British boat up close for the first time. A Romany 18. I tried to pick it up. Holy cow! You would have to be governor of Minnesota to lift it. Will someone please mail some Kevlar to England. Jerry *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
From: Bob Denton <BDenton_at_aquagulf.com> My British boat, a Nordkapp is made of a carbon/kevlar weave and weighs in at 40 lbs. ============ Bob, it's interesting that facts that surface from a dry humor posting... great discussion of materials and performance characteristics. you know which heavy British boat i really want... now, where's that wing paddle? bye bye bliven *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Actually, I think the explanation is to be found in British naval history. HMS Hood was a battleship, and the pride of the British fleet at one point. She was as much a symbol of her country's power as US aircraft carriers are of American might today. To the shock and horror of the British public, in her first encounter with German warships, plunging gunfire bypassed the Hood's heavily armoured sides and pierced her inadequately armoured deck, igniting her magazines and destroying her in a single catastrophic explosion. I believe this has entered the British collective unconscious to the point were they build the decks of their kayaks to withstand armour-piercing shells. (This naval heritage would also explain why Derrick H. is making paddles that are heavy and robust enough to double as boarding axes.) -:) >From: wanewman_at_uswest.net >To: Dan Hagen <dan_at_hagen.net> >CC: Paddlewise <paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net> >Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Heavy Brittish Heavy >Date: Sun, 04 Apr 1999 01:12:03 -0600 > >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 >> *************************************************************************** >> PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List >> Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net >> Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net >> Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ >> *************************************************************************** > > > >*************************************************************************** >PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List >Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net >Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net >Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ >*************************************************************************** Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
(I wrote this response a while back, but it didn't post.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------- While in Italy I explained to a sea kayaking Italian friend that Americans often prefer light-weight sea kayaks. His response was "Perche'...Why?" When I responded with all the practical reasons he just shrugged his shoulders and gave me that "Those Americans" look. Barbara At 06:12 PM 4/1/99 -0800, Gerald Foodman wrote: >I saw a British boat up close for the first time. A Romany 18. I tried to >pick it up. Holy cow! You would have to be governor of Minnesota to lift >it. > >Will someone please mail some Kevlar to England. > >Jerry > >*************************************************************************** >PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List >Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net >Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net >Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ >*************************************************************************** > > Sea Kayak Italy http://www.seakayakitaly.com tel. 650-728-8720 fax 650-728-8753 bkossy_at_igc.org *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:32:58 PDT