[Paddlewise] Fiberglass First

However, when you drill a hole in a fiberglass boat, and decide it's in the
wrong place, it's relatively easy to fix it. OK, so it may not look pretty,
but it's fixed. I vote for fiberglass for a first sea kayak. I kept my
first boat, fiberglass for four years. I grew into it. It was easy to sell
for a good price. And if you like the boat enough to keep it, it makes a
great second boat for guests. One time I saw an older fellow with a lovely
shiny yellow sea kayak, and kind I'd never seen. I asked if it was new.
"No," he said, "I've had it for 20 years." That will never happen with a
plastic boat. I guess a downside of fiberglass is that it's impossible to
recycle, and now they can make kayaks out of old milk jugs, and recycle the
old kayaks into new kayaks. 
Barbara
where it's still 60 degrees and foggy
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At 12:33 PM 6/22/99 -0500, you wrote:
>One thing about the plastic boat for a first purchase, is that you may find 
>that you have less inhibition about drilling holes in it for placing
whatever 
>fixtures you want available.   After a few years of paddling it, you will
know 
>what you want, and where you want it.  Then you get the fiberglass boat, 
>and mount your gizmos with confidence knowing you won't regret the 
>placement of rod holders, sonar mounts, lights, cleats, compass, etc.
>
>On my own plastic boat, I now know that my compass is to close, and my 
>sonar mount is just a little to far forward, I know that I want both rod 
>holders to be of a different type than my first; I know that I need to use 
>brass screws, and large brass washers as backing.  I know that a white all-
>around light needs to be taller than the paddler in order to be effective,
thus 
>demanding a strenthened mount if such a light is desired.  I know that 
>snag free rigging needs to be in place for bow and stern anchor points.   
>When I do finally purchase that custom Falcon 18 or Mariner II; I'll be able 
>to tell the maker exactly what I want, and why I want it just that way.
>
>
>Richard Walker
>Houston, TX
>http://www.neosoft.com/~rww/kayak_log.html
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Barbara Kossy Communications
PO Box 434 Moss Beach, California 94038
tel. 650-728-8720 fax 650-728-8753
bkossy_at_igc.org
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