The message quoted below was pulled off rec.boats.building -- not sure what the design considerations were for the ends. <g> -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR -- William R. Watt wrote in message <7nsv19$gcj_at_freenet-news.carleton.ca>... > > > >Last winter I was wondering if I could make a canoe out of empty >plastic barrels. After calculating the volume of a 3x2 foot barrel, >the weight of water it would displace, and thus its bouyancy (550 >lb per barrel), I went ahead. It worked quite well. > >The barrels cost $20 each (all prices in Canadian dollars). There >is a seam going all around which makes them easy to cut in half >lengthwise with a circular saw along the seam. I bolted three >barrel halves end-to-end with rubber washers in between to prevent >leaks. The ends have not been cut out so the canoe has 2 interior >partitions. I've been out in it a few times and find the best >arrangement is to put the dog in the stern, me in the middle, and >our lunch in the bow. I kept it to 3 sections (9 feet) because my >car is small and I wanted to carry the canoe on the roof. Also >because I wanted to keep the weight down so I could carry the >canoe. > >Of course barrels have a lot of latteral instability, they tend to >want to roll. I had screwed a couple of 10 inch boards to the >sides for stiffening and they provided some righting moment on the >early version. A 2x8 sheet of 1.5 inch styrofoam insulation was >cut into 6" strips, glued together, and bolted to the side boards. >The styrofoam has good compression strength but breaks easily. To >protect the edges from chipping off I covered the edges in duct >tape. This has worked well. This side floation (I called them >"inriggers") puts a limit on the amount the vessel will roll. As >soon as the foam flotation hits the water rolling stops. The >sytrofoam provides 60 lbs of bouyancy on each side. The dog sits >up on the side behind me and I don't even notice it. The dog >weighs 55 lb. He stands with his front paws on the side and I >don't notice it. However he has tried walking on the side to get >past me to the bow where the lunch is and has fallen in. He has >got back in the canoe and fallen out again while shaking the water >off. The barrels are blue so I bought blue styrofoam. It also >comes in pink and if you want to make one of these (the barrels >also come in white) and put pink styrofoam on that's up to you. > >Floatation was needed in the ends if I wanted to sit in an end >section so I built in small decks where the boards stick out and >put about 30 lbs of styrofoam under the decks. I can sit right at >the back to paddle now. It doesn't paddle as well as a real canoe >but it's okay for the flat water fishing and exploring I want to >do. (While exploring a small river near hear a week ago a fawn >came down for a drink.) I made a pair of oars and oarlocks. I also >want to make the kayak sail in Thomas Firth Jones' "Boats to Go". > >The canoe weighs just under 70 pounds. I carry it inverted on my >head padded with a life jacket. I can do this "no hands" like an >African native carrying his laundry to the river on his head. > >Next step is to dismantle the whole thing, glue the sections >together, cut out the partitions, replace the heavy side boards >with something lighter, change the shape of the decks to make a >better bow, and who knows what else, maybe glass over the >sytrofoam on the sides. > >"What happened to the fourth half barrel that was left over", you >ask? I've bolted a couple bicycle wheels to the sides and am >putting a PCV pipe handle on it to use as a garden cart and >bicycle trailer. That is working out very well too. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
At 09:41 PM 7/30/99 -0700, Dave Kruger wrote: >The message quoted below was pulled off rec.boats.building -- not sure what >the design considerations were for the ends. <g> >-- >>> >>Last winter I was wondering if I could make a canoe out of empty >>plastic barrels. After calculating the volume of a 3x2 foot barrel, >>the weight of water it would displace, and thus its bouyancy (550 >>lb per barrel), I went ahead. It worked quite well. >> Makes me think of a guy I know around here. A local town has a big river festival, and part of the festival is an "unboat" race -- anything so long as it isn't a boat. Most of the racers start out with 4x8 sheets of foam, but this guy started out with 8 35 gallon gearlube drums and a cutting torch. When it was all over, he had a 21 foot, 19 inch wide, round bottom steel kayak, with outriggers, faked up to look like stub jet fighter wings, to add to the fun. This thing is pretty darn fast; the first year he raced it, he made it to the finish line before anyone else made it to the turnaround point. He thinks it may be faster than his Looksha III. It's not all that heavy, but I would say heavier than my plastic 16 1/2 footer. Not the dumbest idea, I guess. -- Wes *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Sat, 31 Jul 1999, Wes Boyd wrote: .... > Makes me think of a guy I know around here. A local town has a big river > festival, and part of the festival is an "unboat" race -- anything so long > as it isn't a boat. I lived in Cleveland for a number of years, and they used to have a yearly race on the Cuyahoga River in which the crafts had to be constructed of milk cartons, as I recall. e Elaine Harmon - eilidh_at_dc.seflin.org - eharmon_at_cs.miami.edu *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Which puts into memory a description of a annual race (was it Paradise Ca?) that was clearly in reaction to svelte Kenyans crossing the line in Boston not yet breathing out of their mouths...... This series of races with emphasis on a veritable cornucopia of fat fried foods after the physical events, featured such events as the '15 yard waddle' and a 'marathon' not more than a mile in length in which the participants were encouraged to cheat. As I recall, one of the qualifiers for entry into the festivities included proof that your belt size exceeded your inseam by at least six inches. Now I propose in the interests of all of you out there (yes, I see that hand.....) who have participated in various sea kayak races and make a miserable showing for yourself-- similar events as a sideline to the more ego -driven challenges. We could all engage in the 50 yard wallow......across the mud flats with pfd and paddle.....but short on water and nary a boat to be seen. Think of it! THAT'S entertainment!~ Of course.......I myself, at Captiva Is. Fla. last winter was neck and neck in a 12 miler with none other than Olympian Greg Barton........ .......and then the gun went off. > On Sat, 31 Jul 1999, Wes Boyd wrote: > .... > > Makes me think of a guy I know around here. A local town has a big river > > festival, and part of the festival is an "unboat" race -- anything so long > > as it isn't a boat. > > I lived in Cleveland for a number of years, and they used to have a yearly > race on the Cuyahoga River in which the crafts had to be constructed of > milk cartons, as I recall. e > > Elaine Harmon - eilidh_at_dc.seflin.org - eharmon_at_cs.miami.edu > > *************************************************************************** > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List > Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net > Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ > *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Chris & Ellen Kohut wrote: > > Which puts into memory a description of a annual race (was it Paradise Ca?) > that was clearly in reaction to svelte Kenyans crossing the line in Boston not > yet breathing out of their mouths......SNIPPED > Now I propose in the interests of all of you out there (yes, I see that > hand.....) who have participated in various sea kayak races and make a miserable > showing for yourself-- similar events as a sideline to the more ego -driven > challenges. > We could all engage in the 50 yard wallow......across the mud flats with pfd > and paddle.....but short on water and nary a boat to be seen. The Downtown Boathouse in NYC has its annual Harrison Street Regatta Race in August (Harrison is a nearby street in Tribeca on which several of the original members live). The winner is the SECOND boat across the finish line. Traditionally it has been held as a race across the nearly mile wide Hudson to New Jersey and back without notifying the Coast Guard or making any attempt to alert commercial and pleasure boat traffic. Competitors, of course, got scattered across the course by the winds and currents and from dodging river traffic. The boats then gather just shy of the finish line waiting for some one to get tired of sitting (or having to pee or wanting a beer) to finally go across first. Then the scramble for the Number TWO and winner spot followed by lots of complaining by a bevy of sore losers like at a schoolyard pickup basketball game. Confusing things are the several false finish lines that gadflies like to set up. This assures that the arguments tend to continue until frost finally blankets the Big Apple. This year finally the organizers have come to their senses and in the interest of safety are holding the race entirely on the Manhattan side along the piers and about the same distance. The finish line rules will still be the same as undoubtedly will be the arguments. Race is on Saturday August 14th. Anything human powered is okay. I am trying to convince the organizers to keep the start time secret to really confuse things. :-) ralph diaz -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Sun, 1 Aug 1999 rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com wrote: > The Downtown Boathouse in NYC has its annual Harrison Street Regatta > Race in August (Harrison is a nearby street in Tribeca on which several > of the original members live). The winner is the SECOND boat across the > finish line. Wonderful. Is or will there be a place nearby for non-boat spectators? And has anyone ever videotaped the fun? e Elaine Harmon - eilidh_at_dc.seflin.org - eharmon_at_cs.miami.edu *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Elaine Harmon wrote: > > On Sun, 1 Aug 1999 rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com wrote: > > > The Downtown Boathouse in NYC has its annual Harrison Street Regatta > > Race in August (Harrison is a nearby street in Tribeca on which several > > of the original members live). The winner is the SECOND boat across the > > finish line. > > Wonderful. Is or will there be a place nearby for non-boat spectators? And > has anyone ever videotaped the fun? The finish line is in front of the Downtown Boathouse and so would be visible. Moreover, the entire race being along the waterfront will be visible to passerbys. I guess it probably has been videotaped. I have never seen it as I have been doing other things around the times of the races. ralph -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Long snip about a canoe built from cut in-half barrels. Okay, I can't resist any longer - if this guy rolled this home-built canoe (some canoeists can roll their craft) - that'd be a "barrel roll", right? Ba-dum! Thank you, thank you very much, Philip Torrens N49°16' W123°06' *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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