[DL wrote] > Lightweight (with >good strength) is also good for long, expedition paddles. But I am reminded >of Paul Caffyn's first attempt paddling to the NW Passage a few years ago. >He had a custom Nordkapp laid-up real light. He had to abandon the trip and >return to New Zealand, when water started to seep through the very fabric >of the hull along with other problems. Yes and no. His kayak was leaking but the real reason for giving up that season was the oil spill by the Valdez. He had taken a light-weight round Japan with no problems, the Japkapp as he calls it. Personally I like light and at present the favoured boat is about 17 kg (37 lb?). It is wood so a lot of the problems mentioned about decks etc. don't apply. There are laminated beams under the deck in crucial places and ply is a "miracle-bidirectional-fibre". As it is 3 mm thick I don't cover it with glass so that also helps to keep the weight down. Why the light preference? Partly because of the on/off the roof of the van, partly getting up and down beaches, partly the liveliness, even when loaded for multiday tripping. As I said, my preferences. Alex . . Alex (Sandy) Ferguson Chemistry Department University of Canterbury New Zealand *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Wed Jan 12 2000 - 12:41:41 PST
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