Re: [Paddlewise] Dear Dougie (My wooden boat...)

I'm preparing to build a skin/frame baidarka and everything I read holds the
sea worthiness of these relatively flexible boats in very high regard -
especially given that they were routinely used in some of the roughest and
most hazardous seas on the planet (according to the books; I've never been
there).  Is the stiffness argument as it relates to glass boats more a
matter of whether you  can make a lightweight, flexible 'glass boat and not
significantly sacrifice strength rather than whether stiffness is a highly
desireable trait for a general use sea kayak?  I buy the flexible argument
myself, but would have serious questions about the durability of a flexible
plastic or 'glass boat since neither has an internal framework.

Glenn Stauffer

----- Original Message -----
From: "Kirk Olsen" <kolsen_at_imagelan.com>
To: "Doug Lloyd" <dlloyd_at_bc.sympatico.ca>
Cc: <paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net>
Sent: Friday, January 14, 2000 10:28 AM
Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Dear Dougie (My wooden boat...)


> I'm undecided on a stiff versus a flexible boat in rough conditions,
> I'm leaning toward flexible is better.
>
> One day I paddled with a friend, your basic out and back paddle.  I was
> in my open jaw skin/frame baidarka.  He was in my VCP PinTail.  There was
> a brisk wind which generated 1 to 2 foot waves.  Going downwind, with
> following seas, we paddled at about the same speed.  Going into the waves
> the pintail did a lot of pounding, riding up over one wave and crashing
down
> the back.  The baidarka cruised along like the conditions were flat.  I
had
> to stop regularly to let him catch up.  Anyone done any real tests - e.g.
> timings on a fixed course comparing the speed differences in flat versus
> rough conditions for both rigid and flexible boats?



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