<snip Doug's post> Larry said: >i listened to lots of folks before buying a kayak. one of the older fellows >had the >view of Brit heavy being best. nothing was better than his Nordkapp, that's >the one he always paddled. > >now just 3 years later his boat is for sale. he tells all the great things >about it to all the new folks looking for boats... however, he traded it >for a much lighter boat that is easier to haul between car and water. > >light boats can be suitable for the conditions that the vast majority of >paddlers encounter... might not fair so well in a hurricane. when in a >storm, prepare for a storm. when bird watching, bring binoculars and maybe a >camera. Larry, et al: I like heavy, stiff, strong kayaks - and it doesn't have to be a hurricane to get really nasty under the wrong conditions. I gave up hurricane paddling (the latest issue of Sea Kayaker Magazine has a story about me that shows why at the beginning of my Tether article - SK removed all references to wind speeds lest no one take me seriously). When I'm old and decrepid, I'll get a lighter boat. I may even get a lighter boat before then just for quick mornin' paddles where the goal is simply fitness and fast to-and-from-water easability. 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. I'm staying with heavy-duty and rigid, even if everyone on paddlewise disagrees with me and all think light is better! As Voltaire said: "Every man is the creature of the age in which he lives; very few are able to raise themselves above the ideas of the time." Okay, so I have a hard time raising my Nordkapp above my head onto the roof racks. Think of it as free weight training. BC'in Ya Doug Lloyd (a low-brow paddler with heavy thoughts) *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
<snip> I'm staying with heavy-duty and rigid, even if everyone on paddlewise disagrees with me and all think light is better! As Voltaire said: "Every man is the creature of the age in which he lives; very few are able to raise themselves above the ideas of the time." Okay, so I have a hard time raising my Nordkapp above my head onto the roof racks. Think of it as free weight training. BC'in Ya Doug Lloyd (a low-brow paddler with heavy thoughts ==================== hi Doug, i could use more time weight training. Kruger Canoes makes the Kruger Cruiser (Open) which weights 82 lbs; its been used for some expeditions. It's a decked canoe. anyone know how the deck and hull are joined on that boat? bye bye bliven *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
<snip> >I'm staying with heavy-duty and rigid [...] Larry writes: >hi Doug, > >i could use more time weight training. I work out 4 times a week. I would not do some of the paddling I do without the conditioning I do. Stretching is also an important issue, for which I recently thanked SK Magazine for its Yoga article (we had a thread on fitness/conditioning a while back). >Kruger Canoes makes the Kruger Cruiser (Open) which weights 82 lbs; its been >used for some expeditions. It's a decked canoe. > >anyone know how the deck and hull are joined on that boat? > >bye bye bliven I use a canoe around the same weight. It is a "pig", but keeps my family safe (wife, two small girls and me) in some fairly hairy stuff. Don't know about the deck join, but those decked Kruger canoes are a breed apart - and may Verlin's tribe increase! One last note. You guys on Paddlewise must think I'm a bit crazy promoting "heavier is better". I realized that on my last post I left out a reason why I like heavy. It gives a kayak "momentum" in rough conditions to punch through stuff. BC'in Ya Doug Lloyd *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
[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/ ***************************************************************************
Alex said: <snip> >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. It truly is preference. I don't want to come across as too fruity. While wood is good, lightweight fiberglass kayaks that are vacuumed bagged are getting stronger and stiffer these days. Part of the problem has been getting enough saturation into vacuum bagged layups when you go a little thicker. The better shops are using resin injectors. It is an expensive operation. The best way I can describe why I like heavier, stiffer kayaks is to look at a piece of paper. A single piece of quality bond paper, 8x10, has a good strength-to-weight ratio. But I wouldn't ship something for Christmas to NZ in it. I'd use cardboard, which is much stiffer, but may not have as much strength-to-weight ratio. As for me, I'm not sure what my wooden kayak will end up weighing, when I get around to building it. 45 lbs would be nice. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
> I'm staying with heavy-duty and rigid, even if everyone on paddlewise > disagrees with me and all think light is better! As Voltaire said: "Every > man is the creature of the age in which he lives; very few are able to > raise themselves above the ideas of the time." Okay, so I have a hard time > raising my Nordkapp above my head onto the roof racks. Think of it as free > weight training. Not everyone disagrees; I know I don't. When I finally tire of my tupperware, I will break down and buy a fiberglass boat. Now, I don't know whether I'll buy a Nordkapp or ask the Mariner guy to make me a 65lb Mariner II; but the deck is going to be strong enough to handle my lighting preferences (5ft all-around white + gr/red bow light), as well as trolling rod holders, and deck mounted pump. I just can't think of any reason why I'd want a 40'something pound boat. If I get so old I can't lift the boat off the car, I'd rather just buy a small boat trailer and stick to launch at boat ramps; which I do half the time anyway. Having confidence that the yak won't explode when hit by a pair of contrary and confused 6 ft breakers is worth a little extra moneny and a little more launching sweat. Richard Walker Houston, TX http://www.neosoft.com/~rww/kayak_log.html *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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