Re: [Paddlewise] Strip-built sea kayak

From: Shawn W. Baker <baker_at_montana.com>
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2000 10:27:12 -0700
Hi Tom,

I don't think that one technique is much sturdier than the other.  A lot
of stitch and glue boats are only fiberglassed on the outside, but the
okoume marine plywood is more continuous and therefore stronger than
strips that are just edge glued with yellow glue (necessitating glass
inside and out for both strength and moisture protection of the core).

Stitch and glue boats would be a lot tougher to modify.  You buy plans
with the beam, rocker, and panel widths already set, and modifying any
one characteristic without changing another is dicey at best.

Strip boats, on the other hand, lend themselves readily to
modification.  For example, I added a foot of length to my boat by
spacing the forms on 12.75" centers rather than 12" centers.  It would
also be easy to reduce the beam by scaling down the width of the form,
but keeping the height constant, and keeping the spacing between the
forms the same as originally designed.  I added an inch to the deck
height in the cockpit area to accommodate my long legs and big feet.  I
left the height of the ends the same as designed to keep windage out at
the ends to a minimum.

It would also be quite easy to add more glass inside and out to make a
tougher boat, more suitable for surf than your "average" layup.  Jay
Babina has a W. Greenland-style strip design called the Outer Island,
that is supposed to be a really seaworthy boat.
http://seacanoe.org/outrisle.htm

Nick Schade's book is "the" source for strip building.  Kulczycki's and
Putz's book are "the" books for s&g and skin-on-frame building, I'm
told.

Shawn

tfj_at_interaccess.com wrote:
> 
> Shawn:  Thanks for posting your photos on your projects.  They look great!  Is
> one construction technique sturdier than another (stitch and glue vs. strip)?
> How easy is it to modify designs to narrow the beam?  How much do you rely on
> kits for parts, and how good  are they?  I am thinking about building a wood
> kayak with 18-20" beam for use in Great Lakes environments, including rough
> surf.  I've been reading the Schade book, which is an education even if I don't
> build.  I intend to read Putz and Kulczycki, too, for the same reason.
> 
> Tom Joyce
> 
> "Shawn W. Baker" wrote:
> 
> > Hello everyone,
> > I finally had some photos developed from my current boatbuilding
> > project:
> > http://www.missoulaconcrete.com/shawn/guillemot/
> >
> > I'm probably about halfway done, at about 100 hours.
> >
> > I still have to finish the deck stripping, fiberglass the whole shebang,
> > and lots o' sanding and varnishing.  Oh, and plenty of outfitting to
> > make it seaworthy.
> >
> > Shawn
> > --
> > Shawn W. Baker          0                                    46°53'N
> > © 2000            ____©/______                              114°06'W
> > ~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^\  ,/      /~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^
> > baker_at_montana.com    0        http://www.missoulaconcrete.com/shawn/
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-- 
Shawn W. Baker          0                                    46°53'N
© 2000            ____©/______                              114°06'W
~~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^\  ,/      /~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^
baker_at_montana.com    0        http://www.missoulaconcrete.com/shawn/

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Received on Sat Mar 18 2000 - 15:55:41 PST

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