Re: [Paddlewise] Fiberglass vs. wood

>From: Dave Kruger <dkruger_at_pacifier.com>

>Political correctness (can't leave that out!):  Wood boats use
>up high-quality wood, either from temperate rain forests (cedar strippers) or
>tropical rain forests (okume sng boats).


If you really want to minimize the environmental impact of your kayak construction,
go skin-on-frame.  You'll use less wood than a s&g or stripper.

The frame can be made of almost any wood, including reused old wood from the
demolition of a building.  Some folks (like George Putz) advocate using 
old furniture as a source of wood.

Don't use glues, epoxy or varnish.  You can scarf joints and use either pins (wood)
or hooked scarfs and lash them with flax twine.  Lash all the frames joints with
the twine as well.  Treat the whole thing with linseed oil and it'll last a long
time.  Use cotton or linen for a skin, treated with linseed as well and coat it
with a linseed and chalk waterproofing on the outside.  When the kayak has 
finished its useful life, you can chop it up and throw it into a compost pile.
It'll take a long time to compost, but that beats generating garbage!

Alternative frames like aluminum are at least recyclable.  Even a non-recyclable,
non-reusable skin like kevlar, polyester or nylon coated with the smelly, toxic 
(when wet) stuff like epoxy, 2 part urethane etc uses less material than a 
fiberglass kayak; the skin is for waterproofing, not structural strength.  
Aluminum and, say, coated nylon makes a smaller enviro-footprint than 'glassed 
okume if you only consider the end-of-life scenario (I'm not sure about the 
sourcing issue).

Mike

(Who is too far into the planning stages of a s/f kayak to recover.)


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