Re: [Paddlewise] FW: Fiberglass vs. wood

From: Alex Ferguson <a.ferguson_at_chem.canterbury.ac.nz>
Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2000 09:08:00 +1300
 > Joan wrote -
>  I'd suggest for the way you
>paddle that the glass or kevlar boat would be best. You have that big, high
>truck and the glass or kevlar would be lighter to heft up there.

Wood can be lighter than glass or kevlar unless you've done something wrong 
during building or used really heavy ply. My partner's boat is the same as 
a glass boat and mine is about 6 kg (14lb?) lighter - and I'm happy in the 
surf with it.

>  With the long distances
>you paddle a longer boat will just weigh more.

Doesn't long distances mean loaded? Which means barely any difference. The 
amount of wood in a long skinny boat and a short fat one could be negilible.

>  You would probably enjoy the
>wood but it does take some maintance especially if you mean to keep it a
>really long time.

True


One MAJOR disadvantage I've not seen mentioned - you don't get in as much 
paddling with a wooden boat as a plastic or even a glass boat. You get to 
the put in with your wooden boat, start untying it and someone comes over 
to admire it - 1/2 hour, 1 hour (?) later after a long discussion about how 
easy it is to build, what vast advantages there are with wood, how light 
they are etc., you get on the water. Mean while, a plastic boat has been 
totally ignored and paddled away unnoticed.

No, stick to plastic and be one of the mob.

Alex
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Received on Sun Oct 29 2000 - 18:53:29 PST

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