Re: [Paddlewise] Ethics of wooden kayaks

From: M. Wagenbach <wagen_at_u.washington.edu>
Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2000 16:05:01 -0800 (PST)
Nick Schade wrote:
<I rationalize that the 30 to 40 board feet of lumber per boat is not
a big drain on the environment. My mother-in-law's house was just
clapboarded with beautiful western red cedar siding.>

Exactly.

By my uneducated guesstimates:  a large log, average dia. 1 meter by 50
meters long by specific gravity of cedar of 0.3 gives 12 metric
tons. Sixty percent waste milling into strips and 10 kg of wood per kayak
gives almost 500 boats per log.  Is this close?  Is the annual North
American production of strippers even this high?  Hard to believe that it
is, since in 5.5 years in Seattle I think I've seen 3 on the water, and I
lived within sight of the lake for much of that time!

At this rate, no Marbled Murrelet, Spotted Owl or lynx would ever know
we're out there.  When I rebuild my rotten porch, I'll use Trex, but
worrying about WRC consumption by kayak builders seems rediculous.

Mike Wagenbach

"I like to get to work early, so I can discard a pet hypothesis before
breakfast."  -Konrad Lorenz 

I'd settle for Happy Hour.



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Received on Mon Oct 30 2000 - 16:32:08 PST

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