SNIPS Doug wrote, regarding plastic boat repairs > I do not have the time to build wooden kayaks at > the moment (my ultimate goal). > > Which is a better boat....fiberglass or wood? I'm sure "better" can be sub-divided into things like durability, maneuverability, maintenance, etc., and the whole question may largely be personal opinions. But....in a couple years I'll replace my plastic "starter" boat with something nice that will last a lifetime (hopefully, that translates to a long, long time) and I'd like to start formulating a pretty good idea of what that next boat will be. Comments???? Rick (...Virginia) *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Rick Sylvia wrote: > Which is a better boat....fiberglass or wood? I'm sure "better" can be > sub-divided into things like durability, maneuverability, maintenance, etc., > and the whole question may largely be personal opinions. But.... [snip] Yup, better is in the perception of the beholder ... a few observations to get things rolling, from a guy who owns two fiberglass and two wooden (one in the building phase). Durability: for the weight, a stitch and glue wooden boat which has been made into a composite structure (fiberglass/epoxy on inside and outside) is more durable, more rigid. How much more durable? To the point that I do not take either of my 60 lb glass boats into surf (both are standard layups from Eddyline -- not Doug Lloyd's brutish type of layup), but have no qualms doing that with my 15.5 foot, 38 lb stitch and glue (sng) Pygmy Osprey Std. Yes, that's 38 lbs! Efficiency: sng boats (not strippers) have many chines, hence some form of drag will be higher for the same overall hull shape and loading. If you can make a stripper with the same lines as an out-of-the-mold glass production boat, should be same efficiency, all other variables being the same. Maneuveribility: same hull shape, same maneuveribility. A religious war will ensue about the "value" of hard chines vs. rounded chines. Pick your own deity on this one, and duck and cover! Maintenance: Epoxy/glass-covered wood boats have about the same needs as polyester resin/glass boats, except that the latter are usually made with an integral gel coat which provides the required sacrificial outer layer (UV protection; abrasion ablation), while wood boats use a layer of varnish for the UV shield, and sacrifice an outer layer or two of epoxy on abrasion. Every couple years or so, you "should" patch and repair the varnish. I have not, in four years of occasional use. Here, YMMV, although if you built it, you can repair it. Cost: nobody can make a decent living producing strippers or sng boats to sell to willing buyers (unless the buyers have a lot of spare cash). Strippers and sng boats are highly labor-intensive, hence, you will be building it yourself. Don't calculate your "rate of pay" for the building. Build a boat because you like doing it. Guaranteed to lower your blood pressure 10 points, and to keep you out of bars for the duration. That said, a sng boat will dollar out (ignoring your labor) at about half the cost of an equivalent polyester resin/glass boat. Aesthetics: wood wins. Political correctness (can't leave that out!): tradeoff. Glass boats use up petrochemicals derived from nonrenewable fossil hydrocarbons. Wood boats use up high-quality wood, either from temperate rain forests (cedar strippers) or tropical rain forests (okume sng boats). Neither the temperate nor the tropical rain forests are being "renewed" as fast as they are being used, though the wood diverted to making wood boats is not the reason. Surprise! -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR Eddyline Wind Dancer and Sea Star Pygmy Osprey Std. and Double (latter in gestation phase) Folbot Greenland II *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
<<Which is a better boat....fiberglass or wood? I'm sure "better" can be sub-divided into things like durability, maneuverability, maintenance, etc., and the whole question may largely be personal opinions. But....in a couple years I'll replace my plastic "starter" boat with something nice that will last a lifetime (hopefully, that translates to a long, long time) and I'd like to start formulating a pretty good idea of what that next boat will be. Comments????>> Rick, I'm sure you know the basics about the boats. 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. I get the impression your boat lives on your truck and plastic and wood are more vulnerable to the UV, and general weather. With the long distances you paddle a longer boat will just weigh more. You would probably enjoy the wood but it does take some maintance especially if you mean to keep it a really long time. Look at a few of the wood boats and see the differences. Most of those with the wood have to do a refinish to to extent every couple of years. You have plenty of boats to "demo" around the bay. You should take advantage of that. Just ask and most of us will give you a test drive. My boat would propbably be too big for you but Angelo has a Slipstream, as do several others. Next season all you'd need to do is ask and you could do it at Pier 7 some weeks. Joan *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
> 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 *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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