[Paddlewise] Wood Strip Surf Zone Kayak

Duane said:

<<<<
I really lucked out with the cockpit.  It fits great and is very
comfortable
and snug.  I love carving out the closed cell foam for seats, and hip
and
knee braces.  You can't get any more custom than that.
>>>>

Duane, what size blocks did you cut the foam from?

<<<<
As for the "woody" look, I chose wood because building a fiberglass
kayak
would've involved making a plug, a mold, and then the kayak.  Another
advantage of wood is the stiffness, which I really needed for that flat
bottom.
>>>>

Duane, et al, I'm slowly contributing to my final plans for an ultimate
storm surf play boat. I like your compromise in length, Duane. Is it
easy enough to turn with a good lean; and are there any immediate
comments about changes you would make, if you were to build another?

I plan on building mine out of cloth and epoxy, with a continuos wrap
around a foam plug. I was thinking of routing out a "U" shaped groove
with a continuos spiral pattern that goes from bow to stern, then
criss-crosses back again (like a barber pole, only both ways). I would
go shallow around the underbelly where ones legs slide in. Thus the
"female" groove in the plug would translate into an inside "male"
half-circle ridge that would stiffen up the whole kayak as it spirals
its way along the inside of the hull and deck. I've heard of a plane
that had its fuselage done this way in carbon fiber, though in their
case they filled the groove with a proprietary carbon-fiber "rope" for
greater stiffness and safety (no, it ran afowl of authorities and was
never permitted in the air).

Anyway, thanks for sharing the pics and a piece of your life with PW.

DL

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