Date: Thu, 14 Aug 1997 10:00:19 -0400 (EDT)
From: Kirk Olsen <kolsen@imagelan.com>
To: baidarka@lists.intelenet.net
Subject: Re: Kayak Skin -Reply
In-Reply-To: <s3f1fb61.056@mail2.allegro.net>
>
> Kirk,
I wasn't the originator of that query. I'm the list admin, I get to
forward anything to the list that gets bounced.
> I'm located in San Antonio also. A few years ago I built a very light
> weight Rob Roy decked canoe to a Geodesic Ultralight design by Platt
> Monfort, from Maine.
Did you use the dacron tape that Monfort sells? If so did you use any
of the tape to attach 2 layers of fabric together. I've been wondering
how this would work for a skin/frame kayak as an alternative to sewing...
For those unfamiliar with the Geodesic ultralight designs the boats are
made using wood frames and stringers, where the frames are tied together
with kevlar string (at least in the skiff that I've looked at) and then
skinned with a dacron fabric. Platt Monfort, of Wiscassett Maine, also
tape to adhere the fabric to the wood and a second type of tape for
"glueing" two pieces of fabric together.
Alec Leon, one of the attendees of this years new england skin boat
gathering (a write up should be posted soon, a mere 6 weeks after the
event) built one baidarka with a dacron skin coated with house paint.
He launched the boat on a day when there was a skim coat of ice on the
pond. After one or two hundred feet he noticed the boat was taking on
water. When he got back to shore he found the ice had removed the paint
along the water line so that the water line was now porous. That
experience soured him on Dacron. Now he just uses canvas.
> I would enjoy learning more about your project and sharing my Rob Roy
> experience. After paddling a variety of boats, I am convinced "lighter is
> better", especially for casual, day-trip paddling.
I too am of the opinion that a boat, or a paddle, can never be too light
if it is strong enough. Yup, a composites weenie is running a "traditional"
skin/frame mailing list. Although some recent traditional solo canoeing
in a 16 foot wood canvas chestnut prospector canoe has me thinking that
on occaision some heft to the boat can be nice.
kirk