Message-Id: <3.0.1.32.19981002225028.007c56a0@paradox.net>
Date: Fri, 02 Oct 1998 22:50:28 -0400
To: baidarka@lists.intelenet.net
From: shawn goodman <browndog@paradox.net>
Subject: Re: baidarka Platt Monfort Video
In-Reply-To: <361521E9.6558@totalsports.net>
Charles, at the "community boatshop" I go to a couple of Monfort boats have
taken up permanent residence. One is a 12 or 14' Whitehall type pulling
boat that weighs in at no more than 20 or 25 pounds. The lines are quite
beautiful, but the dacron gets numerous responses such as, "is that shit
waterproof?" "looks like my sneakers will tear it just getting in" and
"very nice, but don't know if I'd trust it." I must say that it is
unbelievably light and graceful looking. I doubt it could be run aground
on rocks, but I suspect most Whitehall owners would be horified at the
thought of doing that to even a stoutly built one.
The other boat is a large 16 foot canoe equiped with two sets of ornate
custom-tooled oarlocks. As such, it looks like an extended Adirondak Guide
Boat. I have not hefted this boat, but it's suspended from the ceiling by
thread, and the sunlight streaming through the ash, spruce, and kevlar
framework is really something. I watched a father and son reskin the
Whitehall (old skin got tar all over it when they re-roofed the shop). The
first time they used the heat sensitive tape. Second time around the used
regular West epoxy, waiting until it was tacky to apply the skin. They
reported that this went well.
As you may have guessed, Monfort's boats interest me very much. About a
year ago I bough plans for Nimrod, a 12' double paddle canoe supposedly
weighing in at about 14 pounds, which is what Rushton produced in a similar
lapstrake canoe way back when. Unfortunately, at the time, I lived in Lake
Tahoe & had a hell of a time finding ribstock that was bendable. So, the
plans remain packed away. I noticed that a kit now exists for this boat &
it's reasonably priced, too. Now, then, here's my pitch for Monfort. As
we skin afficianados know, a boat light in weight is more likely to get
used than a heavier one. Platt has found a way to make very light boats.
His small canoe weighs the same as my 8.5' windsurfer. Unfortunately, some
of his designs are a bit far out (an 8' mini-whitehall), and some of the
building materials remain exotic, expensive, and/or quiestionable. (Didn't
Fuller talk about how it takes a quarter of a century for a new idea to
take hold?) I must, however, commend him for trying new things. I know
he's been experimenting with hollow core plywood masts (perhaps with his
dinghy called BlackFly?) and other newer materials. It's also interesting
to me that this whole technology came about because a guy interested in
airplanes tried his hand at boats. The crossovers sometimes bring new ways
of doing the same thing. It still blows my mind that we're building
ancient boats with some very modern materials. I regularly read on this
same list about ribs made from bent willows and stuff like hypalon and
aliphatic urethane. Pretty neat!
One more thing about the geodesic boats: I suspect Monfort is aiming to
get the most boat from the minimum of materials (a lot like geodesic
domes?). If so, I think he's about succeeded. Still, I don't know if I'll
ever build one.
Shawn Goodman
At 02:56 PM 10/2/98 -0400, you wrote:
>I just received a copy of Platt Monfort's video explaining his
>"geodesic" boat building technique. The video is very clear and is long
>enough for Monfort to explain quite a bit of his technique.
>
>Basically, the boat is built of steam-bent ribs, on a strongback, like a
>traditional boat. The difference is he uses cardboard or very thin
>plywood for stations, and very thin wood for the boat members
>themselves.
>
>Where stringers and ribs cross he applies some sort of epoxy. At other
>joints he uses Krazy Glue (polycyano-acrylite?)! He then applies a
>heat-activated glue-tape to the gunwales. Next, he lays Kevlar roving
>across the hull, at diagonals to the frames. (I guess this is what makes
>it "geodesic"?) He sticks the roving to the gunwales with an iron,
>re-heating his sticky tape.
>
>A very thin 3.7 oz Dacron fabric is then applied to the hull, again
>using the iron to attach the fabric to the gunwales. The process looks
>very tedious, with the iron held in one hand and the fabric in the
>other. If you overheat, the sticky tape melts away!
>
>Lastly he heats the Dacron to shrink it tight, and applies varnish as a
>sealant. In later brochures, he speaks highly of a mylar-like colored
>plastic ("Monokote") that he applies instead of varnish. Still later
>brochures reveal that he's found Monokote to be highly UV degradable! It
>falls off if you leave it in the sun!!
>
>For all this, the boats weigh in at from 25 lbs. (14' canoe) to 60 lbs.
>(13' sailboat). Construction times range from 80 to 140 hours, with 100
>hours being the median.
>
>I'd be curious to hear others' opinions, but I wasn't impressed. Despite
>my own poor luck with Contact Cement, it's infinitely easier than the
>heat-tape he used. The wood used is very light, but there are as many or
>more pieces to be cut and shaped as a conventional boat. And at 60
>pounds for a 13' boat, I think you could do as well with luan.
>
>Looking forward to hearing insights from others with more experience
>than me...
>--
>Charles Hall
>Raleigh, NC
>