chazwell Posted June 5, 2015 Report Share Posted June 5, 2015 Getting back to my Ravenswood build after a brief hiatus and two questions have come to mind: 1. The instructions suggest temporarily lashing the plywood coaming lower ring to the frame while skinning with the lashes to be cut at some later point. This would seem to leave the coaming finally held in place only by the tension of the skin. Is the skin's shape such that it pulls the rings down against the deck stringers to provide vertical support? Is the skin tension enough to really hold it in place? Anyone leave the lower ring lashed in permanently (after the upper rings are attached) for a little extra support? 2. Given the forward cockpit height it appears that a paddler's heels will be resting on the back side of the fabric skin. Does this become a substantial wear point? Does the inevitable small bulge in the hull bottom cause problems? I was experimenting last night with heel rests made of scrap 1/8" okume but decided there wasn't enough vertical room for my feet after lashing them in about midway up the keel stringer (much lower would impinge on the skin). Has anyone looked at other methods of addressing this? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Action Tiger Posted June 5, 2015 Report Share Posted June 5, 2015 1) Yes, the skin holds the coaming on. I've built a few SOF kayaks, and none have had the coamings attached by anything except stitches. 2) No. Nothing needed, nothing wanted. If your feet would hurt the skin, what do you think the beach, or a stick, or a rock would do? Just sit down, and plop your feet right on the skin. Then you can find cold springs in the lake and find fish.... Jeff's plans and instructions are excellent. If you're not experienced at boatbuilding, just follow them exactly. Have fun! Can't wait to see your boat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich D Posted June 10, 2015 Report Share Posted June 10, 2015 My heels do make dimples in the kayak skin. After long hours in the kayak they will remain for awhile but after an hour or two the skin will return to normal (this is with the 11.6 oz skin). I also need the foot room so a platform for my heels is not a good option. The skin can definitely take it but my concern is that the dimples interrupt the flow of water past the hull. This is not normally a problem but I wonder if it takes its toll on efficiency on a long, long paddle. I like to sit as low as possible so my seat is just a foam pad that sits on the keel and stringers. This also allows dimples on the skin - much more evident than the heel dimples. Maybe it doesn't matter but I do some long paddle races and I need all the efficiency I can get. I'm toying with the idea of adding an additional stringer between the keel and the first stringer to limit the skin deflection near the keel. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Action Tiger Posted June 10, 2015 Report Share Posted June 10, 2015 All my traditionally built boats had/have the ribs spaced so your heels and buns plop right on the skin. I've skinned boats with cotton, nylon, polyester, and even paper(!), and sat on the skin on all. In building my FreeB, I used seat slats, which seem to help spread the load of my bum, and decrease the little bumps. My seat slat are on the outside of the frame, in notches close to the skin, if that matters, and are thinnish hardwood slats. I have not raced kayaks, but I've raced sailboats, bicycles, motorbikes, and bodies (swim, run, tri), and I've found that equipment is rarely the limiting factor. Especially with things like paddling, pedaling, swimming, the more your body does the activity, the stronger and more efficient it becomes. I think bio-mechanical efficiency will trump any drag from bumps. Just paddle, paddle, paddle, everyday, and when you win a race, proudly announce you beat everyone with your tail in the wind, as it were. And as for bumpy skin, you seen a submarine lately? Some of the fast ones look like golf balls... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene T Posted June 11, 2015 Report Share Posted June 11, 2015 If you extend the seat stringers forward to the frame just beyond where your feet will rest, your heels will not touch the fabric. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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