Kudzu

I do all my calculations at 250 lbs. That is just a good number to use and allows for heavier and lighter paddlers. It doesn't mean you need to displace 250 lbs. Hard to say how low you can go and it will vary with different boats but 150 lbs is probably a good number. There is always the option of adding a small skeg to help with tracking. I designed the Short Shot LV (low volume) just for the the lighter weight paddlers. I have only sold a very few plans and only seen photos of one build so it shows me there isn't much demand for one.

Good question on a very complicated subject. If you put a very small person in a boat designed for heavier adults it is not going to sink the boat to it's design water line so it will not perform as intended. As for stability that depends on the hull shape. A friend of mine was dating a lady that was probably 110 lbs soaking wet. We put her in my personal Curlew and it was like she was paddling a white water boat. Tracking was miserable and with every paddle stroke she struggled to keep it going in the right direction since she didn't displace nearly what it was designed for. Stability wasn't an issue with that boat. But a different shaped hull would be totally different. A more rounded shape would probably be less stable? So the answer is it just depends on the boat. That is why it is important to stay within the design parameters.

I am in the process of moving our office and shop. As you can imagine things are in shambles right now. We are still taking orders but be advised the shipping will be slow. We will have to try to find the products you ordered.

Looks great. Get someone to take a GOOD photo of it on the water and I will feature it on my Facebook page. I am always looking or good photos of my boats to use in the header.

I have not used latex in several years so it may have changed. But it did not soak into the skin, it was soft and scrapped off the fabric easily. AI finally had to repaint that boat because it got to where it 'seeped' water so bad I had to pump it out every hour or so.

No, just one pass with the needle. Two might look better but the stitching isn't really noticeable. If you do it right the stitching doesn't really show. Nothing wrong with sinew for sewing. I just don't like working with thread better. But I started out using sinew and it worked.

Not that I doubt all the problems!! But I never had it happen. I think that is because I sew the skin on tight. Drum tight and try to only use the heat shrink for the inevitable wrinkled you get when sewing. I think people are shrinking the skin then it relaxes when the paint is applied. BUT, it is just an assumption on my part.

Email me that photo of it in the water. Of it you want to wait till it is rigged out? Either way I would like to share that on the FB page. Really nice photo and location!

This fabric is no longer available.

I slide across logs all the time. Everyone cringes up and I think nothing of it. Logs are not very abrasive it at all. If you haven't, install a rub string on the bow. That area takes the most abuse and is the most common area to get damaged. A rub strip solves that!

Yes. more photos. I have only seen one other built. Would love to share them on my Face Book page.

Epifanes is an excellent and high quality varnish. I have never used it on a boat but I would expect it would work very well. I suspect the clear will still have a bit of an amber/yellowish tint though.

You have nothing to loose by trying. The damage is done. I would buy/make a rub strip and bed it with a sealant and see what happens.

Epoxy works. I just don't use it unless I have to. I don't like the waste, the mixing and mess. Not a fan of polyurethane glues.

As the book says, just glue. Just make sure you have a good mating surfaces and it will be fine. PS Should have elaborated a bit more. Use Titbond 3 glue and clamp those joints. The glue joint depends on a good mated surface and pressure on the joint while drying.