Bcone1381

It says the temp range is up 975 deg. I have not tried it, but I would go for it.

Jeff, Are you bringing your Stonefly to the a Quiet a Water Symposium (Michigan State University, March 7)? http://www.quietwatersymposium.org

When I portage my Ravenswood it gets carried upside down; the coaming rests on my shoulders. As I walk, the coaming will slightly flex with each step. It causes no concern, and this I think puts the most stress on the coaming of any activity I do. I made my laminated coaming out of oak to the same demensions as the plans called for.

I think I recall running into this also when I built my castaway 18 months ago.

I am 5'11' weight 165 lbs. and have 10.5 size shoes. I paddle a Ravenswood and have no problems. It does not feel tight.

Photo Gallery. http://messing-about.com/forums/forum/30-kudzu-craft-launches/

Gentlemen, This information helps me a great deal, and I appreciate the wisdom you all bring. For Woodman: This is a profile shot of the coaming on my wife's Ravenswood. It's made of oak and was flat. I then set the coaming onto the kayak frame and wrapped a ratchet strap around it and cranked up the tension to get the flex I was looking for. I suppose it sat there a week or so. It was removed to cover the frame, and I think the tension of the fabric may help it keep that shape.

I envisioned wrapping the coaming mold 4 times with the 1/8" stock to build up a 1/2 inch thickness. Would that be too fleixble? I have one make of oak with those demensions on my wifes Ravenswood and its plenty sturdy.

Is the idea of using 1/8 Russian Birch Plywood for a laminated coaming built in accoradance with the assembly manual pg.66 A godd or bad idea? My Lumber supplier also sells a product they call Bending Plywood. Would that be a better product to use?

I like to dab a bit of 5 minute epoxy onto my lashing that are exposed to possible abrasive wear in the cockpit. Doing series of lashings without the knot would be sweet!

Are you going to be attending Canoecopia in Madison, WI by any chance?

Take a 1" wide strip of the finished fabric and hang 150 pounds from it to demonstrate it's strength to the skeptically curious. Modify your existing "air bag" design into a "dry bag.". The goal is to attract the wilderness camping folks from their $3000 canoes to your kayak and canoe design. My sense after kayaking this summer in Canada is that a large untapped market for your SOF products exists with these folks.

If I merely congratulate you on a great paint job, then I feel like I am just echoing everyone else. It's really impressive to me. Teach us the method you used when painting camouflage. It looks to me like you have to have all the colors going at once.

I never new that the kayaks were designed for the heel to rest on the fabric. Although I always liked the way the raw fabric felt on my feet, I usually have taken a 12 inch x 6 inch piece of foam with me to rest my heels on to eliminate possible fabric wear. When I place this foam in the boat, I always think to myself that I should fabricate a piece that looks right and fits nice.

Nathan, tell us more about what you did with that setup.

Jeff, How does a kayak's stability react to increasing weight assuming the Center of Gravity (CG) is not raised? I remember being in a canoe that was half filled with water and recall its decrease in stability. Global Nomad, As an example of how a higher CG effects stability, A standard Coast Guard Approved boat cushion raises the CG about 3inches off the floor, making my Cast-a-way's (15' Messabout hull) stability a concern and thus slightly uncomfortable. However, it is rock solid using A Kayak seat that raises my butt about 1 inch lift above the bottom of the kayak. At least 10 people (all under 160 pounds) have used these kayaks and have not even mentioned stability concerns. When prompted, they all say it feels stabile. Watching my 190 pound son paddle our Ravenswood last week made me wonder if the increase in weight decreased its stability as compared with my wife (110 lbs). When questioned, he said it felt good.

The "fun" report that I had on a SUP was one that was located at a Canadian cottage. I now see that the fun may have been hanging out in the bay, climbing up, diving off, swimming from it, sun bathing, horsing around and maybe even fishing from it. Now, to every kid, and even a few adults, that is some serious fun! Thanks for filling me in on the weaknesses of them as a mode of transportation.

I was very pleased when I used Bosch's "Progressor" blades for wood. Model T234x. 10-14 TPI. Bosch may also the make the progress or blade in 16-20 TPI.

This weekend my 20 year old son and I are taking a trip to Algonquin Provincial Park. Algonquin is a Canadian canoe camping Mecca with a plethora of lakes interconnected by portage trails. We will base our camp at a campground, and go out on two nice long day trips. The day trips I am considering are about 30 miles each and have 10-15 portages. I have some outstanding maps with awesome detail. They are designed for canoeist. Backwards engineering tells me they figure their predicted times based on a speed of 4.75km/hr. (or 2.95 statue miles per hour). This makes them 13 hour trips. My son's health surpasses mine, and I run everyday accumulating in 60-80 miles a month. My 5K time last month was 23:00. So, I am thinking our leisurely paddle and portage time will be faster than a canoe loaded with gear. We will be paddling a 35 lb. Cast-a-way, and a 29 lb. Ravenswood with no camping gear. Based on this information, can we count on a speed of 4 mph and maintain enjoyment? I have never done a time/speed/distance calculation.

They say SUP are a lot of fun. I wonder how they would compare in effort and speed to our kayaks. Does anyone know? I bet Jeff will have a SOF SUP design in the future.

I used a propane torch to heat up an old dull kitchen knife.

Don't forget bow lines.

I may not have answered this question specifically. The dacron is tight like a drum...It makes a nice ring then plucked with a finger. The weight of the fiberglass cloth and epoxy is insufficient to cause any sagging. I used about a quart of epoxy on the entire kayak.

Skipping the dacron step would not work. The dacron provides a base for the glass fabric to lay down and adhere to. The dacron is very inexpensive, light weight, and is easily applied to the kayak frame. After the dacron is applied, it shrinks with a household iron I think up to something like 15%. It tightens up just like a drum. This stuff (non-certified aircraft covering dacron) is engineered to permanently tighten when heated, and stays tight with various humidity and temperature ranges. The attributes of the covering system is light weight, wide coloring/dying choices, easy ability to add covering strength and durability in specific locations where we all need it most (on the bottom and keel), very easy to repair, no relaxation of fabric over time or with changing atmospheric conditions, a uniform drum tight fabric with little effort, all at a cost that is competitive with other methods widely used. BTW, To update about the dye transfer. There was zero dye transfer where the dacron was sealed with the epoxy when attempts were made using boiling water, detergents, and a white cotton cloth. The dye transfer took place at the coaming stitching where it was not sealed where my leg contacted the coaming the first two times it was used. After this area was washed with with very very hot water the dye transfer issues stopped.

Thanks for the reply, Jeff. I built a Ravenswood that has the center post, and plan to camp out of it in late August. I will remove it if I Need the space and use will your friction fit idea to keep the original strength.