J.E.D.
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Posts posted by J.E.D.
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I'm glad to see that Jeff has developed a line of float bags for his designs. I imagine that it would take some special equipment to make them and probably not worth the money for just making one or two sets. The learning curve required to work with sealing the plastic might not be worth it either.
Way to go Jeff
I'm curious to know what people's experience is with Kudzu Float Bags. How durable are they? How long do they last?
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Hello SOF 'ers
It's been awhile since I've logged on. I though I'd come see what's new in Kudzu-land.
Jeff,
Could you engineer all the frames to be free from the center post to allow allow better storage behind the seat?
Brooks
Regarding removing the frame brace, I was wondering the same thing. Perhaps the two frames behind the seat could be built with 3/4" ply and slightly wider webbing? Or, maybe two 1/2" plywood frames laminated together? Of course this would add a few more ounces to the boat.
What do you think Jeff? Would that be over-kill?
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Hi Jeff. It's a nice looking boat. I'm curious about the name you have chosen for it. (???)
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I saw this old thread and I thought I'd do an update on my little plug for Makita drills.
It's going on three years now and my Lithion 18v Makita batteries are starting to get weak. The drill itself is still in perfect working condition. In the cold weather the batteries die very quickly and charge slowly. It's almost time for a new one. (it's not worth buying new batteries)
Still, this is the best drill I've ever owned. After two-three years of industrial use, it's a great product.
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Thank-you labrat and Jeff for your knowledgable comments. From reading previous postings from Jeff and others, I was aware of the safety reasons for displacing as much space as possible with floatation inside the kayak. However, both of you here, have convinced me that a proper float bag is worth buying. Also, I figure that by time I have made something comparable, I have spent more time and money than necessary.
I am still confused however, as to just how large of a float-bag is practical. Here's what I mean:
-Skinboats.org sells Greenland Float Bags that are 23" wide x 57" long. One of these bags in each end of the kayak would certainly fill most of the hull except for the cockpit. If you want stowage, they have a combination float-bag which has a compartment for your gear. I imagine though, that building a hatch in your kayak would be pointless because access to your gear could only be from the front of the bag, through the cockpit.
(This sounds inconveinient to me)
-MEC.com sell float bags that are about 30" long. These would tuck up nicely in the bow and stern and leave room for your gear. But, they would not displace much water in the event of a capsize.
(This sounds like a possible comprimise)
I'm brand new at this of course, so I have no idea what kayakers prefer. Please chime in everyone...
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After reading Garrett6575's topic about pool noodles, I was temped to put my two cents in regarding another idea for floatation. I started a new topic though because this really has nothing to do with the noodle-securing question...
sqare_nails and I were brainstorming an alternative to a float bag. Mainly to reduce the over-all cost of the kayak and retain a float-bag's efficiency.
Pool noodles are a very practical idea; very cheap and replaceable. I find that pool-noodle-foam does not have as much buoyancy as other foams. You might need a lot of them inorder to get the water displacement and floatation considered desirable. This, of course, uses up stowage space.
Personally, I would want more efficient floatation inorder to free-up space for camping gear.
We figured that a home-sewn mesh bag, made into the shape of a cone, could be filled with ultra-light plastic balls. It would conform to the kayak's shape when winched up to the stems. It would be removable just like a float bag and you wouldn't have any worries of it developing a leak over time. After all, with 100 to 1000 balls per bag, you have what I think they call... redundancy?
I'm guessing a ball-bag would be lighter and more buoyant than noodles. The only problem is, buying ping-pong balls in bulk has proven to be more expensive than we thought. Small water bottles might be a more economical option.
A cooky idea? Maybe.
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Haha! I'm too young to catch the "Huggy Bear" reference
Yeah, it does look kinda wierd. I have to say, after many hours of use, my drill is pretty much just grey all over now. Covered in a lot of drywall dust and dirt.
It's kind-of like that floral love-seat that your wife made you buy... You're not crazy about the colors but you figure "it will get browner as it gets older" (Red Green)
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Very well said, PAR. You know your business better than I.
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Yes the new batteries seem to be lighter. It's probably a combination of being more compact and being smaller. Most Lithium batteries are lower amp hours than older Nicads. Thus, they are much smaller. They charge faster though, so you tend to switch and charge batteries more often. Once you need a new one the other is long since charged. Sometimes I wish I had bigger batteries (which you can special order) but the reduced weight of the small ones makes for a good comprimize.
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The add says that the face plys of the plywood are Fir and North and the core plys are American softwood. Fir has pretty good rot resistance but it is a VERY course and loose grain wood. Not to mention it is very soft. The rot/water resistance makes it good for exterior apllications such as building construction. The "marine" grading like PAR outlined before just means that the faces are free from knots or fillier patches.
In my oponion, this material has enough water resistance to be used for boats, but it is far too soft. The grain can be literally pulled apart with you finger nail. It's practically impossible to sand it smooth enough so as to not "catch" and tear out the grain.
For "stich and glue" construction. It might be okay.
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I'm a renovator and use my drills hard every day. I've had an old Makita 18v nicad that was really good. The batteries died after about 2 years. The key to the nicad batteries is to run them down COMPLETELY before you recharge. Then you must regarge them FULLY.
I bought a Millwaukee 18v Lithion. It's mostly metal construction and looks pretty tough. With not too much use, the gear box broke though. Thanks to the lifetime warranty, I got it fixed for free. It's inconvienient though to drive it to a licenced repair shop.
While the Millwaukee was in the shop, I bought another Makita to keep me working. It was a modern 18v Lithion. It's got all the standard features: adustable clutch (which I NEVER use cause you can get used to the power in the trigger), LED light to see in dark corners. I've used this drill for two years now and it's still going strong. I drive it hard, use it in the cold, I'm not carful about charging it properly and it's the lightest drill I've ever held. It's all plastic but I've dropped it off ladders onto concrete multiple times with no damage. It's got a nice belt-hook too. For about $200 at home depot, it's a great value.
If you're looking for something in a lower price range, I'm afraid I don't have much experience.
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The landscape in your pictures looks very much like Southern Ontario. We are very blessed to have so much fresh water and lakes to enjoy in this part of the world.
Nice job on the Kayak, can't wait to build mine. (Probably not 'till next year)
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That's a great jig/guide to fit the chines to the stems. Gotta love the ingenuity of a good trades-man. In the shop I call that "Funky Doin's"
Thanks for the idea Woodman.
Jered
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This thread from a few months ago that helped me gain knowledge on plywood.http://messing-about.com/forums/topic/8412-plywood/
I'll have to make sure I do more thorough search of previous threads before I start a new one. Lots of information there. ThanksBcone1381 and everyone else for their input.
Jered
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Hello all. Thought about emailing Kudzu about some specific questions but his site encourages posting questions here for a quicker response and more input.
My friend and I are each planning on building a Kudsu design. We are trying to decide on which plan would be the best.
I am intrigued by the Ravenswood for it's convienience of size, and ease of paddling. The description page on http://www.kudzucraft.com say's "There is enough volume for camping but it is not a touring boat and your not going to stuff a lot of gear in this boat." The Vardo would be my next choice but the size, extra weight and reduction in performance make me shy.
I would likely use this boat for 3-4 day camping trips and I may have not yet developed the skills of packing extremely light. Storage is a concern to me then.
Also, I am literally a 5 minute walk to the very large Lake Ontario. I'm interested in taking day trips along the shores of this large and sometimes dangerous lake.
Questions:
1. Can anyone quantify the amount of practical storage space in the Ravenswood?
2. Is it practical to put for and aft hatches in the Ravenswood?
3. Is jaming a SOF kayak full of gear so that it's rubbing and bulging against the skin an issue to be concerned with? Should there be a floor in the storage areas?4. Would the VARDO solve my problems? A longer boat might be harder for me to store, transport and paddle.
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Can't complain about that. That's the kind of problem-solving thinking that gets things done. I bet you could do the same thing with Oak door stop, if you could find some with continuous grain.
Jered
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I have to admit that I get a little lost in the plywood discussions. However, I've looked at Baltic birch from a midwest big box store and the specs say "exterior phenolic" for the glue...
That looks like a good product mithmellow. I'll have to do further research to see if I can get that plywood here. My origional though was that birch does not have any resistance to rot. Typically marine plys like Fir, Occume, Sappel, Mahogany all have verying degrees of rot resistance. As it has been pointed out, these kayak frames don't see prolonged wetting so rot isn't really issue. At least this Baltic Birch has an exterior glue which would prevent delamination when wet.
...Baltic birch is the best I can find and while it won't pass a boiling test (but who boils their boat?) it is very water resistant. I have left it outside, floating in water, used it on a lot of boats and so far, not a single failure or delamination yet. What your getting may not be the same grade as what I am getting but I have been totally impressed with BB...
Maybe I'll just experiment like Kudzu and soak some plywoods in water for a long time, get rough with them and see what happens.
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Well, thanks for answering so promptly guys. As usual, it's a matter of common sense.
As a further note. My sheetstock supplier notes that the Baltic Birch 5 x 5 sheets are laminated with Urea glue which is "water resistant". Most interior plys are made with Urea though, so that doesn't say much. It would explain though why it does seem to hold up to being wet. "BB" is definitely a fantastic structural plywood.
As far as a wood preservative goes, I prefer not to use a "shell" material. I've heard about mixing equal parts Pine Tar, Linseed Oil, and Terps. Apparantley it's what the old timers used on their boats. Any thought's on this?
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I'm new here, so hello all!
Respectfully, yes, I know there is some info from Kudzu in the faq's thread. I do still have some questions regarding plywood choices.
First, I am a carpenter/cabinet maker who is very fond of canoing and camping. I've never actually paddled a kayak except once on those silly plastic sit-on-top ones. However, I've become very intrigued with kayaks. Also I am thorougly impressed by the construction of "fuselage frame" SOF boats. Plywood is a fantastic modern material with many uses and benefits. Lashing makes perfect sense too.
Now to the point: I see that most builders here are using Baltic Birch to make the frames. I'm very familiar with this material but as far as I'm aware, it does not have any water resistant properties. (please correct me?)
Also, Fir plywood seems to be popular in plans and pictures Even if you can get good Fir plywood, it is not only weak but the grain is VERY loose. It catches on everything now matter how much you round it and sand it.
I can get half inch marine plywoods, made of various hardwoods but they run about $125 to $150 per sheet.
So, I'm curious to know why builders on this forum use to plywoods they have chosen.
Jered -I've got a boat building itch that must be scratched-
building frame with only screws?
in Kudzu Craft Forum
Posted
Let me preface this by saying that I have not yet built a fuselage style kayak. I do have lots of woodworking experience though.
Drilling a hole and putting a screw in the already very thin framing members, will weeken them significantly. Lashing does not affect the integrity of the wood. Lashing also allows a permanent flexability that won't deteroirate the wood too much over time (screw holes get looser and looser with flexing)
Because the skin of the kayak tends to hold the frame together, you probably wouldn't have any problems for a while. But, lashing will tend to keep the frames from cracking and make your kayak last much longer.
Glue of any kind will eventually crack because of the flexibility of the overall design. So, there's not much point in using epoxy.
This is just my opinion of course. Hopefully, experienced buildiers will chime in and add to this or correct me...