In Canada with plastic

[Bcone1381]

I am building a Cast a way, have the frame completed, and will be covering it soon. I am vacationing in the Georgian Bay this week, and my teen boys, wife and I have access to two plastic kayaks. We are playing around a bunch, and when The plastic kayak gets water logged it weigh 200 pounds. We dragged it up onto the dock, turned upside down to empty it, and she smiled at the abuse.

My experience level with kayaks is very low, and so I have one question in particular.

1). How do you empty water out of a water logged SOF kayak? In think my boat would break if I did to it what I can do to the plastic.

2) Using these plastic half-wits has me considering attaching thin strips of light weight soft wood for rub rails to gunwales, keel, and stingers after fabric is attached before sealing it.

3) Comparatively, how tough are our SOF's

[andy00]

1) You install float bags fore and aft so that the boat can't fill completely with water and you carry a bilge pump to pump out what does get in. Depending on where you are paddling, this may be a safety imperative.

2) Plastic rub strips on stem and sternpost make sense. More than that and you have to consider that adding weight is working against the great advantage of a SOF boat, i.e., the light weight. Rub strips on bilge stringers may add drag.

3) Not nearly as tough as plastic boats, but a lot lighter, so they tend to be used more often. Boats that never leave the garage or the back yard never wear out (except if UV from the sun deteriorates the plastic).

Fair winds and tides, Andy

[Kudzu]

Nothing will take abuse and that is what you are describing, like tupperware. I seriously doubt your will treat something you build that way. But if you abuse it.... you will break it, period.

 

SOF are tough boats. Paddling them, run over stuff in the water, running into sticks and rocks rarely do more than leave a mark on the paint.

The number one enemy of a SOF is abrasion. Beach the boat repeatedly and you will rub a hole in the fabric. Rub strips are great ideas and I have just started using brass  half oval on the bow and stern of mine. Love the look and how tough it is.

 

If you swamp one there are different ways to get the water out. The best thing is float bags to minimize the amount of water. But in a Cast Away it is so open your dealing with a lot of water and no easy way to empty it. The best way is don't let it get full. If it does, start bailing with a bucket till you can roll it over and pick up one end and drain most of it out.

[mfrankel]

Georgian Bay pics?

[DURRETTD]

Unless a SOF is full of water, it is light enough to lift, so it doesn't have to be dragged as much and get as banged up as a heavier polyethylene boat.

[Bcone1381]

[woodman]

image.jpg

Their is some paddling water for the 17' and longer kayaks!

[BarbaraBeattie]

Take the help of kayak owner or you must have hired a guide so ask him.

Poly-D-Lysine