boat weight

[tx river rat]

Freedom Questions
Chuck
Have a few questions for you. On your freedom u used 7.5 glass just outside wood reinforcement for the inside seams 4 coats of epoxy saturation on inside and 6 ounce glass on top side 1/8 plywood.another layer for graphite coat

I think I read that the 1/4 lauan was 9lbs heavier than 1/8 okem per sheet and thats about 30 lbs .


if you used 3,25 glass on inside and 6 ounce on outside of hull 1/8 ply
Graphite bottom how much weight differance between that boat and yours
Ron
I have never weighed mine I need to

 

[oldsparkey]

Freedom Questions
Chuck
Have a few questions for you. On your freedom u used 7.5 glass just outside wood reinforcement for the inside seams 4 coats of epoxy saturation on inside and 6 ounce glass on top side 1/8 plywood.another layer for graphite coat

I think I read that the 1/4 lauan was 9lbs heavier than 1/8 okem per sheet and thats about 30 lbs .


if you used 3,25 glass on inside and 6 ounce on outside of hull 1/8 ply
Graphite bottom how much weight differance between that boat and yours
Ron
I have never weighed mine I need to

Ron....

Matt will want to kill me for saying this...........

I would say ,at a rough guess if you used the 3.25 tight weave ( which is equal to almost a 6 oz normal glass ) on the outside for the sides and bottom , then do the graphite and epoxy mix to add more protection to the bottom.

The 7.5 woven is a sucker to fill , I used 6 or 7 coats of epoxy and it is really not where I would like it .... The Graphite and epoxy mix got it there , several coats of it and a lot more weight.

Doing it again .... I would Epoxy saturated the boat inside and outside like I did and used 2 oz glass as just protection for it on the top ....The top only gets abuse from the paddler.
Epoxy saturate the interior of the boat without any glass except in the center area between the bulkheads for additional protection for the wood since it is only 1/8th inch.

The hull of the boat 3.25 tight woven , filled in then three coats of the epoxy and graphite on the bottom , water line and down.

In place of the 40 pounds when mine was done ( remember this was the 1st one and we were experminting with the design and boat ) Might say going where no one has gone before. :lol:

I am sure a person with some building skills , Like you , could make the Freedom 15 1/2 to for your paddling desires at 36 pounds or less at 32 , depending on how you go about it.

I might have to get off my rear end and think about making another one and shoot for 28 pounds ... That would be sweet.

Chuck.

 

[oldsparkey]

Thinking more about you question.....

Matt will be jumping up and down , swearing at me so for that reason I do not suggest that anyone does this and that you always follow the designers instructions on how to make the boat.

Here is what I was thinking about , unproven but a interesting theory or thought for now ....

Make the boat from 1/8th inch wood .. Epoxy saturate the wood ( it increases the strength of the wood up to 4 times.)

Cut the center out of the bullheads ( Like I did ) then drill holes in then to remove more weight. Then epoxy saturate them.

Use the 3.25 tight woven glass on the outside of the hull and just epoxy saturate the rest on the outside. Put some of the glass on the inside between the bulkheads to reinforce the area the paddle is using , the rest is for storage of your camping gear and does not need it.

The wood strip that is ran along the top of the hull to attach the deck to it can be thinner and have holes drilled threw it to remove more weight , then epoxy saturate it to protect it.

The coaming around the area where the paddler sits can also be drilled and some wood remover since it is stacked on top of each other , I used 4 solid strips with a larger one for the final strip.

I'm betting the boat can be made in a good safe paddling shape at 15 1/2 feet and 28 pounds if someone is willing to do the modifications to it.

DISCLAIMER ........
These are just some thoughts from my mind and I do not suggest that anyone deviates from the designers plans and instructions unless they want to accept the responsibility for doing so. If you do then the resposability is yours and yours alone. Not mine or the designers or kit makers. You are on your own when you step outside the suggested way to make the boat by anyone. .

Chuck.

 

[tx river rat]

I should have named this post Matt don't look
A couple of thoughts on this end and some questions
How much epoxy will it take to put on the graphite coats on the bottom
On the combing stand it up verticle and one piece at a right angle for the lip would cut out two pieces. cloth for the bottom wrapped over the edges of top deck just a couple inches rip your pieces that you atach the deck to
in half bulkheads might use foam glassed on both sides.
We need to run some test on weight of a board saturated 4 times compared to 3.2 glassed on both sides
DUCKING FOR THE DOOR HERE COMES MATTTTTTTTTTTTTT
Ron
The disclaimer in above post applies here
DO NOT TRY THIS

 

[JEM]

Where's my baseball bat?


Boats can be safely built from 1/8" [3mm] plywood. They can be safely paddled. The catch is the builder and paddler knowing the limits of the hull.

I've even starting including some lighter weight options in my plans. But I post a heavy disclaimer with it.

Chuck, if you're going to build another and take some "Liberty" with the design, then get me via back channel. I got me some ideas for taking it to the next level.

(yes folks, Matt just dropped a big 'ole hint)

 

[oldsparkey]

tx river rat.

I was thinking of using the 3,25 tight woven on the hull ( outside) of it plus the saturation. I like the glass out there along with the graphite as some extra protection. Then glass the area where the paddler will be on the inside , this is for the protection of the wood when the paddler gets in and out of the boat , the heavy wear area of the boat.

The graphite mix does not require that much epoxy for three coats , I mix two batches per application , they are a 1 to 2 mix from the pumps I have in the jugs.

Matt...

It is something to think about for right now , holding off till the weather turns a little cooler and the Love Bugs leave , the shop just gets to hot to do anything (serious) in there right now. Besides I will have to take the wife to dinner and sweet talk her so I can use her truck to get the wood. :roll: "O" , I will also have to move two boats , someplace , so I can work in there , right now they are on the table and in the way.

Chuck.

 

[Kayak Jack]

Ron,

Chuckie has a lighter hand than me on fiber glass. When I used a tight weave, it developed unsightly wrinkles after it was filled in with epoxy. Unfortunately, I didn't notice them until the epoxy had set.

Tight weave does not like to be worked around on curved surfaces where you skew it sideways. Loose weave adapts to this well, tight weave seems to have a memory and wants to return to its original squared off shape. Proceed accordingly.

 

[tx river rat]

I figure just the diference between the quarter inch and the 1/8 will be over 20 lbs .
Ron

 

[Kayak Jack]

Quarter inch plywood would be handy for boat hulls if you plan to load anvils from 5' - 10' away by the sling'em toward the boat method. Otherwise, it's more likely to be just overkill.

1/8th inch glassed in and out is my choice, hands down. (My prejudice, and it's very true!)

 

[oldsparkey]

1/8th inch glassed in and out is my choice, hands down. (My prejudice, and it's very true!)

For what it is worth , ( I get to agree with Jack one time each year ) this is my shot for this year....

All of mine , except for the 1st pirogue , are made from 1/8th inch wood and glassed. The one from 1/4 inch weighed in at 55 pounds , the one after that out of 1/8th inch wood weighs 32 pounds. I wanted to see what the difference would be and was pleased with the results.

Chuck.

 

[Kayak Jack]

Annual event properly annotated and documented. Domo arragato

 

[ulav8r]

Fiberglass on the exterior adds a LITTLE protection against scraping damage and punctures. Fiberglass on the inside adds a lot of protection against punctures and fractures because during force applied on the outside the fiberglass on the interior is under tension.

P.S. Fiberglass on the exterior is under compression when force is applied from obstructions in the water. Try compressing a strip from end to end before applying epoxy to it, then try to stretch it. That will demonstrate the difference between its strength against those to forces. Using Dynel or kevlar on the exterior would provide much more protection against wear, but their use on the inside would be a waste of money. Rockite and/or graphite on the bottom would add more wear resistance than thicker glass cloth. Consider using 4 oz with Rockite/graphite on the bottom and 6 oz on the inside for a very strong bottom

 

[oldsparkey]

" but their use on the inside would be a waste of money "
You are over looking the wear and tare on the inside of the boat. A interior layer of fiberglass adds protection to the wood against any wear from shoes , dirt or sand on the feet. Might call it the sandpaper effect on the surface of the interior wood. Not forgetting tackle boxes , coolers or anything else carried on the inside of the boat.

 

[Kayak Jack]

Glass on the inside of a boat bottom serves at least two,purposes. As Chucky sez, it’s a scuff guard against cumulative damage from wear and tear. Additionally, it is an insurance step when the boat unexpectedly runs up onto something like a sharply pointed rock that presses inwardly and upwardly. This puts concentrated compression on the outside surface of the bottom, and a concentrated tension on the inside surface. It tries to split and rupture the bottom like a relentless, slow-speed spear. In this situation, fiber glass on the inside surface strongly resists splitting and tesring of the parent wood. IE; it can save the boat’s hull integrity in those soul searing seconds when the paddler is hearing the sound of wood cracking.

Guess how I know.