help lightest boat you can build

[tx river rat]

On another forum I am on we are starting a contest for the lightest buildt serviceable boat you can build,12 fter and a 16 fter
wood composite ,no exotic material. 14 ft unlimited I assume that means foam card board peanut butter for a core :lol: Sorry Chuck.
I am thinking of entering the 12 ft, and the unlimited 14 ft division.The 12 and 16 ft can have up to a 60 inch cockpit and the rest of the decks have to be covered
So naturaly I cam to where the great boat minds are . Now start those brain humming and lets see what we can come up with.
The boats will be raced five mile to enter and just have to complete the course.
Have one year to design and build.
Ron

 

[oldsparkey]

You are in my neighborhood this time , I love to see how light I can make a serviceable boat.

1. Does the boat have to be a long time one or just one for the race ??????

2. What length are you really thinking of building ????

3. What type , canoe , kayak or pirogue ???? Depending on which there are a lot of choices to consider for keeping the weight down. Matt has some designs that can make really light weight boats if a person wants to. I Know , I have.

4. "O" Boy this sounds like a challenge and a lot of fun. My fun is making a good , long time boat at less weight then the designer says it can be made at. If it is not a long time boat but a disposable one ........ shave off a lot more pounds.

5. Does it need to be glassed ????

6. I am willing to offer suggestions when you decide on what to do.

Chuck.
Reread your post , no paper and "P"Nut butter , what a CROCK. :lol:

 

[JEM]

what's the course like? If open water and no banging rocks and stumps, you can get really light.

 

[oldsparkey]

what's the course like? If open water and no banging rocks and stumps, you can get really light.

Between us we can make the River Rat a winner. Dam ... Bad idea then we have to live with his victory. :lol:

Just thinking of something .... If the rat wants to do it and have the help then we need to keep it off this forum and on the back channels , anyway the specifics , Ya never know who is watching.

Chuck.

 

[woodchips]

Was a skin on frame construction excluded ? Let me say, as the skin you would use a type of wood that I have in mind that I won't post here.

 

[graybeard]

Well, if you could find someone foolish, I mean skilled enough:

http://koti.kapsi.fi/hvartial/oss3/oss3.htm

Chop off a foot at either end. 5.2 mm plywood runs what about 15# a sheet?

 

[tx river rat]

The 12 and 16 dt class has to be a wood composite the 14 ft class is wide open just hast to be 14 ft and able to be a serviceable boat
Matt I really don't know the course right now ,might be some slight rapids ,nothing bad .

Lets take the twelve foot class ,cant have over a 60 inch cockpit, the rest has to be decked ,2 bulkheads,2 hatches. foot pegs and seat installed. I have been looking at Matts designs and it looks like the Laker 13 might be the one,would be very little trouble,to go to the cuda bow and stern design and cut it down to 12 ft,maybe lower the profile,sides of the boat,a couple inches,I think the v bottom would let you build lighter there instead of flat,it should brace it more.
We get down to particulars we will go back line.
Ron

 

[tx river rat]

1/2 ply would weigh over thirty lbs to the sheet
No Skin on frame hulls,just wood and fiberglass
I can see Matts head twirling.
Ron

 

[tx river rat]

News flash they dropped the race it will be judged 40 % on service ability and 60 percent on weight.
Ron
Ps Matt will be designing boats in his sleep tonight :lol:

 

[oldsparkey]

How about posting the rules for making the boat ....... All of them so we can have a good idea of what they are looking for.....

No sense in making a light weight boat that is disqualified because it is to light. :wink: :wink: :wink:

Yep.... I have some good ideas....... Just have to see the guide lines to know which way to go and some of them are not your normal ones for building a boat as far as weight goes.
Might say we are entering into uncharted waters for making a light weight ....WOOD ... Boat.

Chuck.
Looking at the 12 class. Or the 14 with bulkheads and hatches. The Sasquatch ( 14 x 30 Canoe) I made that Matt designed was 17 pounds before I added a lot of weight to it to come out just less the 30 pounds. The same one I paddled down the Brazos and a lot more rivers on camping trips. Could of made it a lot lighter , especially for a light weight boat contest. :wink:

 

[Jimmy W]

It is not decked, but have you seen this canoe on Michael Storer's site. 11 feet and 12 pounds.
http://www.storerboatplans.com/Balsacanoe/Balsacanoe.html
I have a number of sheets of 2mm plywood that I have been thinking about using some of for a Laker. Using that with just taped seams would make a very light boat.

 

[tx river rat]

Chuck all classes have to have bulkheads and hatches.
Ron

 

[john the pom]

If'n you're gonna get real nitty gritty on this then the first question has to be is there a min/max weight of paddler? As an example I cut an inch each off the height of the deck and the sides of a Laker. I coulda cut up to five or six inches, mebbe 8"! off easily and still had a serviceable boat with still some freeboard. I don't however weigh a great deal.
Regards John.

 

[graybeard]

I guess it depends on how far you're willing to stretch the rules.
Folding/scout/punkinseed kayak : http://www.instructables.com/id/Pumpkin ... il-away-a/
It's not skin on frame, it just has really wide tape on the seams :wink: If wood is not required, maybe the panels could be made of coroplast. Might have to call around to sign shops, so the shipping on a single sheet won't kill you.

 

[Steve]

How about stretchin' 'n' laminatin' with epoxy some brown kraft paper out over a build frame 'n' then coverin' it with some light weight (3.5 ounce) fiberglass? It'd be a wood composite. . . paper's made from wood. . . 'n' you could get much lighter than that. . .

 

[tx river rat]

Chuck
I know you build some boats out of 3 mm 1/8 ply and have strip built your perow. I got to thinking about a boat built from 1/8 strips ,it should be lighter and stiffer than the ply?
Ron

 

[oldsparkey]

Chuck
I know you build some boats out of 3 mm 1/8 ply and have strip built your perow. I got to thinking about a boat built from 1/8 strips ,it should be lighter and stiffer than the ply?
Ron

Not sure but is an interesting idea.
Using the strips they would need to be well secured to have them the same as a solid piece. Which makes me think the solid piece would be better unless you are going to overlap the strips to create a thicker area for more support ( Thickness) between them. I think they call it a lap sided boat.

That way you can have the thinner wood but with a 1/4 inch strip along each one for strength. I think ( will not swear to it ) about a 1/4 inch overlap which would give you a 1/4 inch reinforcement strip along each joint.

If you wanted to try it , the hull is where I would over lap them , the deck just butt them together and put on some light weight glass for support.

The strip Pirogue was 1/4 inch strips ( or there about ) in thickness and came out at 40 pounds..... The one out of the 1/8th inch wood came out at 32 pounds. Both were glassed on both sides.

Chuck.

 

[JEM]

1/8" strips will be very bendy unless you go with expensive s-glass or start fooling around with carbon fiber.

Depending on the design, you could go with standard thickness bottom and go a little light on the sides.

 

[tx river rat]

This boat will probably use 4 ounce s cloth.
Ron

 

[BEARS BUDDY]

Well, if you could find someone foolish, I mean skilled enough:

http://koti.kapsi.fi/hvartial/oss3/oss3.htm

Chop off a foot at either end. 5.2 mm plywood runs what about 15# a sheet?

Hey, I built that one! :mrgreen: Gave it to a neighborhood kid. One sheet of 1/2 ply with taped seams. No framing. A deck would allow 1/4 ply with some 1/2 x 3/4 ribs and deck beams.