Re: Issaquah 14
Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2009 8:31 am
Again, I like your analytical mind. I hadn't thought of placing buoyancy chambers low; I thought only in cubic feet of displacement.
You're right, I did double up the plywood in the middle, as that is the point of most stress if a boat is caught and trying to be bent double.
My spacers were cut from a 1" wide strip, that was about 1/2" thick. When I bent over to find a piece of wood to use, that one was the closest. (So much for analytical thinking, ehh?) It was too thick. I have two lines of spacers, one along the upper edge of the 4" strip of plywood inwhale, and the other along the bottom edge. They are set with the hypotenuse along those edges, and spaced alternately. A spacer on top, a gap on top, with a bottom spacer in that gap, etc.
This arrangement is a very stiff beam. My thwarts are lines, tied across from gunnel to gunnel. Unless a boat is being crushed sideways, there is no need for a stick in there to fight compression forces. Boats are usually in a situation where the ends are being folded toward each other, thus widening the boat more open. In that situation, the sides are pulling apart from each other, and a thwart is fighting tension. So, a lightweight line does the job for a tension load.
As I said earlier (I think) I drilled holes into each spacer, in an SPAM retentive attempt to lighten my boat. Probably got a whole 4-5 ounces off there! Anytheway, I also glued two of these to the floor of the boat, as cargo tie down points. These are placed just ahead of where my feet rest when I paddle in the center seat. I lash gear in the front, going back and forth between the gunnels. But, that leaves an opening at the back end of the load, so I run lines down to hose two tie down points to close it off, trying to keep gear from floating out in case of capsize. Cargo in the rear is contained end wise, by the stem end and the seat.
My Granddaughter sits in the very bow of the boat, in a stadium seat. As I age out of this boat, she is aging into it. I'm 71 now, and she's 8. In two weeks will be her third, week long river trip with us. She has a few day trips under her PFD too. She will be paddling some this trip. No little kids paddle anymore, a 220 cm kayak paddle like her Grandpa this year. I'll have to keep a weather eye out for the fast moving ends of that paddle, I expect.
You're right, I did double up the plywood in the middle, as that is the point of most stress if a boat is caught and trying to be bent double.
My spacers were cut from a 1" wide strip, that was about 1/2" thick. When I bent over to find a piece of wood to use, that one was the closest. (So much for analytical thinking, ehh?) It was too thick. I have two lines of spacers, one along the upper edge of the 4" strip of plywood inwhale, and the other along the bottom edge. They are set with the hypotenuse along those edges, and spaced alternately. A spacer on top, a gap on top, with a bottom spacer in that gap, etc.
This arrangement is a very stiff beam. My thwarts are lines, tied across from gunnel to gunnel. Unless a boat is being crushed sideways, there is no need for a stick in there to fight compression forces. Boats are usually in a situation where the ends are being folded toward each other, thus widening the boat more open. In that situation, the sides are pulling apart from each other, and a thwart is fighting tension. So, a lightweight line does the job for a tension load.
As I said earlier (I think) I drilled holes into each spacer, in an SPAM retentive attempt to lighten my boat. Probably got a whole 4-5 ounces off there! Anytheway, I also glued two of these to the floor of the boat, as cargo tie down points. These are placed just ahead of where my feet rest when I paddle in the center seat. I lash gear in the front, going back and forth between the gunnels. But, that leaves an opening at the back end of the load, so I run lines down to hose two tie down points to close it off, trying to keep gear from floating out in case of capsize. Cargo in the rear is contained end wise, by the stem end and the seat.
My Granddaughter sits in the very bow of the boat, in a stadium seat. As I age out of this boat, she is aging into it. I'm 71 now, and she's 8. In two weeks will be her third, week long river trip with us. She has a few day trips under her PFD too. She will be paddling some this trip. No little kids paddle anymore, a 220 cm kayak paddle like her Grandpa this year. I'll have to keep a weather eye out for the fast moving ends of that paddle, I expect.
