JEM Watercraft

Not sure about the building boats and knowing what I am doing , all I can say is that they float.
Plus I paddle them on rivers with sand or mud bottoms and banks , normally the quiet water ( no rapids or rocks ) that we have here in Florida. I also tend to baby them and keep them out of harms way , when possible.

The 1/8th inch wood is a trick to work with and you do have to be a lot more careful with it then the 1/4 inch wood. Both during the build and then paddling.

You could compromise and do the bottom with 1/4 inch and the sides with 1/8th inch to cut down on some of the weight.

G'day Roger,

Mate, I bought some ply from Australian Wood Panels that they sell at 4mm "Luan" ply

It is in fact 3.6mm thick and the finish is almost as pretty as gaboon. The sheets are nominally about 2kg heavier than gaboon but about a quarter of the price.

The downside to them is the exterior veneers are paper thin and real care is needed when sanding if one is going for a timber finish.

When I get back into boat building, I will be using this stuff for as long as I can get it.

Thanks Mick,
I'll check out the Luan Ply. Dont know what the delivery cost to NSW Far South Coast would be though. I really do want a timber finish. The praise at the lauch site does wonders for the ego.
Roger.

Roger why were you interested in 1/8 ply - is it just for weight saving?

Roger why were you interested in 1/8 ply - is it just for weight saving?

Yes Bob. I'ld like to make it light so it will be easier for an old fart like me to lift it on the roof racks.
Roger

[quote="rodotYes Bob. I'ld like to make it light so it will be easier for an old fart like me to lift it on the roof racks.
Roger[/quote]

I can relate to that .

Lightness is one of the many good things about my Laker but I would like it even lighter still and when/if I build again I have a recipe worked out.

Glass will be 84g (about 2 1/2 oz) as used on the Laker. The stuff I bought is a bit pricey but is very good - wets out easily and conforms well. Lighter glass also cuts down on resin and considering it goes on both sides a lighter grade can make a noticeable difference.

Timber will be Paulownia strips glued into panels about 5mm thick. This stuff is less dense than WRC or Gaboon and reasonably priced. Last time I checked I could get quality Paulownia delivered to SA from northern NSW at about the same price as quality Gaboon ply (without transport cost). Obviously the Lauan will be cheaper but unless it has as many voids as mine (:roll: ) it will be noticeably heavier.

I believe this combination will be strong enough for most people. The thickness would give enough stiffness which is what we really want unless poking around in a lot of rocks in which case a second layer of glass on the bottom may be in order. Personally I would go with the lightest combination and add another layer if I struck wear problems.

In the end it depends on your intended use /budget etc but it is another option to consider.

Yes Bob, I was looking at the Paulownia and if I ever build a stripper that would be the way I would go. Not sure with a s&g Northwind though. There are a hell of a lot of panels and I reckon I'll stick with ply. Any added expense of lumber compared to the overall cost and effort involved seems justified.
There are a number of waterways around here in which access involves man handling kayaks down slopes and over logs etc where a 13 ft laker built lightwieght with ss&g paulownia would be ideal. I know that Matt will rightly err on the side of caution with the wieght of fibreglass, but it is up to the common sense of the user to handle a craft in the manner to which it is constructed. Yesterday I was paddling up some very skinny water and was suprised to come across a bloke paddling a K1 which looked like it was made of gossimer.
Cheers Roger

Just a little hint about running rocky rivers or any rough on the bottom kind of stuff . The outside is for ware the inside is for strength ,so two layers inside and one outside would be preferable
Ron
PS the last boat I built was a 16 ft western red cedar 6 ounce inside and out including both sides of decks and bulkheads Strip stich @ glue weighed 39 lbs and I wasnt trying to make it light.