Skin On Frame Kayaks Using Composite Materials

Forword

2011-12-13T19:15:00.000-08:00

So how do you go from seat of your pants, by some tools and materiality and hope for the best to a planed project which others can repeat and get the exact same result?

I have designed all sorts of widgets and gadgets for the automotive aftermarket. Usual you have a document, statement of work or a napkin sketch of what the part needs to be based on all sorts of information. You know that item "needed" fits in a space that exists and the part has so much space, so much in out, and it has to perform some task. Believe it or not that makes design quite easy.

My Kayak interest started after several shows and lifting several 50 lbs boats and then looking at some slightly lighter stitch and glue plywood ones 35 to 38 lbs. Then my Dad decided to go with two PU Polyurethane Molded commercial kayaks tipping the barroom scale at 45 lbs each. Portaging them up to the lake was an adventure in it self. Our Fold Boat started to look good to me and it was like 70 lbs.

With all the draw backs associated with the wait and the price of the stitch and glue kits around $900, fold-able from $1500 to $3000 and the commercial products up to $5000. It became my objective to create a solution which would give me the lightest craft possible, along the way create a process which combines the old Eskimo concepts and methods of constructing a boat all the while bring the latest and greatest technology and materials of today onto the playing field.

2011-12-13T16:47:00.000-08:00

After completing several designs to the point of a construction possible boat, with all components laid out, I have come to the conclusion that the most of what is out there, books, blogs, web pages and the like is for nostalgic recreation of history or of the few people looking to indulge a hobby. The commercial manufactures design because they have to mass produce and need consistent product every time and in volume. I am looking to fill the gap between both.

So the plan is to step through the design process of one SOF Skin on frame including options for who can make the parts, where to get materials and the software needed.

2011-12-05T17:50:00.001-08:00

Well one frame compete.

2011-11-25T12:46:00.001-08:00

Most books and all the relay good kit type product/designers providers like www.guillemot-kayaks.com Nick Schade, his brother Eric www.shearwater-boats.com and www.kudzucraft.com Jeff Horton that the fraim and skin kayak was not so much a design as a combination of necessity, available materials, how those materials can / could be constructed into a sea worthy craft based on the physical measurments of the paddler and the paddlers needs.

So I ran though all the books and started thinking, what would an Eskimo do if he had an mechinical maufacturing engenering education, access to a CAD workstation, CNC cutting equipment and composit, resin, fibergals, carbon fiber and high pwerformance polyester fabric.

So this Ukrainian Jewish Eskimo will describe the basis of the how to take a picture and make a compost Greenland SOF

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2011-11-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

Wood, Sinew and skin material, even if the skin is nylon or polyester, are still like using a type writer when you have a new laptop. Before the purists run for the pitchforks wood and sinew is where it all started. Eskimo figured out that you do not need a rigid boat to have a reliable craft. Much to the contradiction of the proponents of production plastic craft and strip built or stitch and glue a skin on frame boat douse not resist the energy it encounters it works with it.

My interest was to use materials I had access to and were complements to the materiel that were historical being relapsed.

First entry more to follow.