Maxi-Mac, 14′ drift boat. Designed and built by Paul Butler, Butler designs. Photo by Paul Butler.
Maxi-Mac
Category Archives: Canoe & Kayak Construction
Serendipity
Yother’s Canoe
18′ canoe–John Yother/Whistling Moose Studio designer/builder, 1998.
Loss of Stiffness in Small Boat Performance
by Meade Gougeon — GBI Founder
Above: The singlehanded sailing skiff SWIFT SOLO by Bram Dally was part of his design quest to prevent loss of stiffness in small boats.
Cover Photo: The SWIFT SOLO is a single-handed skiff built by Bram Dally. Stiff, durable hulls are crucial to skiff speed.
One of the little-known or understood characteristics of modern fiber-reinforced plastic composites is the loss of some initial stiffness capability after repeated cyclic loading. Loss of stiffness can be significant enough to cause a noticeable effect on performance, depending upon laminate makeup and degree of cyclic loading. Continue reading
Readers’ Project, Issue 21
Wooden Runabout
Mark Bronkalla of Waukesha, Wisconsin, built this Glen-L Riviera wooden runabout using WEST SYSTEM Epoxy. The Riviera is a 20′ double cockpit traditionally styled wooden runabout. It was built with cold molded construction techniques (epoxy and wood laminations). Top speed as measured by a GPS is 53 mph! For construction photos and building information, visit www.bronkalla.com.
Readers’ Projects, Issue 20
Restoration of Pacific Class sailboats
These 31-10 Pacific Class sailboats appeared in Epoxyworks in 18, Fall 2001. They were being rescued and restored by a dedicated group in San Diego, California. John Sutphen, who was involved in the project, sent the photo (below) of one of the restored Pacific Class boats under sail: the reward of hard work and dedication.
Readers’ Projects, Issue 19
Ed Van Kirk’s Guillemot Kayak
This Guillemot kayak (left) is the work of Ed Van Kirk of Constantine, Michigan. Ed built both of these kayaks of redwood and sugar pine, using Nick Shade’s book The Strip-Built Sea Kayak as a reference. The double-seater is a Guillemot kayak, 20′ long with a 30″ beam and weighs 73 lb. The single-seater is a Little Auk kayak, 10′ long with a 29″ beam and weighs 43 lb. Ed has also built a 14′ Wee Lassie Two. Continue reading
Laminated Canoe Construction Gives Lasting Value
John McKibbin sent pictures of his refinished 18′ laminated canoe. He built it back in 1976 using cold-molded, that is, laminated composite construction, with WEST SYSTEM® epoxy. Laminating a hull is similar to making your own plywood on a three-dimensional mold. While it may take more time and effort to make a laminated hull, the results are well worth it. Continue reading
Carrying Place Canoe & Boat Works
Designers and Builders of Fine Cedar Canoes
Now in their 25th year, Carrying Place, Canoe & Boatworks Limited is still producing high quality canoes, kits, plans and accessories for the discriminating paddle sport enthusiast. All of their plans have been designed or lofted by Joe Ziemba, and each design is enhanced through a special computer program. Continue reading
A Kayak with a Message
Clark Eid, a research investigator for Bristol-Myers Squibb in Connecticut, has a daughter named Amanda who suffers from Rett Syndrome. Rett Syndrome strikes about one in 10,000 children, and resources for research are limited in the United States. So Clark built a kayak named Double Helix and organized Continue reading