Tag Archives: Chris Maples

Bonding a Skeg to a Polyethylene Kayak

By Chris Maples

Editor’s note: this article was written in 2000, years before we formulated G/Flex 655 epoxy which has superior performance with plastics. The basic plastic boat bonding methods described here still represent best practices, but for optimal results use these methods with G/flex 655 epoxy on plastics.

The hull shape of a white water kayak is not designed for tracking well in open water. Since I do most of my kayaking on open water and flatter rivers, I decided to mount a skeg on the hull to make it track better. This is pretty simple if you own a wood or fiberglass boat, but can be more challenging on a polyethylene kayak. Continue reading

Restoring the Gaff Rigged Sloop REEB

By Chris Maples

The gaff-rigged sloop REEB (Beer spelled backwards) was one of three wooden day sailers built in 1922 for a resort in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. My father purchased it in 1953 and raced and day sailed it for several years along the Door Peninsula. In 1958, he obtained a job at the Defoe Shipyard in Bay City, Michigan; with no means of trailering the REEB, he decided to sail it to Bay City. Continue reading