Introduction to Composite boatbuilding
Do you sometimes feel like a cantankerous old man, shaking his fist at the kayak industry? “I could totally build a better playboat than that!” you might yell from your porch, or perhaps “What I want to paddle is the gliss monkey hull with the edges of a skunk rocker!” Are you fed up enough to finally do something? Are you ready to put your money where your mouth is? Well, in that case, prepare for a mind-blowing introduction to the incredible world of homemade composite kayaks.
Personally I started building custom composite boats because I am too tall to fit in production boats. I fit in the 2010 Monstar, but it wasn’t comfortable. I also fit in the Fluid Element, but that’s… a very special case. I needed something short but big. I saw a few other pro paddlers building their own boats, and I figured, hey - how hard can it be?
Oh, looking back on those foolish days of my youth, those two or three long years ago.
In a series of articles on this blog, I will try to express and pass on the meager amount of misinformed experience that I have accumulated. I make no claim to be a professional. I imagine a lot of my advice will, in fact, be completely wrong. However, if I could build a boat or two with only this much knowledge, imagine how well you could do! Really, the beautiful thing about composites is that you can produce something with only a moderate amount of experience and effort. More effort and experience can eventually produce a great work of art like a Murky Waters boat, or a Featherweight. But watching youtube videos and working in your garage can get you something that floats. (Disclaimer: some of my boats don’t float.) Some of these articles will be instructional, but some will merely recount what I did and why.
2: Building the Slug: In which I do battle with a measuring tape and some insulation foam and build my first boat.
3: Resins for the clueless: In which we get a couple of the basics straightened out, which I maybe should have paid attention to 6 years ago.
Stay tuned for more.
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| Exact same idea, but for boat design versus boating experience. I'm going to build a Stinger with the rocker profile of the Jed and the bow of a Scud! From SMBC |
Personally I started building custom composite boats because I am too tall to fit in production boats. I fit in the 2010 Monstar, but it wasn’t comfortable. I also fit in the Fluid Element, but that’s… a very special case. I needed something short but big. I saw a few other pro paddlers building their own boats, and I figured, hey - how hard can it be?
Oh, looking back on those foolish days of my youth, those two or three long years ago.
 |
| The Slug, my first homemade boat. |
In a series of articles on this blog, I will try to express and pass on the meager amount of misinformed experience that I have accumulated. I make no claim to be a professional. I imagine a lot of my advice will, in fact, be completely wrong. However, if I could build a boat or two with only this much knowledge, imagine how well you could do! Really, the beautiful thing about composites is that you can produce something with only a moderate amount of experience and effort. More effort and experience can eventually produce a great work of art like a Murky Waters boat, or a Featherweight. But watching youtube videos and working in your garage can get you something that floats. (Disclaimer: some of my boats don’t float.) Some of these articles will be instructional, but some will merely recount what I did and why.
The Articles:
1: Composite boat repair for the clueless: In which I smash open my bow and ALSO MY MIND! And begin learning about composites.2: Building the Slug: In which I do battle with a measuring tape and some insulation foam and build my first boat.
3: Resins for the clueless: In which we get a couple of the basics straightened out, which I maybe should have paid attention to 6 years ago.
Stay tuned for more.
Sounds easy. How come it slugs?
ReplyDeleteHi, just found this blog! I've been wanting to do this for ages.. can I just ask, in terms of weight, how did the composite boat feel/paddle in comparison to the original plastic element? Was the weight reduction worth the effort building it? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI only had the composite element, but it turned out the slug was quite a bit lighter (and also way more fragile). This was way way lighter than a plastic boat. My main benefits were the customization and the stiffness. Light weight was a nice bonus.
DeleteOh and yeah it was worth it for me.
DeleteThank you Leif, can you confirm what layup you used (i.e. how many layers and weight/type of fabric/resin. The Mega surf kayaks use a mixture of 450g CSM, 265g woven roving, and 200g carbon fibre. I'm thinking of copying this layup with a bit more strengthening on the hull.
Delete