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I feel the boat I ended up with is far superior to any boat I could buy (aside from laying down $8,000 for a Montana Boutbuilders boat). It is lighter and better than any large scale production boat I've seen. The design is a good all around boat. The stern has plenty of buoyancy to support a stern angler. The sides are high enough to keep it dry, yet it is not too bad in the wind. The amount of rocker seems to be a good compromise between draft, tracking, and maneuverability. What I like most about the boat is the light weight. Some people may disagree but, in my opinion, the most important feature of any boat is keeping the weight to a minimum while maintaining strength. Solid glass boats are strong, but they are very heavy too. Epoxy/plywood composite has the best stength to weight ratio of any material available to the home builder (except for some cored composites). At 258 lbs. fully rigged (I weighed it) the boat is nearly 100 lbs lighter than a comparable commercial boat and therefore: 1) Draws less water; 2)Is easier to row, launch, load, etc; 3)Can hold that much more cargo load. When I add knee braces it will probably come up to around 270 lbs When you think about it, lighter boats carry less inertia down river so, when you impact a rock, the boat "feels" less stress. When high-centered on a rock less energy has to be absorbed by the boat bottom before you float off because you weight less and draw less water. Some people claim to like some weight for heavy white water. I think this is mostly bullsh*t. Granted, weight/inertia may be good for busting through big waves and holes and not getting tossed around. But, big waves are only one river hazard and not the necessarily the worst. Quick maneuvering to avoid hazzards is more important and then the responsiveness of a light boat is a big advantage. Besides your design busts through waves just fine. The plans and instructions are good. I changed a few things like the interior, gunnels, oarlocks, and added a flat floor up front. In retrospect I might stick closer to the interior you show. The only other major deviation is that I used S-glass instead of E-glass. I also used carbon fiber and kevlar in some locations. The S-glass fiber is more expensive but because you can use a lighter weight cloth it soaks up less resin so maybe it isn't much more cost. All the little ouces of weight saved here and there add up. The only suggestions I have for your plans is: You don't need to build all those temporary ribs. I only used stations 1,2,4,6, 8. It worked fine. Next time I will probably go with some type of balsa or other cored construction and forget the bright finish which is alot of work Thanks. Ryan. |
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