Backyard Renegade wrote:

Brian Nystrom wrote in message ...
Backyard Renegade wrote:

"Lefty" wrote in message . net...
I borrowed the book with this title (title of the thread)
from my cousin. It was written by Robert Morris of the
Brewery Creek Small Boat Shop. I wonder if any of you
have built using this book, or would recommend another
as an alternative or supplement?

I had thought of building a stitch-and-glue kayak kit as
my fist boatbuilding project, but now I'm leaning this
way. The anotomical design rules (based on hip width,
armspan, etc.) appeal to me (and will make a fast boat
for my 6' skinny self ;-), and I'm not sure I want to do
a lot of fiberglass work anyway.

Comments?

Fiberglass work such as stitch and tape is much easier and faster than
woodwork and joinery.

I beg to differ. SOF building is a series of very simple steps. Remeber, these boats were originally built using
nothing but stone/bone/shell tools and whatever wood happened to wash up on shore. The process is VERY forgiving,
because it had to be.

I could build a S&T with only stone, bone and shell tools, a few
intestines for mixing glue, and a few pieces of sinew (sp?) to hold
things together, if I had to... And still with much fewer pieces to
cut with the stone, bone and shell..

Uh...yeah...right. I'd pay to see that! ;-)

Having never built a skin on frame, I can only
say that there will probably less parts too in a S+T.

Absolutely, but I'm not sure why that matters. None of the parts in an SOF is complex. They don't need to be held
to anywhere near the level of dimensional exactitude required for S&G construction.

But there is really no level of dimensional exactitude required for
S&G. A 1/4" gap is perfectly acceptable when filled with thickened
epoxy in many areas of construction.

Acceptable to whom? Anyone can do a crappy job of building a kayak, regardless of the method employed (I have a
commercially made wood boat that's seriously lacking in construction quality). The point is that SOF construction
methods are very tolerant of variations without sacrificing the quality, appearance or performance of the final
product. One could argue that SOFs are more "primative", regardless of how well they're built, but that's the nature of
the beast. However, they give up nothing in terms of performance compared to S&G boats. It's also extremely easy to
custom tailor an SOF to the paddler, since it's an integral part of the construction method. It doesn't require CAD or
lofting skills to do so. But, I digress...

Hmmm. It's starting to sound like I'm trying to claim superiority for SOF boats, which is NOT my intent. 'Nuff said.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking S&G and plan to build at least a couple soon. There are definite advantages
to hard shell boats, which is why I own a few, including one S&G.

No problem at all, I am not a fanatic either. My dream boat is a 17
foot mass produced fiberglass kayak that I have been eyeing for a
couple of years, and I am constantly sending potential customers down
the street for other than wooden boats when I think a composite or
other construction would be a better tool for their needs.

I've got all the composite boats I need and really don't see myself buying more unless the manufacturers start
producing lower volume boats. There are several wood boats that I WILL eventually build. Perhaps after my current SOF
is finished, I'll...

--
Regards

Brian