Re: weight reduction tech

Posted by Kyle T on Jun 3, 2005

Awesome J.

I have just completed (and raced) two tandems made completely of 3mm ply and using many of the tips posted here and a few of my own. One of the many things I did was to build without the deck beams and then add a few pairs of strips as you did for additional support in the expanse between the two cockpits.

Before adding the 2-ton rudder system the 20-foot tandems weighed in at only 36 lbs each. And like your boat I found the four panel hulls to be surprisingly stiff and strong.

Our lightweight 24-inch wide tandem was right at home in the gulf last weekend for the first 18-mile leg of the 340-mile adventure race. We needed the spray skirts several times when we punched through a few larger waves or boat wakes. These were handled with ease and we were light enough to ride over most anything else. No creaking or flexing just riding through like any 4mm hull would. The first (of many) portages we had to make was what made the build worth the effort. It was only 70 yards long from the gulf to an inner coastal waterway but at 40 lbs less weight to carry than most of our competition it was no problem and our arms were not blown out by the time we were back to paddling. Even the teams with expensive Kevlar kayaks were quite envious.

My next build will be a Cormorant built with the same materials and techniques. I�m hoping to get it in at under 30 LBS completely outfitted.

--KT--

In Response to: Re: weight reduction tech by J.Schott on Jun 2, 2005

Replies:

• Re: weight reduction tech by LeeG on Jun 4, 2005
  • Re: weight reduction tech by Kyle T on Jun 4, 2005
    • Re: weight reduction tech by LeeG on Jun 4, 2005
    • Re: weight reduction tech by LeeG on Jun 4, 2005
      • Re: weight reduction tech by LeeG on Jun 4, 2005