Re: Weights: Fact or Fict

Posted by Kurt Maurer on Jul 10, 2006

That's what I thought. Seems most folks are looking at excess epoxy as the culprit on overweight boats. Hardware comes in a close second, but it's mostly epoxy.

My conviction on this point is part of how I became (in)famous for things like railing against end pours (I fit carved cedar blocks to minimize schmoo usage)... And how I tote 36-lb fully-featured yaks around. Full strippers, S&G, doesn't matter. In fact, my lightest kayak happens to be a hybrid, at 35 lbs. All I really do to achieve my results is watch my epoxy use like a hawk.

What LeeG and others say is legendary in commercial industry... even aviators routinely shake their heads at performance specs given for general aviation aircraft (the Piper Apache's specs are still hotly debated 45 years later). And when talking about something like Perception Kayaks and "Aerolite", well, you can see that coming a mile away. Better get a scale.

But I just can't see CLC as a typical commercial industry, not in the tight little market they're in. And now, I've actually hung out in their shop a little, and have seen for myself what they're doing there (in a word, no surprises). Having spent time with The Gang, I believe they would all much rather publish a heavier weight than have trouble looking a customer in the eye when they speak. But then, it's true that they have a ton of building experience, and this ought to be kept in mind.

Anyway, I believe those numbers are plenty fair, and most likely are for any provider of boat kits and/or plan sets. My own experience with 7 boats, 2 of which are CLC designs, forms the opinion.

Cheers, Kurt

In Response to: Re: Weights: Fact or Fict by Kyle T on Jul 10, 2006

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