: Just a thought, but why not build the pontoons from scaled down plans of the
: original kayak. Might not be easy but would look great. you could use
: smaller-thinner strips.or use the Bearboats kayak designer to design your
: own.

while the result might look pretty, I don't think this would be a good idea.

Every aspect of the design of your kayak's hull had a good reason, or was a "best choice" compromise when the intention was to use the boat as a kayak.

It would be hard to think of a single aspect that would remain the same when you are designing a pontoon.

for example: in selecting a kayak you chose the hull shape -- length and width -- with the compromise of stability, vs speed vs displacement and draft vs wetted area. If you have big feet you got a higher deck. If you have a big backside you built a wider boat and a wider cockpit. You may have wanted a wider bow to give increased flotation when bashing through waves, or a narrower one for greater speed.

None of that applies for a pontoon. you just want good flotation with minimal wind and water resistance, so go for an optimal shape. A tube is good, a triangle is good.

Since you don't need to put a paddler in your pontoon you don't need to worry about making it wide enough for anyone's hips -- so go narrow and get less water resistance.

Your kayak design has a lot of complicated curves. these take time to make as you need diferent forms at each station, and the strips must be individually fitted. A cylindrical pontoon is relatively quick to make, and so is a triangular one.

I would NOT use thinner strips on a pontoon. Make it as durable as the rest of the boat. If I needed 3/16 or 1/4 inch strips on the boat then I certainly would not want to use thinner ones on a pontoon. If the pontoon gets punctured it becomes an anchor. If I am not getting into complicated curves then I don't need narrower ones, either, so I'd stay with "standard" strips.

So, pontoon shapes for pontoons and kayak shapes for kayaks, and rowboat shapes for rowboats, etc.

Of course, if you want to get artsy, you could always make your pontoons in the shape of a 18th century British navy frigate. You could even put in workable miniature cannon and fire salutes at passing motorboats. (Just be sure the cannon are pointing away from you when you set them off.)

As for asymetrical pontoons, I can't see the great advantage when used on kayaks. if you want them to serve the purpose of lee boards i should think you would want them to be rather flat and go into the water a bit, not float on the surface.

If you want asymetrical pontoons for steering, I think you are designing beyond your needs. Just mount your symmetrical pontoon at a slight angle.,For example, make it nose in, or nose out a bit. You could even mount it in such a way that you could fine tune the angle while you were out on the water. It would be more like an adjustable skeg than a rudder, but it would help you to go in straight lines.

PGJ