: Hi Paul,
: No comments on why they're not built much. The ply that you use must be
: suitable for the purpose, which means higrade marine stuff (I was under
: the impression that most s&g plans spec this anyway). Having said that,
: take a look at www.stillwaterboats.com These boats are very nice and by
: all appearances, look pretty fast and easy to construct, and you end up
: with a quite nice looking boat. You didn't mention what type of boat your
: wanting to buld. They don't have any pure kayaks at stillwater, but the
: ones they have are great for quiet waters.
: good luck,.

NO comments on why they're not built much....." ????? Did you READ this thread?? It is no big deal, but I and many others DID make MANY comments on why they're NOT built much .....

Just looking at my post and PGJ's shows a LOT of info on why :

"I suspect the reasons for this method not being more popular (especially here in what is a forum for serious boat builders) is because of the following: It is very prone to ending up with a "twist" to the keel, perhaps this could be avoided but the method is not called "Tortured" for nothing. It is a rough and ready method for getting a little boat.

"It is less skill than just a matter of "torturing" the ply into something resembling a reasonable boat shape"

"it gets you a boat, but the boat it gets you is not really a boat that a boatbuilder would want. Again this is especially true when there are so many better choices and methods out there for a boatbuilder to pick from)."

And PGJ added:

"In two words, the term that answers most of the questions is: "developable surface". A flat sheet of paper, wood, steel, or aluminum can be bent into many simple curves, and also many complex curves. If you have a shape which can be made without stretching the material too much it is caled a developable
surface. Unfortunately not a lot of these shapes have good potential as efficient hull shapes.

"Even those compound shapes which DO have good potential for hulls frequently can not be made with a single layer of plywood, as the material must be so thick (for overall strength) that it can't be bent sufficiently without tearing or delaminating."

And PGJ even added the SAME point about why they're not built that you did:

"There are some specialty plywoods which are specially made for bending. These are usually rather expensive,"

And some more from PGJ:

"A few designers like to work with these limitations. Some have come up with some great ideas. And some other ideas are dogs.

"But, if you get past those problems -- and many people have -- it can be a quick job to make a few slices in a panel and bend it into a boat."

And there are too many other posts on this subject to mention them all. When people take the time to answer, it just struck me a strange to say ..."No comments....", Ha, Ha,

Joe