Hi Rehd,
So far so good with the work shelter. There has been some very strong winds, heavy rain etc but it has still held. Would have put in the last strip on the hull last night if it wasn't for visitors

To break the blandness of the Paulownia I have followed your N.o. 2 thought. The shear line is dark cedar, then Paulownia to the waterline. The waterline itself is also dark cedar and most of the hull is light cedar. On the football of the hull there are now 2 half moon shapes of Paulownia(5 strips at its widest). The external stems will be dark Cedar to frame the Paulownia on the sides. The contrast looks good. Even with vast amounts of white wood a kayak can still look great if something is there to break the eye. Think of the deck of The King on Redfish's site.

I plan on getting this yak to a weight of around 15kg - 18kg fully outfitted. With 100% Paulownia I think you could make a yak even lighter then this. It would be a good wood to use for a racer where looks and impact resistance don't matter. Aihe (the name of the NH) will have 2-3 layers of 100 gram cloth on the football area and 2 layers behind and in front of the cockpit (for rescues) the rest will be just one layer of 100g inside and out.

Not sure what the deck design will be since I'm now thinking of inlaying some sort of dolphin in it. Most of the deck will be white Paulownia. Like with the hull the kayak will probably "tell" me what to do and the design will just develop on its own.

Six shots left in the camera then I'll be able to get the film developed and photos posted.

When I was 1st looking for Paulownia here I approached 5 timber merchants. 4 said that they don't stock it and one said it wasn't available in NZ! Keep looking you will eventually come across a small plantation owner who mills his own trees. I will email the local supplier to see if Rod has a US contact.

Cheers
GrantG

: Hey Grant

: How's the Night Heron coming? That shed still holding the rain out?

: My thoughts were: 1) build the hull from Paulownia, glass it and covering it
: with paint.
: 2) keep it bright and looking plain with some type of waterline or sheer
: design.
: 3) do the whole boat with this bland color and do trim all over. The solid
: color background makes the trim all the more affective.

: I think the idea with this wood would be the light-weight structure more than
: anything else. I don't think that it's slightly lower strengths would be a
: problem, with the right layup ( extra or heavier glass in strategic places
: ).
: Although that may be a no-gain situation with that sort of trade off, it
: would still be worth a try just to find out.

: I guess the big problem over here is going to be actually finding it. And if
: it IS available, what will be the ultimate price difference between that
: and what we are already using. ???

: I've emailed two of the big suppliers that I know of on the west coast (
: Calif. ) and asked about availability, price and shipping. So, we shall
: see.

: Hope all's progressing well over there..

: Rehd

: P.S. ( so far the Hoop-House has done well with a couple of gusty breezes,
: but again, it is rather sheltered where it's at. I'm going to get that
: small tarp for the doorway today and toss a couple of bug-bombs in before
: closing it up, just to get rid of the little critters that may be thinking
: of taking up residence in there )