: I am assuming that Nick has used the Kevlar on the
: "inside" of the canoe and not the outside. Kevlar will
: hold up better than glass on the floor of the canoe, which is
: more susceptible to wear from feet grinding dirt onto and into
: its surface. I used Kevlar for the cockpit floor of the VJ (my
: Waters Dancing Lightning 17) for that reason. I recall someone
: here mentioning that over a few years, his heels had dug into or
: through the glass of his cockpit floor to expose the wood. I
: have not had any problems using Kevlar. Considering that it is
: my expedition kayak and has seen a lot of punishment, it is
: holding up well. The extra weight I suffer for using it seems to
: be well worth the trouble. That said, for a light use craft, I
: see no reason why not to use 6-oz glass. I will probably use my
: left over Kevlar for Linda's WD Solace 16 since I have it laying
: around, assuming there is enough to use. If I don't have enough
: to cover the entire cockpit floor, I will at least use it under
: the footpegs to keep wear and tear to a minimum. My $0.02 worth.

: Construction on Linda's Waters Dancing Solace 16 and Keith's WD
: Solace 17 is going well. I have removed the wires from the hull
: after gluing the deck together and removing it. For the rest of
: the week Keith (WD Solace 17) and I will get his kayak prepped
: (remove wires and deck) and start filling holes in preparation
: for glassing the outside of the hulls. I was looking at the
: panels of both hulls and now realize that taping them on the
: inside only will probably add just as much weight as glassing
: the entire inside of the hull: too many seams due to narrower
: and more hull panels. Gonna have to think this one through.

: Robert N Pruden

: Robert N Pruden

Biggest problem for me in the past few years is the cost of Kevlar, I just checked and standard 60" cloth is still around $27 a yard from Sweet's Composites, most other places have it at around $45 a yard. Way to pricy for me.

That and it would be a crime to build a mahogany boat canoe and end up with a yellowish inside.

Bill H.