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Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
By:Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks
Date: 9/22/2015, 2:05 pm

To keep the boat from tipping over. Bad idea?

It just wouldn't work. Sailboat keels create stability by hanging a lot of weight very low. This lowers the center of gravity. Lower center of gravity means higher stability. http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/guillemot/information/kayak_design/kayak_stability

A strip of wood along the bottom would actually raise the center of gravity slightly, so stability would be lower. The drag of the keel strip when tipping side-to-side might slow down the motion of the kayak when tipping, but would not stop it. You would just go swimming a little more slowly. This does allow more time to throw a brace, so may be of some minor benefit.

I'm also thinking I could glue under each edge (where the deck and hull meet) a 3' or so tube of closed-cell foam, as a sort of inboard outrigger.

This reads like you are proposing to glue the foam under the deck, inside the boat, which wouldn't do a thing for stability. Assuming you are thinking of gluing it on the outside of the hull just below the sheer line, you would get some increase in secondary stability. Essentially you are just making the boat wider. Wider kayaks are more stable.

If the foam is like a sponson, above the water when sitting level, the initial stability would not be changed. The kayak would still feel tippy, but when you started to capsize, the foam would provide some support. This may stop a capsize if there is enough foam. Otherwise it would again give you more time to throw a brace.

I also thought of using bamboo for an outrigger extension and/or the floats themselves.

Outriggers would work if strong enough and high enough buoyancy. Bigger volume means more buoyant. Foam or bamboo could each work.

Messages In This Thread

Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
John Bell -- 9/21/2015, 2:38 pm
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
Paul -- 9/21/2015, 3:13 pm
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
John Bell -- 9/21/2015, 3:24 pm
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
John Bell -- 9/21/2015, 4:01 pm
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
Etienne Muller -- 9/21/2015, 5:28 pm
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak *PIC*
Dan Thaler -- 9/21/2015, 5:34 pm
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
John Bell -- 9/21/2015, 5:36 pm
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 9/21/2015, 6:47 pm
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
John Bell -- 9/21/2015, 6:55 pm
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
Bill Hamm -- 9/21/2015, 10:41 pm
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
John Bell -- 9/22/2015, 7:19 am
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
Mike Bielski -- 9/22/2015, 7:53 am
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
John Bell -- 9/22/2015, 8:17 am
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
Bill Hamm -- 9/22/2015, 9:16 am
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
John Bell -- 9/22/2015, 9:22 am
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
Bill Hamm -- 9/22/2015, 9:25 am
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
Bill Hamm -- 9/21/2015, 5:58 pm
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
John Bell -- 9/21/2015, 6:49 pm
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
Dan Thaler -- 9/21/2015, 6:58 pm
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
John Bell -- 9/21/2015, 7:22 pm
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
Marc Upchurch -- 9/21/2015, 7:00 pm
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
John Bell -- 9/21/2015, 7:35 pm
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 9/21/2015, 7:54 pm
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
John Bell -- 9/21/2015, 8:04 pm
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
Bill Hamm -- 9/22/2015, 2:01 am
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
John Bell -- 9/22/2015, 7:31 am
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
Bill Hamm -- 9/22/2015, 9:17 am
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
John Bell -- 9/22/2015, 9:27 am
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
John Bell -- 9/22/2015, 9:41 am
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
Bill Hamm -- 9/22/2015, 4:34 pm
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
Bill Hamm -- 9/22/2015, 4:30 pm
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
John Bell -- 9/22/2015, 4:36 pm
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
Bill Hamm -- 9/22/2015, 7:12 pm
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
Marc Upchurch -- 9/21/2015, 10:24 pm
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
John Bell -- 9/22/2015, 7:21 am
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
Etienne Muller -- 9/22/2015, 5:05 am
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
Paul Sylvester -- 9/22/2015, 7:17 am
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
John Bell -- 9/22/2015, 8:27 am
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
John Bell -- 9/22/2015, 7:53 am
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
scottbaxter -- 9/22/2015, 8:42 am
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
John Bell -- 9/22/2015, 8:54 am
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 9/22/2015, 8:55 am
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
John Bell -- 9/22/2015, 9:11 am
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 9/22/2015, 12:59 pm
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
John Bell -- 9/22/2015, 1:28 pm
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 9/22/2015, 2:05 pm
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
John Bell -- 9/22/2015, 2:28 pm
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 9/22/2015, 3:29 pm
Re: Strip: Renovating 19-Foot Strip-Built Kayak
John Bell -- 9/22/2015, 3:50 pm