hello Rehd,

I was following this thread & @ some point it became boaring, so I moved on. today I happened to see your name on this thread, so I went into your post. I can't afford missing any of your posts.

I like what you posted. let me add my 2 cents. I will compare the situation to some other fields:

we are all correct: the kayaks we are building are pure shit ! they are pure shit because they can be done much better: satin glass, few glass layers, this or that type of wood, this or that type of epoxy, & probably some other parameter I missed.

I must admit, I didn't knew any of the stuff discussed in this thread, & now I do know it !

we are also correct ! the kayaks we built are great & wonderful, & statistics proves it. we didn't hear about any boat failure. so we are fine.

so what's the solution ? my solution is:

I need to mesure the level of the THREAT ! how big is the threat !?

I guess the seas/oceans/lakes/canals are not a real threat to the furnitures we build. the cold water or rough seas or whatever, will kill you when you are out of the kayak. you will drown, you will get hypothermic, you'll be eaten by gators, etc' etc', but your boat will survive. that's the way it usually is, so why bother with so much time/money/efforts ? after all it's just a hobby.

I think the baby killer lost some sense of scale.

one of my sins is being a mountain biker. I own bike. they cost $xxx . I CAN get a more expensive pair of bike, their frame will be lighter, they will have titanium brakes bla bla bla. will I get these bike ? no! why not ? because the bikes I have are light enough/expensive enough/"cool" enough FOR ME ! I'm not competing in any olympic games. when I will, my bikes will not be good enough, & a larger investment WILL be justified. right now... I looooove my bike, me & my bike are the 2nd best combination in the universe ! (the 1st is me & my kayak) .

few months ago I visited a friend in L.A. he asked me to help him with a business plan he was writing for a new business he was starting, & I did, to the best of my knowledge.

After few months I talk with the man. Although he understands & agrees with all the business plan we wrote, he doesn't really follow it. why not ? because there isn't much competition in that market! he's doing well enough without being "scientifically accurate". being "practically accurate" is good enough for him because he gets his market share anyway.

we are similar. our kayaks are on the water. the ocean can't break them, so why bother with more time/money/efforts ? yea, they are a little havier, but we are ok with it.

our (mine & yours) safety bottle neck is personal safety! & we do put efforts into it. we use dry bags/wet suits/dry suits/flares/vhf radios/practice rolls/ u name it....

with limited resources, you have to concentrate on the bottleneck. I guess the people with the "perfect kayaks" are more concerned about "babies on the deck". I also guess they have more resources than me & you. such resources can be money/time/patience not to finish your boat & going with it to the water...

I say, let the boys play. I don't care how they say it, I only care about what they say, because that's what I learn from.

when the ocean will take my kayak & the "perfect kayak" & hit them against rocks, I'm not worried....he will brake both!!

part of the discussion was about the weight/strength curve. I tell you, I don't have the guts to weigh my boat, the amount of pounds will be to much for my brain to handle.

but it paddles great!

take care

erez