Russ

I am refering to a white water kayak, wich will not be used in such severe situations as you have described. I would like to do mostly touring on river and some surfing. The river close by to me have a max of a class 2 possibly 3 rapid at hi water. I was considering a wood frame covered with shrinkable fabric and covers with a rubberized material. but I am interested in kevlar lamination method this may be somthing that would work for me.

Thanks doug
: Doug,
: The question is what do you mean by a river or sport kayak? There are many
: touring or sea kayak plans that work well in rivers. In fact almost any
: touring boat will work on a channeled river.

: If however, you are talking about building a white water kayak..... Then your
: right you don't see much on that for the simple reason that wooden boats
: covered with glass are not well suited to being cut hacked and slashed by
: rocks. This is not to say such boats haven't been built. They have but
: they require a lot of fix it later work, and that means sanding below the
: glass to fix structure at the wood level and then reglassing.

: As one who both sea kayaks and who white water kayaks. The simple truth is
: its hard to spend a year building a boat that will be beat up to the point
: of structural failure. When there are other materials plastic kevlar glass
: layups that are better adapted to surviving the pounding grinding and
: cutting that a white water boat gets.

: When I am playing in white water jumping water falls and slamming up against
: cucumber rock... falling off of hydrolics onto knife edge rocks..That I do
: in composite layups.
: Hope this helps
: !RUSS