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Skin-on-Frame: Rec Boat with Dacron/Vectracloth Skin *PIC*
By:Dan Caouette (CSFW)
Date: 1/28/2011, 5:17 am

Not sure if I posted this or not last year...

This is a little rec boat I built for the family in the fall of 2009 but only launched it last summer. It's a SOF version of my old Saco 12 rec boat (you can see Lena putting some paddles into it). I've learned a lot about boat design since that boat (built in 2005). I narrowed it down, made it longer and made the baidarka-like stern more apparent. It really transformed the boat. It's much easier to paddle at cruising speeds. It's not quite as stable (relatively speaking... I can stand in the old boat).

The hull has the Dacron/Vectracloth skin system I adapted from Bill Hamm. It's a tough system with a weight equal to that of 12oz polyester. It's amazing how much resin that 4oz Vectracloth soaks up. Rugged though... except for the paint. I painted the bottom with some Brightsides urethane that was left over from a previous project. The paint was pretty useless. Now I'd finish it with some UV resistant epoxy and call it good. Did the Vectra provide any more toughness for the added weight than just a layer of fiberglass (like Bill uses)? Hard to say. My daughter's new boat is getting Dacron/fg for a comparison.

The deck was a layer of Dacron with Walmart cotton/polyester fabric. Laminated with epoxy and protected with a clear urethane.

Messages In This Thread

Skin-on-Frame: Rec Boat with Dacron/Vectracloth Skin *PIC*
Dan Caouette (CSFW) -- 1/28/2011, 5:17 am
pic of bare frame *NM* *PIC*
Dan Caouette (CSFW) -- 1/28/2011, 5:18 am
Re: Skin-on-Frame: Rec Boat with Dacron/Vectraclot
Bill Hamm -- 1/28/2011, 7:50 am
Re: Skin-on-Frame: Rec Boat with Dacron/Vectraclot
Bill Hamm -- 1/28/2011, 8:14 am
Re: Skin-on-Frame: Rec Boat with Dacron/Vectraclot
Dan Caouette (CSFW) -- 1/29/2011, 6:26 am
Re: Skin-on-Frame: Rec Boat with Dacron/Vectraclot
Bill Hamm -- 1/29/2011, 6:56 am
Re: Skin-on-Frame: Rec Boat with Dacron/Vectraclot
Dave Gentry -- 1/28/2011, 10:39 am
Re: Skin-on-Frame: Rec Boat with Dacron/Vectraclot
Dan Caouette (CSFW) -- 1/29/2011, 6:12 am
Re: Skin-on-Frame: Rec Boat with Dacron/Vectraclot
Bill Hamm -- 1/29/2011, 6:58 am
Re: Skin-on-Frame: Rec Boat with Dacron/Vectraclot
Dan Caouette (CSFW) -- 1/29/2011, 10:56 am