…about boats. The interview with Nev in the latest Surfing sparked my interest in just how strong this new technology is. My obsession is very technical shallow water fishing. Today’s flats boats are made of kevlar / carbon fiber sandwich construction, but I need something lighter. I need a flats boat that floats in mere inches of water and glides forever with the slightest push of a push-pole. The Surftech and Solomon technology is already nearly strong enough to build flats boats with, and what Bert Burger, Nev, Greg Loehr, etc. have been developing (developed?) has really got me excited. I imagine the recipe will be slightly different than that of a board, because flexibility is a non-issue, and strength is first and foremost. I plan on spending a lot of time on this forum and elsewhere researching, and eventually building my dream boat. What do yall think? Am I crazy or could it just might work? Thanks for any advice.
Do it, just do it…
Take pictures…
Report back here…
Definetly doable, research is key though, and ask questions when research falls short. Thats what this place is all about.
What you seek to do has been done. A pioneer big wave rider from La Jolla, Alan Nelson, built several flat bottom, small Banks Dories that drew only 3 or 4 inches of water. 3/8" to 1/2" thick foam sheets were placed over a male mold and glassed with either poly or epoxy. Outside first, then pulled off the mold and glassed inside. 12’ to 16’ long, one man could carry one over his head. Alan did this in the mid to late 70’s. He also designed and built a composit aircraft called the Dragonfly in the same time period. I consider him to be a design genius. He was among that small group of men that were the first to ride Waimea in the winter of 1957.
I’m happy to hear the support, cause I’m going to need. Off to do some discussion searches…
RTaylor:
See Maona’s thread on “Fishboard layup help”. He makes a fishing surfboard that can float in 3-4" of water with big two guys on it. It is EPS/Epoxy/Sandwich construction. We use this in surf and on the sand flats with no problems. It’s carried on roof top racks and can be launched just about anywhere. It like building a large surfboard. I hope this can provide you with some ideas.
Aloha,
D
I have been thinking of making a light canoe that could double as a flats boat. I have seen small flats boats that are basically a flat back canoe with a slightly wider center and outline.
I see the problem in weight of most pop out boats is due to fiberglass mat and a lot of resin.
Build a plug for the hull, glass it lightly, pop it off the plug mold, insert dense foam ribs/stringers into your hull(like divinicell), glass lightly again to seal the foam, build a light platform to stand on, a fuel tank, mount a motor, and go fish. In canoe form you should only draw 1" of water with a fairly wide flat bottom.
This basic method can produce a light boat, flats worthy, and can be found in Building Your Kevlar Canoe: A Foolproof Method and Three Foolproof Designs by James Moran.