JEM Watercraft

You can trim some weight , not a lot , but some from the fillet material if you use less wood flour and more of the glass bubbles , plus making a thinner fillet along the seams.

Hiking, hunting, fishing, camping or portaging ... the old adage of an ounce in the morning becomes a pound in the evening, holds true.

Chuck.

I got the six (3 per side of the hull) panels nested on their own 2 sheets. The rest on the others.

So that means now for a lighter lay-up, a builder would need 2 sheets of 4mm and 3 sheets of 3mm.

I'll run the numbers and see if that will add up to anything significant.

Looks like it would save 5 pounds just by changing the plywood. That's worth mentioning.

This is definately a model I'd prefer to sell to an experienced builder. But I'll still try and set it up for a novice.

Very good thinking, Matt. Trimming 5 pounds is serious weight loss. (Just think how much better Chuckie and I would look if we each lost 5 pounds!)

Having a deck makes this boat much more robust and able to take grief than an open canoe. And my 4mm kayaks take a helluva lot of grief on rocks, logs, etc. 4mm on the bottom with graphite, and 3 mm above the water line will make a difference. We portagers will appreciate it - believe me.

And even non-portagers have to lift the thing up on top of some vehicle.

This boat will need a rudder too, to be paddled in its most efficient mode. I'd also figure where and how to punch a hole in the foredeck, reinforce it, and place a mast step. This baby will SING!

I have it set so a mast can easily be install at the front end of the cockpit.

Good! Several modes of propulsion optional.