Yampa test & cheap plywood

> Message: 24
> Date: Wed, 04 Jul 2001 05:26:10 -0000
> From:j.c.ewing@...
> Subject: Re: Yampa Test
>
> Do we really want to know about Yampa shorts? Did the Bolger Group
> get cyberjacked, or what? In the meantime, my second posting re
> meranti seems to have disappeared into the ether. Was there some sort
> of accidental cross-posting between Yahoo Groups today?
> John in Victoria
>
> disOn--- In bolger@y..., zacee@t... wrote:
> >
> > The Yampa Shorts held up better than my vehicles have since the
> last test.< BR> Are we testing any pick up trucks soon? Ford
> marketing is calling
> > themselves gear outfitters????

I had assumed that the entire review was a bit of humor/satire by some
sharp witted person... a takeoff on the sappy reviews of overpriced crap
found in magazines like "Outside" where the editorial comment is hard to
distinguish from the advertisments. Case in point, I recently read that
I "must have" titanium knives, forks and spoons to save weight when
camping, all at a modest $20 for a single spoon. The drinking cup was a
bargain at $39.95.

Just one example of the propensity for donning elaborate costumes and
buying specialized gear for every outdoor activity... it's as if
spending money on an activity becomes a substitute for actually doing it.

One area where I will spend the money from now on is on decent plywood.
I read about others having good luck with luaun but my experience has
been horrible. I did some of my finest boat carpentry ever on a curved
hatch cover for my 24' sharpie, after about two years I noticed a bubble
in the plywood, when I poked at it I found that it was delaminated and
the interior ply had just turned to mush. Also I made a Cape Charles
18' kayak out of the same luaun, it was so whippy and inconsistant that
I ended up putting an extra layer of glass on (raising the cost above
what marine okoume would cost) and still couldn't get decent fair curves
out of it. I was so disappointed I paddled it once, cut it in half and
took it to the dump.

I even have my doubts now about marine fir. Structurally it is fine but
the checking and uneven surface make it hard to get a good finish. I
think of all the hours I spent sanding and fairing the sharpie just to
get it to "workboat" standards and I compare it to my latest build, an
okoume lapstrake pram where modest effort got a finish that is too nice
to even think about painting.

So my doctrine now is that better wood will help me complete a boat
faster and do a better job. If my time is worth more than a few dollars
an hour then cheap plywood is really a false economy. Okoume is light,
strong, cuts cleaner with fewer splinters and it finishes easier so I'm
on the water sooner with a better more attractive boat.

Tom K

Sorry, but the message was quite long and so I scanned it to see if
it was of interest (there probably aren't many subscribers who can
read every word of every posting here) and it seemed to have nothing
to do with Bolger or boatbuilding. My own followup to my posting re
meranti had disappeared into cyberspace somewhere and I wondered if
there was some sort of accidental cross-connecting happening at Yahoo
Groups.
John in Victoria

--- In bolger@y..., tom <tkremer@s...> wrote:
> > Message: 24
> > Date: Wed, 04 Jul 2001 05:26:10 -0000
> > From: j.c.ewing@h...
> > Subject: Re: Yampa Test
> >
> > Do we really want to know about Yampa shorts? Did the Bolger
Group
> > get cyberjacked, or what? In the meantime, my second posting re
> > meranti seems to have disappeared into the ether. Was there some
sort
> > of accidental cross-posting between Yahoo Groups today?
> > John in Victoria
> >
> > disOn--- In bolger@y..., zacee@t... wrote:
> > >
> > > The Yampa Shorts held up better than my vehicles have since the
> > last test.< BR> Are we testing any pick up trucks soon? Ford
> > marketing is calling
> > > themselves gear outfitters????
>
> I had assumed that the entire review was a bit of humor/satire by
some
> sharp witted person... a takeoff on the sappy reviews of overpriced
crap
> found in magazines like "Outside" where the editorial comment is
hard to
> distinguish from the advertisments. Case in point, I recently read
that
> I "must have" titanium knives, forks and spoons to save weight when
> camping, all at a modest $20 for a single spoon. The drinking cup
was a
> bargain at $39.95.
>
> Just one example of the propensity for donning elaborate costumes
and
> buying specialized gear for every outdoor activity... it's as if
> spending money on an activity becomes a substitute for actually
doing it.
>
> One area where I will spend the money from now on is on decent
plywood.
> I read about others having good luck with luaun but my experience
has
> been horrible. I did some of my finest boat carpentry ever on a
curved
> hatch cover for my 24' sharpie, after about two years I noticed a
bubble
> in the plywood, when I poked at it I found that it was delaminated
and
> the interior ply had just turned to mush. Also I made a Cape
Charles
> 18' kayak out of the same luaun, it was so whippy and inconsistant
that
> I ended up putting an extra layer of glass on (raising the cost
above
> what marine okoume would cost) and still couldn't get decent fair
curves
> out of it. I was so disappointed I paddled it once, cut it in half
and
> took it to the dump.
>
> I even have my doubts now about marine fir. Structurally it is
fine but
> the checking and uneven surface make it hard to get a good finish.
I
> think of all the hours I spent sanding and fairing the sharpie just
to
> get it to "workboat" standards and I compare it to my latest build,
an
> okoume lapstrake pram where modest effort got a finish that is too
nice
> to even think about painting.
>
> So my doctrine now is that better wood will help me complete a boat
> faster and do a better job. If my time is worth more than a few
dollars
> an hour then cheap plywood is really a false economy. Okoume is
light,
> strong, cuts cleaner with fewer splinters and it finishes easier so
I'm
> on the water sooner with a better more attractive boat.
>
> Tom K