Building a fiberglass kayak

I am planning on building a fiberglass kayak and am wondering if anyone knows good shape for a whitewater kayak i also would like to know what type of fiberglass to use

Re: Building a fiberglass kayak

I have a couple of old school F/G white water Kayaks, but F/G wouldn't be considered a good choice of material for one today, they're all molded from other types of plastic now.

Re: Building a fiberglass over styrofoam kayak

Re: Building a fiberglass over styrofoam kayak

I am planning on building a sit-on-top kayak and thought that I would build it like a surf board -- shape it out of EPS or Styrofoam and cover with fiber glass. To me it's a great idea however I have not found any information on this kind of construction. has anybody out there done this? If so I would like some guidance, thoughts or referral to some one I could speak with. CP3

Re: Building a fiberglass over styrofoam kayak

Re: Building a fiberglass over styrofoam kayak

Sit on tops are fairly new to the whitewater world and are normally roto molded plastic.

I'm an old C1 paddler and still have my acrobat custom built in '89 the materials back then cost $600, it is expedition weight though. Kayaks and C1's are hull and deck laid up seperately and then seamed together. I think if you google John Sweet he may still be in the supply business.

Vinylester or epoxy are the perfered resins and the layups can include Kevlar and carbon fiber, I can imagine the materials these days can be extremely expensive.

Jimmy Snyder also is still around, building custom paddles but he built a few prototype boats and may be able to point you in the right direction, Google jimmystix.

Re: Building a fiberglass over styrofoam kayak

Re: Building a fiberglass over styrofoam kayak

CP3 said:

I am planning on building a sit-on-top kayak and thought that I would build it like a surf board -- shape it out of EPS or Styrofoam and cover with fiber glass. To me it's a great idea however I have not found any information on this kind of construction. has anybody out there done this? If so I would like some guidance, thoughts or referral to some one I could speak with. CP3

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Tunnel hull is the most stable if you plan to fish it, it will have enough initial and secondary stability to enable standing and casting,
30 inch width x 14 feet is a good average dimension. It will require epoxy for resin to cover the foam, polyester will dissolve styrofoam.
The problem is you can buy a kayak for what it costs in material.
I just bought a 12' SOT fishermans kayak from bass pro shops for $457 and its set up decent with a good seat, 3 built in rod holders ,drain scuppers thru the hull and watertight front compartment. Can't beat success.
http://www.basspro.com/Ascend-FS12T...uct/10213830/-1681287?cmCat=CROSSSELL_PRODUCT