The first quick-and-easy composite construction method for canoes and kayaks
This book is certain to appeal to any paddler with a DIY bent. Master craftsman Sam Rizzetta presents three attractive innovations: a new building method that makes Kevlar and carbon-fiber boats cheap and feasible for home builders; an ergonomically designed canoe that makes paddling easier and more comfortable; and a foam-flotation installation method that makes canoes and kayaks safe and unsinkable.
Sam Rizzetta is a boat designer and builder, a master luthier (a builder of stringed, fretted musical instruments), a music historian, a composites fabricator, and author. A canoeist since the age of three, he has designed and built numerous canoes and averages 1,000 miles of paddling annually. His innovative Fabric Form method of boatbuilding is an offshoot of his work in the fabrication of custom composite aeronautical components.
Table of Contents:
Part I: Construction
1Choosing a design
2The fabric form method
3Shop, tools, plans, materials
4The form
5Laminating the hull
6Turning the hull into a boat
Part II: Building in Safety
7The self-rescue concept
8Outfitting existing boats
9Outfitting new boats
10Testing and self-rescue
Part III: Designs
11A solo canoe
12Kayoo, a decked canoe/kayak
13Wasp an ergonomic canoe
Appendix A Information resources
Appendix B Tools and materials