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Return to Home Page | Last Update: 18 June 2017 |
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Check out our local weather! Click on the image at left for detailed weather information for Bethesda, MD. There is a five-day forecast and links to all manner of maps — radar, satellite photos, precipitation and more. There is also a link to Google Maps, which shows our local area and can be zoomed over a wide range. The green location arrow does not point to our precise location but it is in the neighborhood. |
daveyhearn.com ~ everything whitewater racing for sport, fun and fitness. Books and videos, race results, coaching clinics, photos, equipment and more.
Maximum Whitewater Performance — World Class Whitewater Paddling Gear Slalom Kayaks & Canoes, Paddles, Sprayskirts, Helmets, Outfitting/Repair, and Gear.
This is our own short article giving an overview of how to build and maintain a simple, utilitarian fiberglass mold. The focus is on molding a decked canoe or kayak but the basic principles apply for almost anything one might want to mold out of fiberglass.
We have a Fabric Information page, which discusses Kevlar and Twaron fibers and yarns and gives considerable detail on fiberglass yarn nomenclature and the construction and finishing of fiberglass fabrics, plus a section on graphite [carbon] yarns and fabrics. We have added a few lines on ballistic fabrics and cutting Kevlar.
We have our own page of How-To Tips, which, at present, has only five subjects: cutting and shaping Minicel, outfitting canoes and kayaks, installing footbraces, making a sprayskirt, and making skid plates. There will be more here as we have time to prepare it.
Another way to create molds, particularly for small items, involves the use of liquid rubber, silicones, and that sort of thing. Polytek Development Corp. is a producer of materials for this application. I know nothing about them but it seemed that this might be a useful link.
Chesapeake Lightcraft offers plans and kits on how to build wooden boats, kayak, canoe, sailboat, and teardrop camper. But remember to check Sweet Composites prices for fiberglass, minicel, resin, and other composite materials and supplies
Guillemot Kayaks offers a page on kayak building with links to a wide range of resources including on-going and completed projects. They also have a page called SEE Kayak, with another long list of links especially relating to sea kayaking but including many of more general interest.
Laughing Loon Canoes and Kayaks build handcrafted wooden boats. They also offer kits and plans for the home builder and some shop tips on wood-strip building. This site is rather slow to load due to large graphics files.
“The boatbuilding.community” is yet another site with a long list of links to all manner of boat-building resources — in their words, “boat building, design, and repair resource for amateur and professional custom boatbuilders.”
The Northeast Paddler’s Message Board provides a forum for exchange of paddling information with emphasis on, but not limited to, the northeastern U.S. They also provide links to a wide range of information resources.
Touting itself as the most complete collection of Boating Links on the Internet, this site is for boaters who want to compare boats, charters, products, and information sources. They have a multi-level directory of Boating Links designed to make it easy to locate the info you need.
BoatDesign.Net is primarily devoted to yachts and power boats. They have quite an extensive link library for all aspects of boat design including books and magazines as well as materials and a gallery of on-going projects.-->
Demaree Inflatable Boats builds first-rate rubber rafts and also sells repair parts and some other things that might be useful to a wider audience, such as nylon webbing, buckles, and D-rings. They also sell neoprene glue that is much more expensive than ours but I’m told that it is much more aggressive. Ours works fine for most applications but if it fails for you, try theirs. There is a link to these products on their home page called “Small Store,” which offers on-line ordering. There is also a contact page with their address, phone, and a link for e-mail.
These folks also provide a news page for the composites industry. They have a 60-page basic-education section called “Guide to Composites” that seems quite comprehensive and they offer for sale a long list of books and videos. They are in the UK so some terminology differs slightly from US usage. Postage to the US on books, etc., published in the US will be similar to that charged by a domestic outlet since in most cases they are shipped directly from the publisher.
--> If any of these links are dead or incorrect please let us know.
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