kara foam?
- Thread starter conan
- Start date
Bob B
Well-known member
I would steer you toward the MoMarsh boats. They get great reviews here and they seem to build them well for what they are intended to do.
I built a KARA hummer out of wood and like it a lot, but it is heavy. If I wanted light I would pop a kevlar and epoxy skin off of both sides with vacum bagging and then reinforce that with foam stringers, epoxied in with more kevlar for stiffness. Cost would be out of sight and I can live with the weight issues. I really like the room of my boat and the Fat Boy has as much.
The wood built Hummers go together fast and take a beating for short money. Ed Askew, I think, has a site on building a lighter version.
The MoMarsh boats are lighter but cost $ to buy and ship.
Good luck.
I built a KARA hummer out of wood and like it a lot, but it is heavy. If I wanted light I would pop a kevlar and epoxy skin off of both sides with vacum bagging and then reinforce that with foam stringers, epoxied in with more kevlar for stiffness. Cost would be out of sight and I can live with the weight issues. I really like the room of my boat and the Fat Boy has as much.
The wood built Hummers go together fast and take a beating for short money. Ed Askew, I think, has a site on building a lighter version.
The MoMarsh boats are lighter but cost $ to buy and ship.
Good luck.
Ed Askew
Well-known member
Quite a few "foamer" boats have been built, that look something like the Kara. If you go to Refuge Forum's "boat, blind and gaget forum" they're usually discussing one and you could also search for "foamer". Most of the time seems like weight results were disappointing. You could save a lot of weight on the Kara building with wood. The original design incorporates plywood that's unnecessarily thick, a frame that is unnecessarily robust, and then there's that solid wood coaming. If you follow Rob Leonard's advice and get a trailer for it, it doesn't matter anyway. Check out my Kara website.
Ed.
Ed.
Ray
Well-known member
If you want something that light, you need to look at the hybrid plywood boat. The Kara or a foamer will not get to less than 80 lbs. If you were to use the really exspensive boat building foam like Diviny cell then you could make a really light boat, but you would be spending way too much money.
A fiberglass boat may not stand up to your 300 yard drag without annual repairs to the skin. If you are going for fiberglass then make a simple cart with wheels.
Here are a couple of the refuge foamer links.
http://www.refugeforums.com/refuge/showthread.php?t=435143
This is one that I made last year. Sold it to an airforce kid that really likes it, but found out that it won't last long being dragged behind an ATV in the mud.
http://www.refugeforums.com/refuge/showthread.php?t=425261
Post for the "new" hybrid. Plans for the "old" hybrid are in the marsh boat section (second from the tope) of the duck boat specs on the main page.
http://www.refugeforums.com/refuge/showthread.php?t=490477
A fiberglass boat may not stand up to your 300 yard drag without annual repairs to the skin. If you are going for fiberglass then make a simple cart with wheels.
Here are a couple of the refuge foamer links.
http://www.refugeforums.com/refuge/showthread.php?t=435143
This is one that I made last year. Sold it to an airforce kid that really likes it, but found out that it won't last long being dragged behind an ATV in the mud.
http://www.refugeforums.com/refuge/showthread.php?t=425261
Post for the "new" hybrid. Plans for the "old" hybrid are in the marsh boat section (second from the tope) of the duck boat specs on the main page.
http://www.refugeforums.com/refuge/showthread.php?t=490477
Ed Askew
Well-known member
The lighter of the two I built weighed 80 lbs. 60 pounds for any boat that size would mean a carbon fibre or Kevlar skin and no wood. Look at Poke boats, or some of the kayaks at chesapeake light craft. I wouldn't want to have to drag a Kara 300 yrds! Actually, when I lived out west I did hunt in an area where I had to drag a boat that far. I had a Perception ( I think it was called) one man white water kayak that weighed nothing at all. I had a decoy bag with shoulder straps, and I had to get the dog to swim behind me to the hunting spot because there was no room for her in that little boat. Those were the days! Used to kill a lot more ducks then too.
Ed.
Ed.
I think I found something.
Otter makes sleds. They have a 72inch sled that weighs 42 lbs and 12 inches deep.
I should be able to pull it out in the mud with gear to the water's edge and lay in it.
Cover up with a couple of sheets of fast grass and some local brush.
Only a couple of goose days left in Ill, I'll let you know how it works.
I still might build a foamer, just for something to do.
Thanks
conan
Otter makes sleds. They have a 72inch sled that weighs 42 lbs and 12 inches deep.
I should be able to pull it out in the mud with gear to the water's edge and lay in it.
Cover up with a couple of sheets of fast grass and some local brush.
Only a couple of goose days left in Ill, I'll let you know how it works.
I still might build a foamer, just for something to do.
Thanks
conan
Randy_M
Member
new to group, thinking about building one myself, cara/ and a foam. curious to know if you could use the pink panel insulation from homo depot to build a foam boat. use the insulation tape and fiber glass kits to hold it together. and use the marine grade , epoxys, adn water proof , fiberglass kits to get it light and strong.?
Last edited by a moderator:
Ray
Well-known member
All your questions are answered in the links in my post just above. But once you add the wood needed to make the foamer strong enough to not break in two it will weigh about 80 pounds. If you wanted to go with a true surfboard style boat using stringers through the foam to give it a spine then the weight could be dropped down some.