Nubee from NY

[Larry C]

Greetings,
My name is Larry. I'm from the Central NY State. I have been lurking here for a month. My interest in Teardrops is numbered in years, just never got around to building. My wood working background is strip kayak building. I have built one strip canoe, one S&G ocean kayak and three Strip ocean kayaks. Each successive one has been built lighter.
For obvious reasons I would like to work with what I am comfortable with, wood strips, and fiberglass/epoxy. My goal is an Ultralight Teardrop that incorporates the lightest materials without breaking the bank. A 500# total weight is what I am shooting for. I intend to use an aluminum frame to start.
I hope you all will chime in with suggestions and bashings of my plan. I have a few designs I like so far, but 5X8 is my starting size. please feel free to offer your ultralight material suggestions. I will document my build with pictures every step of the way once I am comfortable with posting.

Larry C

[Juneaudave]

Welcome Larry...I'm sure I speak for the board in that we're always looking for new techniques and lighter builds. A new stripper will be fun to watch!!! Be sure and take lots of pics!!!

[Gaelen]

Welcome, Larry - what part of CNY?
There are forum members in Rochester, near Albany, in the southern tier, near Buffalo, and a few dead center in Syracuse and suburbs. I'm west of Syracuse, and if you check out the gatherings a bit further down, you'll find some other folks very close in New York state.
Strip woodworked tears are beautiful; can't wait to see another one!

[mary and bob]

Hi Larry; We are in eastern NY, near the junction of I90 & Taconic Parkway and the Mass border. Your goal of 500lb may be hard to obtain. Our teardrop has a steel frame, plywood floor, and the rest is all aluminum. No cabinets or interior, just a couple 4' X 10" shelves and it weighs 650lb. We are running 15" wheels, so that is a little extra weight. An aluminum frame will certainly help keep the weight down. Bob

[Mike_La]

Welcome, Larry


Mike