Tortured plywood kayak design
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. Please help recruit one or improve this article yourself. See the talk page for details. Please consider using {{Expert-subject}} to associate this request with a WikiProject |
Tortured plywood kayak is a type of kayak design.
designs began in the 1960s when Dennis Davis, a UK woodwork teacher, produced his DK1 - a very simple curved ply sheet design which was very tender, having as it did a slightly hogged keel line. This was the result of the simple bending. The next design, the DK15 (not now numbered in sequence, but rather referring to the approximate length of the kayak) was given curved centre lines to each hull panel which were then pulled together on the hog to which the panels were glued and nailed. This resulted in the keel line being slightly curved, greatly increasing stability. The DK15, like the DK1 was an all-wood design, built from just two 8' x 4' sheets of 3mm thick plywood, where the ends of the kayak were fastened to wooden end posts. The next design, the DK13, differed, and set the tone for the rest of the series, by having the ends of the hull drawn together and fastened with copper wire 'stitches'. The resulting seam is then sealed with glass tape and resin. Further similar designs followed over a period of several years. DK8, a single seat design built from just one sheet of ply and suitable for junior paddlers; (Numbered now in sequence) DK11 an updated version of the DK13 with a more shapely deck; DK14, a slightly longer kayak intended for solo touring; DK16 15'10" long x 27" short two seat, or larger single seat kayak; DK20, not a kayak but a 19'9" long sculling shell intended to be fitted with a drop-in seat/outrigger unit; DK21 an elegant short sea kayak, 15'10" x 22 3/4" beam; DK22 a fun kayak with well rockered keel line, and the DK24 a 3-metre car-toppable trimaran for solo sailors. The DK designs became well known after one design was publlished in "Wooden Boat", a periodical. The designs tended to be economical and easy to build. Both the layout and construction as well as the paddlling qualities of these boats were forgiving of beginning builders.
Later developments of the construction method by other designers were the Tornado catamaran and other multihull designs.
- See Dennis Davis - The Book of Canoeing, Arthur Barker 1969 which gives full details for building the DK12, a modified version of the DK13.
