Materials and Kayak building accessories

   Minicel Foam for kayak seats and other uses
   Router Bits (bead and flute)
   Stainless cables - great linkage between rudder and footbraces
   Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene

   On-line Web Store (all prices and shipping options/cost listed here)

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  • Lightweight Closed Cell Foam Structure
  • 100% Waterproof
  • Excellent cushioning properties
  • Very fine cell texture
  • Density 2 lb / ft^3 - L200 / M200

Uses:
Kayak seats, cockpit hip and knee padding, backrests, bulkheads, cushioning, padding, cartop cradles, sheets, mats, sanding pads etc...
Minicel foam Natural charcoal gray color

If there was a better material for kayak seats than Mincel, I would be using it but Minicell foam just can't be beat. I had the opportunity to test and to select from 10 different types of Minicell foam ranging from soft to stiff. Due to their ideal properties, I settled on the M200 and L200 Minicel foam simply because they are the most comfortable seating material, especially for long distance paddles. The main difference between them is stiffness and 'softness'.

The L200 is softer and more pliable, just the right material for very comfortable seats cushions, laminated kayak seats, back rest padding and custom cockpit fitting in general.
The M200 is as light as the L200 but its stiffness is higher than the L200. This makes it the ideal material for very comfortable carved kayak seats and other applications where extra support but also softness is desirable. Due to its light weight and stiffness, the M200 foam is perfect material for kayak bulkheads as well as car top cradles.


Unlike many other closed cell rubber foam and neoprene kayak seats, this micro-cell foam is nonabrasive with a smooth 'velvet-like' feel and feather light weight. This Minicel is also being used as impact padding in race cars (NASCAR), motorcycle seats, excercise mat, cushioning in specialty helmets and as anti-shock protection of electronic equipment in satelites and rockets. Other uses include knee padding for construction and garden use, general boating foam, seating for handicap chairs, high quality packing and shipping padding and car top or workshop boat cradles, to name a few.

Minicel L200 band Minicel can be molded around curves without stretching, distortions and buckling.
L200 5/8"x 1.5"
Minical L380 & L200 (right) A 'Pinch' test in strong spring clamps shows the relative softness of the M200 (left) vs. the L200 Minicel.

Minicel foam can be easily shaped by knife and sculpted with a disk sander or grinder.
After couple hours of sitting in a Minicel seat you will appreciate the unique property of the material because it continuously adjusts for different seating position and there are NO hard spots like in the 'one-fit-for-all' hard molded plastic seats.

Carved the foam seat today for the double paddle canoe I'm building. I followed your instructions on your web site and it came out great! I was concerned about having problems, as this was my first foam seat project. I roughed it out with an 80 grit disk and switched to a 120 grit disk to fine tune things, then sanded everything with a palm sander with a 120 grit disk... Your minicell foam worked great!... I have more canoes to build in the near future and will be ordering more foam, I'm sure! - Mike McEvoy


 
Thickness (in) Sizes (in) Metric (cm) Price (US $) Weight (lb) Weight (kg) Comments
5/8" 20" x 24" 1.58 x 50.8 x 60.9 $15,- 0.65 0.3 L200 type
5/8" 24" x 24" 1.58 x 60.9 x 60.9 $18,- 0.79 0.35 L200
7/8"+ 24" x 24" 2.22 x 60.9 x 60.9 $20,- 1.01 0.45 L200
3.5"+ 6" x 20" 8.89 x 15.24 x 60.9 $9,- 0.92 0.43 M200 (when available)
3.5"+ 12" x 20" 8.89 x 30.48 x 60.9 $18,- 1.84 0.86 M200 (when available)
3.5"+ 20" x 24" 8.89 x 50.8 x 60.9 $37,- 3.68 1.67 M200 (carving)
**NEW** Smaller blocks (3.5" x 6" x 20") 1/4 the size of the 20"x24" blocks. Also available in half blocks (3.5" x 12" x 20"). Great for projects not requiring full size pieces (cockpit padding, car top cradles, knee braces, backrests, laminated seats etc..) .
Order on-line
 
  • I use two 5/8" or 0.9" minicel sheets (20"x 24") to make a supportive kayak seat. See how I build my kayak seats
  • The 3" foam blocks have a fused 'factory crust' in the same way bread has a coarse crust.
    This thin (1/8") crust must be sliced or ground off to get to the soft foam.
  • All other sheets are skieved and have a smooth finished surface. Laminating the sheets together is a very inexpensive way to achieve professional looking seats.
  • Larger sizes available (ships UPS) - please inquire

or proceed to the Order page for other options.


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bead and flute bits
  • Economical combo of bead and cove profile in ONE router bit. Why buy two bits when you can do it with one!
  • Shank size for either 1/4" (6,35mm) or 1/2" (12,7mm) router collets
  • Bead and flute tips from durable Carbide
  • Both bead and flute are 1/4 inch diameter for perfect bead and cove kayak or canoe strips
  • Adjust the router bit height in the router collet or router table to mill either bead or flute profiles on strips
  • See the Kayak Shop pages on routing jig setup and issues to watch out for when routing strips.
  • Order on-line or see Order page for non-credit card options

    Bead & Cove router bits 1/4 inch shank:  $41
    1/2 inch shank:  $40


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  • Corrosion resistant 316 Stainless steel (1/16" stiff 1x19)
  • Use with low friction UHMW polyethylene lined cable guides for passing through bulkheads and kayak deck.
  • Maintenance free
  • See ch.26 in Workshop for application
  • Cable guides come with (4) chrome plated brass caps for finished look and corrosion protection of the the 'cable guide core'
  • cable comes with (4) 'ferrules' to terminate one end with a closed loop of your choosing
  • Stainless "stake eye" fittings compression swaged on one end to attach to rudder (not illustrated)
  • depending on the kayak model, one complete rudder system needs 4 caps and 4 ferrules and about 18ft of cable and 13ft of guide. Uses: Rudder cable
  • Stainless rudder cable Price: cable $0.50 / ft   guides with UHMW core: $2 / ft 


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  • Wear resistant & chemically inert
  • Self-lubricating
  • Lighter than Water
  • Specific gravity - 0.93
  • Non-hydroscopic - unlike Nylon it doesn't absorb water
  • Perfect for homebuilders to make parts that are difficult to machine from metal
  • A typical rudder body can be easily made of 3/4"x2.5"x3"
  •  block


    Uses: Sliding foot braces, body of rudder assembly, bushings, spacers, shop jigs, wear plates
    UHMW- Polyethylene Price: $5 /  3/4" x 2.5"x 3" block
    e-mail for other sizes. Stock thickness 3/4" (19 mm)

      See also Kayak Building Resources page for wood strips, epoxy, fiberglass, graphite and everything else you would ever want for building a canoe or kayak.

    or proceed to the Order page for non-credit card options.



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    Mail:
    Vaclav Stejskal
    10 Colonial Court apt. 73
    Stoneham, MA. 02180
               USA
    Tel:  781-481-9261

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    Last page update: 11 January 2020