<blockquote class=quoteheader>david bruce 1 wrote (
see)</blockquote><blockquote class=quote>Interested in trying this. Still using some elder pith floats from 20 years ago. What's the bouyancy like? Cork, balsa or what?</blockquote>
the shotting capacity is dependant on the stem material used and number of wrappings used ,but i'd say its generally lighter than balsa wood & cork ,styrofoam bodies but each one is different so it's mostly a case trail & error to get the shotting right .The tissue paper ( quilted kitchen towel ) does give better shot carrying capacity due to its extra buoyancy
The zephyr / chubba is the hardest one to make ,i did it in stages i did the upper winding first then a slightly smaller one lower on the peacock quill i used then back filled (reversed wrap) In between . I also added smaller off cuts to get the right body shape .due too the tapers of the body shape ,the paper did go askew a few times ,but its easy to ,as soon as it starts to go off track to tear / cut it and restart with re-aligned piece of paper.while i let the top layer to skew on purpose to get a smoother lower body shape.Once its painted or varnished its hard to tell
This article was done partially in response to threads about float-making and old floats recently .I'll add some others soon on other floats like the topper haskins type styrofoam avons.