[Archers] PVC Pipe Bows

[Alexandratos, Jerry (NIH/NCI) [E]]

M'lord Janyn,
    You have put your finger on the point which has been bothering me subliminally from the beginning.  With respect, I disagree that a home-made PVC pipe bow is "no different" from a commercial fiberglass bow.  A fiberglass bow is designed to be a bow.  A PVC pipe is designed to be a pipe and has been jerry-built (no pun intended) into a bow.  I feel that I have been trained on and have experience with many different kinds of bows, and so I have the ability to determine what is safe and what is not.  I have no such experience or assurance with a PVC pipe cut into the shape of a bow.  The first PVC pipe I see could be in fine shape or ready to disintegrate with the first arrow; I would have no idea.  Furthermore, the 'design' aspect of the fiberglass bow may provide some protection from liability for my Barony and perhaps for myself in the event of an accident.  (No, I am not a lawyer, but I am professionally and personally paranoid, so range safety is always on my mind.)  I know that you are much more experienced than I with bows and archery in general, so you have more assurance.  Were I you, I would not transfer your very high level of assurance and experience to the average archery marshal like me.  I was uncertain at the beginning of this discussion, but right now I would not allow a PVC pipe bow on my range.  Just my two cents.  regards, 
Jerry 
 

From: Janyn Fletcher [janynfletcher at comcast.net]
Sent: Saturday, September 15, 2012 11:31 PM

Fen yes, they are no different than a fiberglass rod bow which is just as strange but technically legal by our rules. Again I don’t want to encourage these showing up on our ranges, they are far from period and not even close to period materials so let leave them for YouTube and the archery clubs to deal with.

Janyn