Rod,

You're on the right track, no Viking funerals needed. There's a whole bunch of ways to handle this. First, you could take a very thin-bladed saw (the bonsai and Japanese saws sold by CLC are great for this) and cut the seam apart and try again. No need to wait until the next boat.

Assuming you don't want to do that, then what do you have - a gap or an overlap? They're very different things. If it's an overlap, then use coarse sandpaper to remove the offending part of the wood. If it's a gap, use wide tape (I like clear packing tape, others use duct tape) to cover the gap, then fill it in with a very thick putty of wood flour and epoxy. Once it cures, sand it to the correct shape. If there's any holes, fill them with more putty.

As far as painting the bottom, I'm partial to a graphite/epoxy coating. It's cheaper than marine paints, tough, scratch resistant, no priming needed and it's very easy to repair. Here's a link to my WD12 page showing the process, if you haven't seen it already.

God luck,

Laszlo

Laszlo

Thanks for the help.  I do have an over lap and not a gap.  I did fix the gap prior to tacking the hull by planing the side panels slightly(Idid take it apart after stictching to fix this).

The bow and stern fillets are already done so I don't want to cut it apart and I do have an overlap and not a gap.  The overlap is about 1/8 of an inch at the worst and goes back from the bow and stern about 2 or 3 inches.  I think I will sand this which might be close to going thru the top layer of veneer.  Would I be better off sanding a little bit and then filling and feathering the overlap....and then cover the bottom and about of an inch of the sides with the graphite epoxy mix.  I went to your site and I like the idea of the epoxy graphite bottom coat.

Thanks

Rod

Laszlo,

Wish I had seen your link to the Wood Duck 12, better late than never!!  I used the sprayed water technique that is in the current CLC instructions for softening the ends of the bottom pieces to make it bend and not break, it worked great.

I have the internal foot brace stud kit to mount for my boat and wonder about positioning them.   Your directions for installation make it look simple.  This being my first kayak, I could use a little advise on the proper postion and sure see the advantage of mounting the studs prior putting the deck on.

Thanks

Rod

Rod,

The easisest way I've found to get the right position is for the primary paddler to sit on the floor with their back against a wall. Approximate the kayaking position as much as possible (sit up straight, knees slightly bent, thighs & knees below deck level, etc.) Then, have a helper measure the distance from the wall to the paddler's foot. (If there's no helper available, do this on a carpeted floor and measure the distance to the ding left by the paddler's heel.

Now just use the measured distance as the distance from the front of the seat back to the center of the footbrace. This will have the footbrace perfectly adjusted for the primary paddler while leaving a good range of adjustment for "visitors".

Have fun,

Laszlo