Shearwater 16 Hybrid

Well I dropped this puppy in the water for the first time last Saturday. She seemed to really enjoy it and wanted to go-go-go. Still have to do the deck rigging and fit out the cockpit but otherwise she is about done.

http://www.antibozo.net/cgi-bin/eric/imglib/prod/image.pl/eric/pictures/Archive/Shearwater/1-resized/IMG_1321.jpg

Thanks to CLC and Eric Schade for the kit and design and many of you here for putting up with me and helping me out through this little adventure. It has been interesting. There are a depressing number of other pictures of the process of stumbling through this build at the address above. Yes I really am a total space cadet at times and used the cockpit coaming for the cockpit apron! I managed to get all the way through the process of stripping the deck before I noticed this! :) This had the beneficial side-effect that I was able to get a nice sapele coaming from CLC and carve some custom knee braces out of a piece of bubinga and kind of like the way that turned out.

I wish I had taken slightly more care in the color selection of the strips as the dark stripe doesn't stand out as well as I would like on the fore deck.

And now for the obligatory question. I don't like the idea of drilling into the sheer clamps to install the deck rigging. They are only half inch, and especially where the angle of the deck is high, and a lot was planed away, I don't think it could even be done without installing the screw at an odd angle, or punching through the sheer clamp on the inside of the boat. I will probably do pretty minimal deck rigging for this boat. I am leaning towards the more traditional rigging with two lines of cord supporting a couple of wooden spacer blocks. Two behind the cockpit and two before the cockpit with another line before the forward hatch to use for a paddle park. I am leaning towards drilling holes through the deck, drill-fill-drill, and just pulling the bungy through with a knot underneath, or using machine screws with an internal washer and nut to hold the tie-downs. Any one want to try to talk me out of this, or have better ideas?

And lastly, happy festivities of the season to all of you!

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Ogata (eric)

19 replies:

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RE: Shearwater 16 Hybrid

Photographs can mislead, Eric, and there's nothing like eyeballing something from a foot away - but having said that I'd personally be delighted with what you appear have achieved.   Well done, and doubtless a source of great satisfaction!   As for the question - why spoil that lovely organic clean look and clutter up the deck with hardware?   Is it just because it's the done thing?   I assume the hatch covers are secured internally in some way, so what else do you really need on the deck?

Think about it - then think again before you start drilling.   After all, if you leave stuff off now to get the feel of things you can always add it later if absolutely necessary.

Well done - an inspiration to all!   And season's greetings to all from Down Under.

Lol from Oz

RE: Shearwater 16 Hybrid

Very nice job! You took a lot of pics, very good for us and for you to look back on down the road.

 

 http://shearwaterkayak.blogspot.com/

RE: Shearwater 16 Hybrid

Very cool job Eric, on both the boat and the documentation. I'm almost done with a 17 and dread trying to put pics on this site. If you or anyone else can give me a step by step for the not very literate computer user I'd appreciate it. Also, share with me what you did on the keel on the bow and stern please. Peace to all SEEYA Jack

 

RE: Shearwater 16 Hybrid

 

That is just brilliant, Eric.  Beautiful job of it!  Now go get some scratches on that boat...

RE: Shearwater 16 Hybrid

Thanks all for the kind words. Beautiful warm (for wintertime) sunny day today so we went paddling again. This is one well designed boat. Tracks straight as an arrow, quick and very responsive. There is a lot more to these boats than just the pretty lines.

Lol: I'm thinking hard regarding your point about leaving the deck clean. But I do want the boat to be safe. I think minimally it should have enough rigging to do a float re-entry, carry some minimal gear before the cockpit, chart, gps, other small miscellany and carry a spare paddle. Not that it is likely I would need all that gear everyday, but that it can be carried when necessary.  I've been thinking something along the lines of the rigging used on some of these:

http://www.thomassondesign.com/choosing/my_kayaks/black_pearl.aspx

If you look for example at image 8 of 14, the white pearl by Dan Caouette. Pretty minimal, but enough to be useful. Notice also how the lines are run through the deck.

Fishbuster, I spent a lot of time looking at pictures of other builds. Yours, the Shearwater 17 built by Danny,

http://drw-hobbies.blogspot.com

and many others. They were all very helpful to me. As far as my pictures go, it is interesting to look back over the long-haul, starting with the boxes of parts and ending at a working kayak. I should probably write in bold red type over many of the pictures of the stripping process, "Use the proper cockpit apron! Not the cockpit coaming like this idiot!!!!" :)

Jack, I haven't yet explored the various failure modes for posting pictures directly to this forum. I am using an external site. Many people use Google's picasa, or flickr, photobucket, et al. I'd think any one of those would be a good way to post your photos. Then you can just post a link to your photo album at (for example) picasa. I love looking at photos of people building wooden boats so I hope you can get those posted.

And John, I appreciate all the support and friendly advice from everyone at CLC. I know it is tough times out there right now and here's hoping 2009 will be great year for you and CLC. And don't worry, I've mentioned in these forums before, I have a special talent for blundering into every bit of Rck, Obstr, Subm Pile, Unexploded Ordnance on the chart, and a few that aren't on the chart. It's not really a seaworthy vessel until it has a few good gouges in the bottom:)

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Ogata (eric) 

RE: Shearwater 16 Hybrid

i just finished a shearwater17  two weeks ago and am amazed at just how great this boat is to paddle i had the pax 20 before and id swear this boat is much faster it takes very little effort to get moving and responds really well to edging  and with the creature comfort seat its very comforatable i did 12 miles in 2 hours and 5 minutes and didnt even feel tired or have to stagger around till my legs woke up. your going to love this boat 

 

RE: Shearwater 16 Hybrid

ps go ahead and do some deck rigging it really can be problem not having anything to hold on to during "unscheduled swims"

RE: Shearwater 16 Hybrid

That's a pretty quick boat Greg. Or quick paddler. I'm definitely very pleased with the performance of this boat too. Really fantastic design.

Jack, I overlooked your question about the keel. I'm guessing you are asking about the rubstrips? For some reason I have hard time finding this on the CLC site except by running a "Search" but here they are:

http://www.clcboats.com/shop/products/boatgear/0000-RK000-RUB.html 

I put some on the Ch17lt I built last pring/summer and still had a lot of left over graphite so really just needed  a little more dynel cloth to do this boat. They aren't exactly what I would call "beautiful":) But they serve their purpose and I have been glad to have them.

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Ogata (eric) 

RE: Shearwater 16 Hybrid

Just scrolled through the construction photos, Eric - again, well done, what a great job in what looked like a pretty tight workshop.   It was fascinating watching the colours of trees and foliage in the outside background change as time went by!   A cuppla questions if I may:

1.   What are the black 'circles' on the hull sides at the bow?   Some sort of oriental symbol of good luck...?

2.   I note you used a bonsai saw to cut out the hatches.   Better/ more precise than a sabre-saw (which is a jig-saw down here)?

3.   In some later photos the completed craft was standing on end outside with the stem/ stern propped inside a white plastic bucket, and what looked like an electric lead going into the craft.   What's this all about (warming-up hibernating squirrels???).   I don't imagine it will apply here, but I shan't sleep tonight unless I know...

Lovely work!

Lol from Oz 

 

RE: Shearwater 16 Hybrid

lol,

I prefer a bonsai saw to asabre/jig saw for several reasons.

 

RE: Shearwater 16 Hybrid

Dang! Hey webmaster - how about a confirm button for posting, or a facility to edit something that's been posted. Anyaway, as I was saying:

lol, I prefer a bonsai saw to a sabre/jig saw for several reasons. First, it's quieter. Second, it's slower. If things start getting out of hand, there's much more opportunity for corrections before the problem becomes visible. Third, since I'm the power source, the instant I feel pain the saw stops. That translates into nicked, not severed, fingers. Finally, while you can get sabre saw blades that cut as fine a line (or finer) than a bonsai saw, I find that the bonsai saw's more flexible blade lets me cut tighter corners.

Laszlo

PS - On a cold winter morning, I'm warmed and my saw is powered by my surplus calories, not by the gas & electric company. My wallet & doctor are both happier.

 

RE: Shearwater 16 Hybrid

Wow!....what a great project Eric!  That's one beautiful kayak.  I had to email your posted picture to a couple of buddies who are big VW fans...the combination of your car with that slick kayak on top will make their day!

PS...from your pics I see you too have joined the revolution....my wife bought me a MacBook for Christmas.

I'll be revisiting your pics often.

Congrats!

Chris 

 

RE: Shearwater 16 Hybrid

Lol, you are right, I started on this boat back in August, when the world was a warm and sunny place, filled with light and bugs, like mosquitoes. It has gone all grey and dismal now. And there are many shades in between among the photos.

The circles are called enso:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enso

they are done with Sumi-e ink on rice paper and are placed under the glass. I've been using them as a kind of corporate logo for awhile.

I use the bonsai saw to reduce my stress level during what is a rather tense ordeal cutting out those hatches. As Lazlo notes, it allows you to take your time and relax a little bit. Good for going around corners. The one thing about a jigsaw that would be helpful is the feet that help to insure that the cut is perpendicular to the surface. There were one or two spots where I was draped at an odd angle across the deck and let my concentration wander briefly and while I stayed on the line, I got a little bit of angle on cutout. No big deal. Just another minor "beauty" mark:)

The boat standing on its nose pictures are during the "end pour". This is where about 8 oz. of epoxy/wood flour slurry are poured into the bow and stern to form a solid internal plug. This strengthens that area and allows for holes to be drilled for the carry toggles. It got cool early here in Maryland this year. We had 2 or 3 weeks in November, when I wanted to do those pours, where the temperature never got above 45 degrees F. It was pissing me off:) I had trouble getting the first end pour to set because of the cold. On the second one, it was just over 50 degrees out, I set the bow in a bucket of warm water, hung a light bulb down there and used some faster setting (medium) hardener. It still took awhile but went off a lilttle better that way.

Chris, thanks. Yeah the VW has been a good little car so far. Easy to work on and reliable, though I probably better shut up now. Wouldn't want to tempt fate:) Hope you like the mac. I've been using them for years and have found them to be very trouble-free and reliable as well.

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Ogata (eric)

RE: Shearwater 16 Hybrid

Many thanks, Eric and Laszlo, for the enlightening replies - I have learned more from this site than from years at school, it seems!

I am wryly amused at comments on the cold weather Up There.   Here, I have the opposite problem - on the edge of the South Pacific in sunny Queensland (north-eastern Australia) it's currently too warm and too humid (affecting epoxy performance, etc) to be able to work comfortably in my non-airconditioned garage.   So everything's on hold for a short time.

Cheers... keep up the postings...

Lol from Oz

RE: Shearwater 16 Hybrid

Eric - you recently directed me towards a thread that showed some alternatives for rigging safety lines.   One of these I rather liked as the lines ran through the deck at various points - very neat - through some poured-epoxy 'tunnels' mounted under the deck.   Alas, I cannot now find that thread - could you kindly advise again.

Many thanks, and the best for 2009.

Lol from Oz

RE: Shearwater 16 Hybrid

This may be what you are looking for:

http://home.arcor.de/gmaroske/fittings.html

Note that this thread has quite a few interesting ideas:

http://www.kayakforum.com/cgi-bin/Building/index.cgi/noframes/read/171413

I think this is in there somewhere too:

http://shearwater-boats.com/Flushdeckfittings.htm

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Ogata (eric)

RE: Shearwater 16 Hybrid

PS  - One thing that I would worry about a little bit, especially with leads that are used for securing periimeter lines (non-elastic), is that they are strong enough so that when, one day, someone tries to lift the boat (loaded) by grabbing ahold of them, that they are capable of supporting the weight!

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Ogata (eric)

RE: Shearwater 16 Hybrid

Eric - many thanks for prompt and helpful reply - I shall print-off these pages this time and have a permanent record!   I particularly like the 'Shearwaters' solution, and will give that some thought.   I share your concern about someone using the loops of rope to lift the craft one day - maybe - whoops, there goes the deck!   I foresee having the deck decorated with large fluoro signs on it "DO NOT LIFT" - much like you see the words "NO STEP" stencilled on aircraft wings.   (I hope these warnings are heeded, as I have always believed that flying, for humans, is un-natural!).

Much obliged for your interest and unfailing knowledge of these arcane matters.

Lol from Oz

RE: Shearwater 16 Hybrid

It looks great! I'm building a Shearwater now and i hope mine turns out that well! 

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