Next boat

My wife has picked out the Shearwater 16 hybrid and the kit gets delivered tomorrow. Today I am busy mucking out the basement and reorganizing so I don't trash it so bad this time. She wants me to copy this deck pattern...

 

I spoke with one of the Matts in Groton yesterday about the best way to do the curved strips. He suggested an iron or laundry steamer. Any other thoughts?

Dan 


44 replies:

« Previous Post       List of Posts       Next Post »

RE: Next boat

Dan,
Rob Macks, whom you met yesterday, has an online tutorial that recommends using a heat gun to bend strips. Check it out at http://www.laughingloon.com/shop.tips.html
-Wes

RE: Next boat

Excellent advice.

I have a couple of heat guns. I spent 10 years stripping the paint off the beveled cedar siding on my house with a heat gun and a putty knife, but that's another story.

Even tho I did admire Rob's boats we didn't have a chance to chat.

Dan 

 

RE: Next boat

Just a few (hundred) simple steps to go

RE: Next boat

Hey Dan,

I told you that building yaks was habit forming, one can always come up with an excuse to build another.

If you look close, the curved lines are thinner than the rest and will do a gentle bend with no problem.  Remember all the curved lines my first 2 yaks had?  I find that curved lines in the pattern are easier than straight ones.

http://kayakkev.wordpress.com/2009/04/16/guillemot-l-part-4-in-the-water/?preview=true&preview_id=511&preview_nonce=dfa3e91a2f

http://kayakkev.wordpress.com/2008/11/09/my-first-wood-strip-kayak/?preview=true&preview_id=12&preview_nonce=a77dc5b27e

Kev

RE: Next boat

So, I manage to wrench my back on Saturday and the backcracker sez no lifting bending twisting. Which means I can't crawl under dashboards for a day or so. But I can do stuff at bench level...hmmmm what could that be? and it's rainy out, so....

 Checking for twist, ready for glue.

Dan 

RE: Next boat

Dan, you certainly don't waste any time!  Lookin' good so far.  I miss those exciting days of building (especially since I'm so deep in wedding planning that I've only been out twice since splashing in mid-May)  

~Chris 

RE: Next boat

I got the compartments filleted and glass taped and the cockpit glassed this weekend. One thing I'm noticing that didn't seem to be an issue on the last boat is that where I epoxy the plywood with no 'glass the grain is rising. I'm debating whether I should give it a light sanding and another thin coat of epoxy. I know it won't be seem in the compartments but it is kind of rough.

Any opinions?

Dan 

RE: Next boat

Dan,

I always do a light sanding in the hull followed by a thin coat of epoxy, rolled on. Makes for a nice, easy to wipe dry hull. And the few ounces of weight it adds are negligible in the long run.

George K 

RE: Next boat

Thanks George.

That's what I was thinking. I'll probably do another thin coat over the glass cloth in the cockpit too. I didn't do this on my boat, but wish I had.

btw, epoxying when it's 70-75 degrees is a whole different experience than doing it at 60-65. A bit more nerve wracking , but it sure sets up faster.

Dan 

RE: Next boat

Here's the latest picture...

 

RE: Next boat

and another...

 

RE: Next boat

Dan:

Beautiful job, and fast.

I think I have to get going on my second.

Congrats, lookin GREAT !

 

Ted B

RE: Next boat

Thanks Ted,

The second one is definitely going faster. I'm not second guessing myself the whole time. This deck pattern means I have twice as many strips to fit, but I have the routine down pretty well and it's moving right along.

I'm not promising my wife that it'll be done this season, but you never know.

Dan

RE: Next boat

Latest pic...

 

RE: Next boat

Dan,

 WOW,  What a great looking kayak !!!  

What is the light colored wood in the center ?

Lou

 

RE: Next boat

Thanks Lou,

That's the white cedar surrounding the cockpit apron.

Dan 

RE: Next boat

Stripping complete!

RE: Next boat

Have you considered using Paulownia? It is a beautifully smooth, light weight, light colored wood with a high tensile strength. We have a Paulownia tree plantation in Kentucky. Email us for your paulownia needs: [email protected]

RE: Next boat

The most nerve wracking part...cutting hole in the deck

 I'm using Eric Schade's flush deck fittings

 Now it's time for a Torpedo

 

RE: Next boat

Dan - That looks beautiful.  You're putting a ton of TLC into that boat.  I'll be very interested to hear how strong the wooden flush deck fittings are.  Do you think you could use them for perimeter lines, etc, which might be subject to towing?

 -Zach

RE: Next boat

Zach,

I'm wondering that myself. I am planning on using them for perimeter lines....see the 1st picture. The 4 closest to the cockpit will be bungies and the others will have 1/4 line. The little dowel in the fitting seems a little thin for major pulling/lifting. I'm also going to install a lifting toggle drilled thru the end pour and that should be plenty strong

btw, I started cutting the hatches with a bonzai saw and found it to be a bit jerky and uneven so I went back to the jigsaw with the 20 tooth per inch blade. That worked fine and was faster

Dan 

RE: Next boat

Dan,

Forgive me for repeating myself but: WOW, what a great looking kayak.

I just continues to get better as you go.

Lou

RE: Next boat

Second coat of epoxy and the proud owner 

RE: Next boat

Doing the end pour, this time with a bucket of ice water to keep it cool 

RE: Next boat

Beautiful work Dan!!!

By the smile on your wife's face I doubt that you are going to get a chance to paddle it...

RE: Next boat

Thanks Dana and Lou.

I dunno, I just might have to make sure it floats first ;-)

Lesson learned with the ice water...I added it to the bucket after the first end started to get warm. On the other end I dunked it into the water before I poured in the epoxy. This slowed the hardened way too much and I ended up scooping out the water and putting a trouble light in the hatch to keep it warm. I brought it in at midnight last night when it had finally hardened.

Dan 

RE: Next boat

Great looking boat Dan!

Are the thin strips that curve across the hull and separate the dark and light areas of the deck part of the kit or is that something you have to make yourself? They look different than the usual bead and cove strips available from CLC.

Thanks,

Mark

RE: Next boat

Mark,

I took some dark and light b&c strips and ripped them to 1/4" by 1/4" strips. I then glued smooth sides together (knowing that the rough side, being top and  bottom would be getting sanded), then clamped them to the forms. This was a bit of a pain as they wanted to twist.

 

RE: Next boat

Dan,

This is GORGEOUS!  It really makes me want to start on my 2nd boat!  Unfortunately, I promised my wife we'd buy a house before I build another kayak (which would mean my C16 would become hers).  That being said, the house won't be for at least a few years to begin with...

Well done!

~Chris

RE: Next boat

Geez guys,

All these compliments are making me blush (and nervous). I hope you can overlook all the flaws at Okoumefest 2011. Hopefully it'll be used and scratched by then.

Dan 

RE: Next boat

First coat of varnish on hull...

 

RE: Next boat - Tight Joints ? ?

Dan, the boat is beautiful.  I'm about 1/2 done with stripping the deck of my first boat (WD12 Hybrid) and I am now officially addicted to boat building.  On my next boat, I would like to do something a little “fancier” with the stripping. Therefore, I have a question for you, or anyone who might be able to provide some advice.   How do you get such tight joints between the curved accent strips and the adjoining strips that butt up against it?  I’m guessing you first fit the end of the strip that fits in the bow, then cut the end that butts against the curved accent strip slightly longer then needed.  I’m guessing you then sand it until it fits snuggly against the accent curve.  Is that correct?  Are the edges of the curved accent strip  beaded and coved?   Thanks for everyone’s help.  Kurt

RE: Next boat

Kurt,

Your guesses are correct. I started with the outer strips, cove side in, then fit the curved strips. These are 1/4 by 1/4, no bead or cove. I cut a taper, sanded a bead, glued them together, fit them into the outer strips  while the glue was still wet and held them down to the forms with U clips. This proved to be a bit tricky as they wanted to twist. 

I then ripped the cove off of 2 strips and made a king plank down the center of the deck. All other strips I started with the taper and then fit the end against the curved strip or cockpit apron. Putting those curved divider strips in meant there was almost twice as many strips to fit as my boat which has a simpler pattern. When I came to the thin whisky planks I shaved off the inner lip of the cove to make fitting easier.

Other have suggested putting the field strips down first, then cutting a curved groove for the accent strips. I was not confident in my ability the cut a smooth curve, so I went this way.

Here's a couple of links

http://picasaweb.google.com/danielthaler/Shearwater17Hybrid# 

http://picasaweb.google.com/danielthaler/Shearwater16Hybrid#

Dan 

 

RE: Next boat

SW16h

SW17h

links wouldn't work on my mac for some reason...

RE: Next boat

Dan, Thanks for taking the time and responding to my quesiton.  I understand how it is is done now.  I really appreciated the links.  The photo's answered a few questions and gave me some ideas.  Thanks

RE: Next boat

Almost done...

A few more details...thinner seals for the hatches, one more coat of varnish on the hull, velcro for the seat (this boat, being slightly wider than the sw17h, doesn't allow the happy bottom seat to wedge under the shear clamps like on mine), thigh braces, warmer weather.... 

RE: Next boat

Ok. Ready for the maiden voyage...

 

More pictures to follow 

RE: Next boat

That is crazy-beautiful.  Congrats.

RE: Next boat

Thanks John! And it floats too..

 

RE: Next boat

Hi Dan,

Your kayaks are truly beautiful.  But now I see your kayak hauler. I just got one just like it a few weeks ago.  A red one.

Looking forward to a great summer of kayaking.

How is the Auk build going ?

Lou

RE: Next boat

Dan, 

 Congratulations on a beautiful boat! The pictures look awesome, can't wait to see it in person. 

RE: Next boat

Lou,

The Auk is going slow. The hull is done and I've flipped it over and started on the shear strips of the deck. But...it's outdoor chore time and time to paddle!

I ain't rushing this one

Dan 

RE: Next boat

btw, I was reviewing this thread and I reread that link to Rob Macks' tips on stripping. I'm starting to agree with him that B&C strips are more trouble than they are worth. The next boat may be 3/16 flat sided strips.

RE: Next boat

Susan loves the new boat! Now she can keep up with me...oops, I mean I have to keep up with her. The Shearwater is a really fast hull!

« Previous Post     List of Posts     Next Post »


Please login or register to post a reply.