Sorry about the above.  I would have liked to share the photos of my broken Chesapeake to show the collective for their comments but it is just too difficult to post photos here.  I have put them on my facebook page and the link is

http://www.facebook.com/#!/david.grimshaw2

or do a search on the [email protected] e-mail to get my page.  I am not sure how you can publish photos on this forum but if I ever happen to get a degree in computer science I might be able to manage it!

David.

So I went to your facebook page & I don't see any kayak pictures. I see a definition of kayaking and a blank page about sea kayaking, but no pictures.

Laszlo

Looks awful. How'd it happen?

According to Matt C. the picture widget has been acting up.

The widget is fixed!

Ouch how did that happen?

Hi again. Thanks for the words of concern above about what happened and thank you to Matt Cordrey who took the time to e-mail my private e-mail and tell me that something called a widget was broken.  My comment about posting photos was supposed to be a humorous way of saying it is really too difficult for the casual internet user to post them here.  However I and we should be grateful that CLC has this forum in the first place.The accident happened when I was carrying the kayak above my head down a single person path at the side of the house.  It was raining so therefore everything was wet;  I tried to shuffle my hands to change the grip position for-and-aft on the kayak when it slipped out of my hands and landed on a low-height brick fence.  I am amazed at the amount of damage.  The sheer clamp was broken and the deck broke in two across the rear hatch.  The split down the side went from the deck, through the chine, and stopped at the keel.I have done the lions share of repair which has taken my father and I the best part of three days work - albeit at a casual pace.  I reckon there is another two short days in it to fill the screw holes and fair the hull (sanding).  I must admit my personal situation has changed since I built the boat and it nearly went to the dump and a new off-the-shelf boat purchased.  My father rescued the day by offering his shed and tools and time to do the job.  Major surgery on the boat to say the least.For those that are face book friendly I have posted some photos of the ongoing repair.  You may be interested in how I did it.  We made butt plates for all the tears in the hull and screwed them in and clamped them  with pieces of scrap 6mm ply with baking paper to stop the clamped bits from sticking to the hull; the sheer clamp was fixed with two pieces of 6mm ply shaped to fit and laminated on the break in the sheer clamp; the chine will be fixed by piggy-backing some thickened epoxy over the break with a generous thickness; the side was re-glued as best I could with thickened epoxy; the breaks in the deck across the rear hatch were repaired with butt plates cut to fit as best as possible (a bit difficult to do around the hatch stiffiner ribs) and a rim was put around the inside lip of the rear hatch to reinforce it.  I have a half built Chesapeake 17 in my Fathers shed and for this reason father kept all the scrap pieces of ply from my first build - so the repair has only cost me $53 for some new epoxy and filleter/thickener which will one day be used on the completion of the half built second boat.  The half built boat has had work stopped on it for the last ten years and I promise that if it ever gets launched I will pay CLC the royalty for building the second boat off the one set of plans! Provided they give me a hull number of course.  (For those that don't get that joke, sailing boats are usually built with association registered hull numbers.)  I will have to re-weigh the repaired kayak when it is finished – it was already a massive 24kilo so I hope I can still lift it on the roof rack by my self; so important when kayaking by yourself.Lets hear your comments.  Bye for now, David. 

G'Day Dave, looks like you have it all under control. I'm also a Brisbane Ches builder. Have been paddling surfskis for a few years now though and am currently building pax20/surfski. I note that you are a BGS old boy as well. Currently have a lad there in year 7.

Hope you get back on the water soon

Doesn't look like the hull was covered with fiberglass cloth to begin with, probably would have way less damage if it was..

Hec.  I am amazed.  What would make you think that!  Yes, the hull is, in fact, very much glassed over the way it should be.  In fact, as far as glassing goes, this kayak is glassed, glass cloth filled with epoxy, filled again the entire length with thicking powder to fair it (something I would not do again), the keel is double taped and an enormous fillet of epoxy on the keel (as stated in the original ‘The Kayak Shop’ to strengthen it) (which probably saved it on this occasion), and there is some extra reinforcing tape around the seat (again something that seemed a good idea at the time).  This makes the boat a massive 24 kilogrames (that is heavy for a plywood boat of this type).  No, awoodman, I don’t think you are correct in your assumptions.  Don’t forget, to assume makes an ass out of you and me!