Wood Duck 12 Hybrid alternative coaming apron

I'm building a Wood Duck Hybrid.  As I look at pictures of completed kayaks quite a few don't use the included apron, rather they strip the entire deck to the cockpit.  The instructions don't show how to do this and I'm interested in how others accomplished this.  Did you need to modify the forms to remove the raised tabs?  Did you simply strip long and then lay the coating risers on top to cut the cockpit shape?  Any sites or videos would be super helpful, thanks!


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RE: Wood Duck 12 Hybrid alternative coaming apron

you have a couple choices...and it depends why you don't want to use the apron.

one approach is you would strip long to fill the gap and then lay the coaming risers on top of that to cut the cockpit shape.  you do this becuase you don't like the look of the apron.   in this approach, as mentoned, you just strip long.  you will not have a 'flat' deck' to easily use the risers from the kit.   they will be twisted on the sides of the boat becuase the effect of the apron would have been to create a horizontal surface for the risers that will now be curved..   with this approach understand that the plywood risers and coaming will take some additional work and have some additional twists in them...but it is quite doable.

another approach is to build an apron out of cedar strips to match the pattern (use the existing apron as your pattern) of the rest of the boat...if that is the essence of why you don't want the apron but still want an apron.    this preserves the apron shape and allows you to easily use the plywood risers and coaming from the kit. 

a final approach is to use the apron provided and dye it black or a dark color to create the visual effect you want.  the apron is not very large on the wood duck 12 and in a lot of cases, it is hard to see it becuase it just is not that big relative to the coaming.

h

RE: Wood Duck 12 Hybrid alternative coaming apron

   I'm thinking of a fourth option.   I will lay a riser on the forms (instead of the apron), then strip up to this.    This makes use of the forms as provided, and keeps the deck the same.   Then I will make an additional riser to make up for the height loss, and and sandwich it between the bottom / top riser, cutting it flush with a router.  Once the coaming top is on,  You won't see where the strips connect, and there will be no visible apron.   At least that's the current plan........

RE: Wood Duck 12 Hybrid alternative coaming apron

that sounds like it will work...  

if you are working from a kit, you can just take your existing apron and use the risers as a pattern on it and cut your exsiting apron to the new, reduced size.

in your suggested approach (option 4), however, you will need to do a bit of filing (reduction), of the forms adjacent to the reduced apron to allow for the strips to properly join with the new apron....as the forms will assume the apron as designed.

h

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