So - time for a project..... after a bit of a web search I found Bryan Hansels Siskiwit Bay kayak
A quick email transaction (Bryans plans are free but a modest donation is a good idea - thank you! ) and a pdf copy of the plans were mine - and courtesy of Officeworks I had printed plans to work with.
6 April: - I marked out the forms from plans and cut ply.
8 April:
Holes and cuts made for the strongback - screwin', gluin', and truin' were next ( & maybe a little cussin' )
8 May update: the form was assembled and three strips installed per side at this point. Then there was a laying down of the tools for a few days - off interstate for a while.
You might notice the complete absence of bead and cove on my strips. This is deliberate. Following my fairly extensive web research including some useful blogs and Youtube vids I came to the conclusion that Nick Schades and Bjorn Thomasson's information and methods worked best for me; particularly Bjorn's.
If you have never built before, Nick and Bjorn have much to offer. Nick offers a great deal of meticulous detail both on the web and in his book!
Bjorn has an online building manual which has sufficient English translation for my needs and a practical "get it done and on the water" philosophy.
It was from Bjorns examples that I made the decision to ignore the common use of "bead and cove" and further follow my own belief (influenced by George Buehler) that I should use non exotic timber (radiata pine) from the hardware store.
I learned a great deal from all of them and owe them my thanks. As always we stand on the shoulders of giants!
1 June: Getting ready to shape the keel strips - a few more strips after them and it was time for sanding, sanding and more .... sanding!
15 June: It was time for the "Whiskey plank" - no whiskey or rum in the house so a tot of Black Devil Port had to do (and it did well!).
29 June:My (short) long board worked a treat :-)
Increasingly I found that traditional hand tools strike an effective balance between speed of work and quality. A handsaw and set of planes proved similarly effective.
Increasingly I found that traditional hand tools strike an effective balance between speed of work and quality. A handsaw and set of planes proved similarly effective.
29/10/2017: To my shame there was much more progress from this point but regrettably was not mirrored on the blog.
Life does provide some hefty interruptions - but in time these settle - and there was progress.
I rolled the hull over, judiciously refreshed the tape and was careful not to glue the first deck strip; using just staples but gluing each subsequent strip from then on.
I had concerns about cockpit placement and gave myself a few headaches over it. There was much sitting and measuring leg length and seating positions before emailing Brian H . Reassured and encouraged I placed the cockpit cut out and built to it. I also cut horizontally and rejoined the affected forms so that I could dismantle the cockpit support once the strips were laid. This was a useful mod and helped a great deal.
I found some of the sharper curves on the deck challenging and tried a few variations such as cutting strips in half lengthwise and beveling. Nick Shades method of beveling using his Robobevel would have been helpful here.
Following the initial smoothing of the hull I had comments from friends about my use of "abrasives". Here's a visual list of what I was using. (each made a difference even in a small way, but strangely enough the very smallest hand plane was the most useful throughout the project.
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| Planes, Spoke-shave, "long board", files, rasps and sandpaper |
Around about this point in the build Shez and I had to move from our rented accommodation.This was one of the reasons for a progress delay. In truth Shez's health was our real focus and the build a very remote priority compared. Sometimes there are long intervals between medical treatments and with Shez's encouragement and support the kayak build offered both of us a useful distraction from the real world.
After settling in at the "new house" I finished my sanding and following an initial coat of resin, sanded again and applied a coat of resin and glass to the outside of hull and deck.
Not long after the glassing I had another move, this time some 600ks away from Victoria to NSW. The two halves were taped together and loaded onto the car roof racks. For a moment it looked almost finished.
I've glossed over many of the fiddly aspects of the build, but as you can see in the background, the form was built by sliding the molds over a "2 x 4" of mild steel tube. I found this to be the most stable option as the hardware sourced timber did not meet my standards of accuracy. I used laser and string line to align the molds and verify placement. Each mold was located with hot-glued wood blocks placed top and bottom and front and back of each mold.
Dismantling the form for the move was quite easy and each block which had help position throughout the build and first move, broke free with the tap of a hammer.
Working conditions changed at the NSW site and were not as user friendly. All work had to be done outside as the "shed" was full of machinery which while it allowed storage was not available as workspace. The winter climate soon provided a delay.
Nevertheless it was possible to get the hull and deck glassed on the inside. This delay between glassing the outside and inside is not desirable or recommended. If the hull and deck are given to opportunity to change shape they will and as a consequence joining the pair will become more work ( not impossible but an obstacle that we don't need).
As soon as the season permitted epoxying in the open I cut hatches and began work on the cockpit coaming. Initially I thought to omit hatches as just another point of entry for water, however they are very helpful when gluing the hull and deck together so cut I must!
I sketched a water proofing hatch idea I had seen and endeavored to create it. I think the outcome is "clunky" and not professional but won't be readily seen in practice so I'll just keep this in mind for "next time".
Similarly I think the coaming treatment could be lighter. As a first time build I'm happy enough. As always - as you acquire skill you realise the better techniques after the work is done. We learn!
Cutting the hatches required a great deal of intestinal fortitude - I wasn't happy and made a few errors. However as the hatches are meant to be removable a certain gap is needed. In fact the mistakes will largely disappear as the final sanding takes place.
Execution of the hatch sealing didn't come out as well as I had hoped - haste didn't help. I can do a better job in the future but this is actually good enough and will be hidden under the hatches anyway. (but I know its there) :-)
I built up the coaming with four half ellipses of ply wood, beveled on their facing edges. This allowed them to align with the deck curvature and the facing bevels will help provide a hollow to grip the elasticized perimeter of the "skirt".
The final layer on top of the coaming are strips to match the deck arrangement including the central strip of Tasmanian Oak. The strip spanning the cockpit helped with alignment and was cut down after the epoxy set.
There were minor errors with the coaming but it took a pleasing shape.
Subsequently to this stage the whole project was packed up and transported 1,460 kilometers away to a little village in the Huon Valley in Tasmania. Boatbuilding is a rich tradition here and the inspiration to finish the kayak is all around in both the scenery and the boat building activity.
The hull and deck have been reinstated on the form to encourage alignment and final joining is within sight!
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