And Splash! 1-Dec-08

One Boat

One year to the day and the kayak is now one complete shell. It was a push to hit this goal, but the boat is now together. The first picture shows all of the ropes that I used to pull the deck and hull together. I tied loops of ropes and then used a stick to twist the ropes and tighten the loops like a tourniquet. One big tip, Guillemot suggest tipping the boat on end and pouring epoxy down the tip to seal the bow and stern. A WAY easier method is to just seal the last 12" of raw wood before you put the two halves together and don't worry about pouring epoxy in the ends.

The second picture is of the latch for the hatches. Securing the hatches seems to be be bane of any kayak builder. Installing 3 big black straps across a nice piece of woodwork, as a hold down, is a crime. The latches I'm building will have a toggle on the top and the hook and slot shown on inside. We will find out if it is a convenient and water tight method.

QOD: Latin Phrase: In Vino Veritas. Meaning, in wine there is truth. I found this phrase in the cabin log books that my dad left us for capturing our adventures at the wonderful log cabin he left his 7 children in trust.

Hatching a Seal

The first picture is of the trough that I built to go between the deck and the hull where the rudder will be tucked. The second picture is of the core pieces that I will cover with carbon fiber for the rudder and the rudder pivot.

The third picture is of the carbon fiber of the hatch gasket grooves being formed under the weight of wet sand. One Ocean says that this is the closest to vacuum bagging and I think it works quite well. The fourth picture is the carbon fiber gasket groove ring and the rear hatch opening. Note the two stainless steel hold-downs that will act similar to two hinge points that will be opposite of the hatch latch.

QOD: What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal. Albert Pine.

Back in the Saddle

It's been at least two months since I've kicked up some saw dust but I just got done shaping the rudder so I can now officially blog on. I need to refine the rudder and the rudder mount because I'm planning on recessing the rudder in the deck of the boat. I need to create the recess for the rudder along with the hatch seals before I can assemble the two halves together.



What has been keeping me busy for the last few months has been a Moose hunting trip in the BWCA. If you are interested in reading about this, click here:


http://www.pressenter.com/~lkeleny/BWCABull.pdf



QOD: Never explain-your friends don't need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915)

The Pit

I have made some progress on the kayak but the side projects continue to dissuade me. The first picture shows the cockpit in its completed form. I used the method of construction from One Oceans rather than from Gillimot. I like the looks, strength and streamline nature of the carbon and glass rather than the thicker wood design from Gillimot. I would highly recommend it.

The second picture is of one of the side projects. It is the front casting from the family cabin stove. I need to fix the cracks and make a following board so I can have a copy made at Acme Casting in Minneapolis. The stove being a 130 yrs old it is quite an heirloom that we want to keep intact.

Another diversion was a wonderful 4 day weekend in the BWCA. My bro-in-law, Jim joined my buddy Greg and I on our moose scouting trip. The 3rd person meant that I needed to take my kayak which was quite enjoyable. The new moon gave us 4 days of Perseid Meteor Showers and full view Milky Way. Jim and Greg got to see a meteor streak across the sky and explode like a fire works.

The height of the weekend was being chased by a moose. I had portaged into a lake and was cow calling until dark. A bull was responding with his calls back but didn't show until after dark. I gave a very loud call as I was ready to head back to camp and I heard a KawaK, ...Sploosh Sploosh, Sploosh...I thought two bulls were fighting on shore but I soon realize that the bull was swimming out to meet his new girl friend...me. I quickly high tailed it out of there. The loons and wolves were also a great treat and again a good time was had by all.

QOD: Some mornings it just doesn't seem worth it to gnaw through the leather straps. Emo Phillips

Ketchup

It has been too long since I've posted but, hey, it's summer. Who wants to be inside. I've had to put Jan's boat on hold for a number of things...Heading to Fargo for my daughter Molly, to put a fuel pump in her car, Shocks and ball joints in my blazer, yadayada (you don't want to hear about this kind of work). Progress has been made on Jan's boat but that will be another post.

The biggest delay was from working on my boat. People inevitably ask "how long did it take to make your boat". Some day when I finish I will be able to answer that question. This summer I needed to finally get my rudder working. It has been on the boat since the initial splash but it has been mostly for show, especially for the 06 state fair. The impending 9-July trip to the Apostles needed a good rudder and with the weather we had I sure was glad I had it working.

For our July trip we had Jill, Jeff, Matt, and my son Jake. We didn't get to two of the islands that we had planned, but we had quite an adventure. There were some tall seas so I was very proud and happy that Jake was a solid paddler and the only one I had to worry about, was me. Ask sometime and we would love to bore you with the details.

The two pictures are: 1) Heading out to "Play" in the waves. Lesson learned: When you biff in tall seas, turn the boat into the waves so when you do get into the boat you will be able to see what's coming. 2) Look'n like the tropics and feeling pretty much the same. A glorious time was had by all.

QOD: Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day. Give a fish a man, and he will eat for weeks! Takayuki Ikkaku, Arisa Hosaka and Toshihiro Kawabata, Animal Crossing: Wild World, 2005

3 in 1

Details of the cockpit. I used airplane plywood to form the vertical wall around the cockpit. I will line the wall and form the lip with a layup of glass/carbon/glass/glass/carbon/glass.

QOD: Man is the only animal whose desires increases as they are fed; the only animal who is never satisfied. Henry George (1839-1897)

Top Coat

The pictures are of the first coat of epoxy on the deck. Following a suggestion from West System Epoxy, I used a cut section of a paint roller to apply the resin. This works well because the hardness of the roller allows you to force the resing into the glass, spread the resin around and somewhat squeege the excess epoxy to sections that need resin.

QOD: Tip the world over on its side and everything loose will land in Los Angles. Frank Lloyd Wright. (1869-1959)

Lift and Separate

Last feature before glassing the top is the day hatch. I purchased a store bought cover for the boat. Contrary to the theme of the boat but the hatch cover is a great design and easily pops on and off although building the collar to match the cover was a challenge (center picture).

QOD: Forgiveness is giving up all hope of having a better past. Anne Lamontt.

Deck The Halls

It is hard to tell from this pictures but I tapered the strips towards the bow and stern. Not having a consistent width made it harder to get the left and right side to line up but I think that it will be worth it.

Now for a blog Moment: Jeff Jim and I got out paddling on Sunday 6-Apr. We put in on the Crow River just S of Crow-Hassen park, paddled to Dayton where they served us tall cool ones and hot burger and fries, and then on down the Miss to our house. 7 hr trip, 5 hrs of paddling and it only rained when we were on the river. Good thing we all had good warm comfy gear.

QOD: It’s always been about the experience of life and of not being passive. If something so excites my curiosity, I want to go there, be part of whatever it is that’s either pushing me or pulling me towards it. That desire for experience has made me very rich in life experience. Tish Grier.

Comment

A New Coat

Two layers glass, three layers resin. I tried a new resin, Raka from Florida. Seems good so far.

QOD: If we all did things we were capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves. Thomas A. Edison (1847-1931)

A Hull of a Boat

Status report: the hull is fully stripped. The stem pieces are glued on but need to be shaped.

First picture is showing the strips in line with the keel. I didn't build the other kayak this way but Guillemot suggested it to keep a crisp keel line.

Second picture is of all of the strips in place.

Third picture is of the Bow Stem piece before shaping. Tip, note the shrink wrap that I got from Home Depot. This is handy stuff to help manage the strips and not damage a group of strips with delicate edges. The shrink wrap was also effectively used as a clamp on the bow stem.

QOD: In science one tries to tell people, in such a way as to be understood by everyone, something no one ever knew before. But in poetry, it's the exact opposite. Paul Dirac (1902-1984).

Background

The boat I'm building is from the Guillemot set of plans and is the Guillemot S: http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/guillemot/GS. This is a smaller than average boat because Jan would get lost in a boat the size of my first one. The S is 16 ft in length, 20 inch beam and drafts 3.7 inchs.

My first kayak was a One Ocean Cape Ann Expedition: http://www.oneoceankayaks.com/Kayaks.htm#expedanch. The Expedition is 18.5 ft in length, 22 inch beam and drafts 4.1 inchs. I picked the Expedition because I wanted a big boat that could hold a lot of gear for "Expedition" type adventures. Between the two companies I really like all of the details that One Ocean provides for both building and analysis of materials. Jeff and I got a real Expedition Adventure last fall.

See: http://www.pressenter.com/~lkeleny/Cap_nJacques.htm.

You can see pictures of the first kayak at:
http://www.pressenter.com/~lkeleny/SavorDiem.htm

Quote of the day: "The only good is knowledge, and the only evil is ignorance" Socrates (469 BC - 399 BC)

Look Ma, No Staples

The first picture is of a custom tip for the glue bottle. I had a piece of 3/8 inch tubing that I heated with a lighter, pulled the tube when it was hot which caused it to lengthen and shrink in diameter. The small diameter helps get the glue into the cove of the cedar strips.

Second picture shows the jigs that I use to clamp the strips in place with out using staples. The plywood on the bottom are U shaped clamps used to hold the bottom of the starter strip and with wedges, used to hold the strips against the forms. The Z shaped clamps are screwed to the forms and moved after ever one or two strips. Again wedges are used to force the new strip against the previous strips and with another wedge to hold the strip against the form.

Third picture is of a frame used near the bow and stern to hold the strips against the forms. These hold the strips tight against the forms in the area where there is a lot of stress on the strips. This strip would be helpful even when using staples, because the staples may not hold a highly stressed board.

The last picture is just a progress shot.

Quote of the day: In Mexico we have a word for Sushi: Bait. Joes Simon.

Rough Tree and a Solid Stance

A few photos that I had intended on posting previously.

The first is a view of a board as it looked after being sawn via one Homelite chain saw.

The Second is a view of the tree in plank form. (You might need to click on the photo to zoom in to see it amongst all of the junk in the shop.)

As mentioned, I will be spewing tips for the boat builder on this Blog, so one tip is that the stand for the forms should be very solid. I like the tripod shown because it will not move when working hard on the boat, especially with the extra added weights on its base. The typical H frame stands that hold the beam in one direction and has a saddle for the boat when turned 90 deg are nice but be sure to add some weights to make sure you have a solid foundation for maintaining accuracy with the forms and for the building.

Quote of the day: Pay no attention to what the critics say…Remember, a statue has never been set up in honor of a critic! Jean Sibelius

The Start

The tree was sliced with a 20" chain saw. The boards were flat and true enough and took 5 runs through the planer per side. The White Cedar looked straight before I cut it down but definitely had a curve to it. To get the most out of the wood I cut the strips following the outside curve of the board to get the 1/4" strips. The whole tree in 1/4" strip form is shown laid out together. The pictures of the forms show the full boat in a squashed form. The last picture shows the waterline of the forms all lined up together.

The Happiest is the person who suffers the least pain; the most miserable who enjoys the least pleasure. Jean Jacques Rousseau

A Builders Page, Introduction

Hello,

This is a chronicle of the building of my second kayak. I hope that you find the info interesting, enlightening and maybe something to learn from. This kayak is a little more special than the last one in that it is from a tree that I cut down from my fathers land at "The Cabin" in northern Wisconsin.

The boat was started a couple of years ago when I cut the tree down. It sat at the cabin for about a year drying out and then behind the garage for 9 months. I started planning on Thanksgiving of 07. Everyone asks how long it takes to build a kayak and I always tell them that the real question is: "how many hours does a project like this, allow for quality time in the shop". I do have a goal of finishing by Aug of this year so Jan and I can take both kayaks out west for two weeks. We'll see. My brother-in-law put a goal of finishing his boat in 5 yrs, just to keep it a low pressure situation and to allow him to savor the construction process.

My dad was known for his quotes, and to keep that tradition going I will sign off with a parting quote. My dad also signed off from his emails with the moniker: "Carpe Diem", which is Latin for Seize the Day. This always reminded me of one of my favorite quotes:

"Every day when I get up I have to decide whether to Seize the day or Savor the Day". Unknown