8 x 10 Glossy (Actually 1.66 x 16 Ft that is)

I finally hit a major Milestone last weekend, the first coat of varnish. I was having quite a bit of anguish and was fretting over spraying the varnish (not having done this before), using a new HVLP spray gun (I know what it stands for but what does it mean for my spraying task), working with the 2 part Interlux Perfection, getting the right mix for spraying and working with the weather to avoid spraying during humid condtions (would cause the finish to be foggy). All is well that ends well and it did worked well.

I set the kayak up on a rotissiorie type set up with a crank at one end and a stick with holes in it to hold the crank and kayak at various angles of rotation. This allowed me to coat the entier boat at one time. My first coat was light as I did not want any runs. I increased the volume that I mixed by 12% on the 2nd and another 12% on the 3rd coat. One more coat and that should be it. I wet sanded between coats with a spray bottle and 320 grit sand paper.

Working for a filtration company, it was a natural to set up my own clean room. Much easier than to try to get all of the dust out of my shop and much more successful at keeping dust, Cotton Wood cotton and bugs off of the wet varnish. Keeping dust off of the finish is near inpossible but with a tent and HEPA filters no dust was around to spoil my fun.

QOD: To be able to fill leisure intelligently is the last product of civilization, and at present very few people have reached this level. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)

Wired

The detail work continues. I've had to work out all of the details of the rudder lift. As mentioned the rudder will be spring loaded in the down positon. The tube with elastic cord can be seen on the left side of that fuzzy picture. The tube is actually an old aluminum arrow. Also somewhat shown are the 3 cable casings that I routed and secured inside the boat. I needed this all done before I could varnish the inside. I put 2 coats everywhere I could reach inside the boat and 1 extra one in the main hatch and cockpit area to handle the exta wear. I also had to put in 5 other little details like the hatch loops as shown (unfinished).

QOD: It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere. Anges Repplier (1855-1950)

Just Ruddering Around

For the rudder I tired to use the wet sand compression technique to get the carbon fiber to conform to the wood core but it didn't work. Not enough compression and the sand was not even on the bottom. I went back to my previous method of pressing wood core and carbon fiber cloth against an EVA foam. It worked better than the sand.

Next, I need to get the cables and cable guides into the kayak before I can varnish the insides. I'm going to spring load the rudder to the down position and use a cable pull to pull it to the up and stored position.

QOD: The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they're ok, then it's you. Rita Mae Brown.

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)