jimbo's worthless blog

Action Shots!

2008-10-02T16:41:00.009-04:00

DONE!

2008-09-18T17:10:00.003-04:00

Well...i installed the bulkheads, and my seat arrived...so i had a chance to finish 'er up today. weighing in at just under 45 lbs (20.5 kg) i introduce: "Sunburst"

hatches and deck rigging

2008-09-16T06:46:00.003-04:00

i did the final work on the deck rigging and hatch covers today. in the last 2 pics, you can see how the hatches are held down from inside, to keep the closures off the deck.

end pour

2008-09-14T16:14:00.002-04:00

i did the end pour in the bow this morning. i didnt take any pics, but just imagine the kayak standing on end. the chemical reaction of curing epoxy creates ALOT of heat, so i wrapped the bow in cool wet rags, to keep the heat in check.

2008-09-13T07:56:00.001-04:00

i sanded and did a seal coat on the hull yesterday, and today i installed the hatch lips:

sanding, and skim coat...

2008-09-10T18:46:00.002-04:00

i did a thorough sanding, and a final skim coat of epoxy on the deck today...next i need to do the same for the hull.

hatches

2008-09-09T13:49:00.003-04:00

after taping the exterior seam today, i had time to work on the hatch lips. these will get coated with epoxy, and glued to the inside of the hole. then weather stripping around the exposed edge should water proof it.

2008-09-08T11:01:00.004-04:00

i flipped 'er over and did the other inside seam this morning. woot! the hardest stuff is OVER!

i could put it in the water tomorrow if i wanted! (but i wont...) i still need to glass the outside seam, do the hatch lips and closures, bulkheads, deck rigging, and pours and grab loops. and last but not least a seat. i would love to do something like this. but i think i will use a folded-up sleeping pad for now, and order a foam seat from the interwebs.

no pics for you! (but it looks like the last pic on the post below...only in reverse. :P

2008-09-07T14:02:00.006-04:00

well...i had a pretty good wekend. :D i glassed the inside yesterday... and today...

i installed the rail for the foot braces

cut the hatches (i cant believe i cut holes in it! :P )[img]

and started to put it together. i used 3 inch fiberglass tape...let it soak in resin and ran it from the bow to the cockpit (i could reach all the way up thru the front hatch) and then a second piece from the cockpit back to the stern (i needed a stick to reach all the way back, even thru the rear hatch)

tomorrow after work i will do the other side on the inside. not long now!

cockpit lip

2008-09-01T10:07:00.002-04:00

I worked on the cockpit lip this morning...if i get some tim elater today i will put a layer of fibre glass on it. the insides of hull and deck are ready for glass too, but i am low on epoxy so they will have to wait a few days. i should be putting it together soon!

totals so far

2008-08-16T07:27:00.002-04:00

so far the totals for the project go like this:

$228 for tools
$415 for materials, of which $285 is fiberglass and epoxy
$643 total (but i will need more epoxy and some miscellaneous parts, so i figure about $80 more to finish, bringing my projected total to $723)

3 hours making stands and hull cradles
3 hours cutting forms
3 hours making box-beam strong back and setting forms
5 hours ripping strips
15 hours to strip the hull
22 hours to strip the deck
1 hour of pulling staples
13 hours of sanding and planing
1.5 hours making the front and rear stems
5 hours making cockpit and recess
4 hours making and epoxying the foot braces
6.5 hours of fiber glass and epoxy of deck and hull (so far...i still have the insides to do, and joining the deck and hull, and the end pours)

total time: 82 hours (all times are approximate)
i should come in under 100 for the whole project. not bad :D

back on the forms

2008-08-15T05:11:00.005-04:00

i wont be able to work on the 'yak for a couple of weeks, while i will be on vacation (pics when i get back :P ) so i put the whole thing back on the forms, and strapped it down tight to make sure it keeps it's shape while i am gone. i would hate to come home and find that the humidity warped it all out of whack.

it really looks like a boat when the two pieces come together. i don't have too much left to do before i get to that step for real (i wanted to finish before i left for vacation, but i ran out of time), just glassing the inside, and cutting hatches. after that its just joining the halves, making a seat (still not sure what i will do for this...i might just order a foam seat for now) and fill coats of epoxy. then a couple coats of varnish and into the water we go!

sanding, scraping, sanding, scraping....

2008-08-12T19:02:00.003-04:00

took the hull off the forms over the weekend. its nice and light. now its just a matter of sanding and scraping untill its smooth enuf for a sealer coat of epoxy. i will probably mix up a batch of epoxy and wood flour (fine sanding dust) and fill some of the more un-even spots rather than trying to sand it all out. for the most part the inside can be kind of ugly, as no one will ever see it, except thru the hatches and cockpit...but i still want it to look as good as i can get it...so i sand, scrape, sand, scrape, sand, scrape...

no pics for you!

the Hull

2008-08-10T08:43:00.004-04:00

glassed the hull this morning, with out doing a sealer coat. not a good idea. the bare wood soaks up so much epoxy, its hard to "wet out" the glass. i will always do a sealer coat from now on.
glass cut and ready to go

2 and 1/2 hours and 1300ml of epoxy later i am finally done.

2008-08-08T16:49:00.002-04:00

i have been working on the foot braces all week while i waited for a good day to glass...
glass and first epoxy coat
looking good!
*sigh* nail and staple holes...oh well...

2008-08-04T12:54:00.003-04:00

i did a sealer coat of epoxy on just the bare wood, no fibre glass yet. it really brings out the color.

cockpit

2008-08-02T07:16:00.003-04:00

i worked on the cockpit for a few hours yesterday, and again this morning. here you see the partial recess, and "keystones" of dark cedar against white pine to mimic the front sunburst.
here you see the rear keystones in contrasting color to the front.
i am thinking of using this climbing rope for the combing lip, grab loops and deck rigging.

pulling staples, planing and sanding...

2008-07-28T18:24:00.003-04:00

i pulled all the staples and started planing and sanding the deck. i will roll it over and sand the hull tomorrow...i have already done the initial planing, and started work on the stems.

the straps are keeping the shell tight to the forms now that the staples are out. the blue tape is holding the first lamination of the bow stem to the hull.

starting to look like a kayak now...nice and smooth

this is the cutout for the cockpit recess. i will strip partially across the hole, and cut out another smaller hole that i will make into the lip and combing.

the last strip!

2008-07-28T05:16:00.002-04:00

17 days to strip the deck! here is the last gap to be filled.
the last strip!
and the last strip in place. i still have ALOT to do, but now i can start the sanding process. i also need to cut out the cockpit and work on the lip...and pull a bunch of staples.

2008-07-26T08:42:00.003-04:00

got alot done in the last couple of days. here is a close up of the detail at the shear line.
a shot of the cockpit area, you can see the recess marked out in pencil on one side.
a shot from the stern.
and from the bow.

two shots of the "sun burst" detail i did at the bow.

new pics

2008-07-22T17:02:00.004-04:00

finally posting some new pics. in the first you can see the mahogany details i did on the deck near the stern. in the second, more mahogany at the bow, and the third is just an overall shot of the deck.

new pics soon

2008-07-20T16:18:00.003-04:00

i haven't worked on the yak much this week. i have been scouring the web looking for epoxy, and have found some locally! i can get a better price on glass thru Chesapeake Light Craft, but so far the best price on epoxy is from Clark Craft on river road (about 10 minutes from home).

i started pulling staples on the hull, and i did a little planing. then i flipped it over and started stripping the deck. pics to come...

2008-07-15T16:14:00.001-04:00

2008-07-15T16:07:00.005-04:00

less than a week, and i am finished stripping the hull. i will get some darker wood this week for the deck. until then i have about 1,000,000 staples to pull, and ALOT of planing and sanding to do.

2008-07-15T04:53:00.006-04:00

the gaps in the hull are getting smaller, but i will need to get more cedar soon.

here you can see the stern. i pulled some staples and started to rough out the final shape with a plane. i will flatten the tip to add a stem piece similar to this, laminated out of 1/8" or thinner by 3/4" hardwood (most likely ash, as it is reported to bend easily)

here is the bow, with gap I left out for a "cheater strip". you can see how many staples it takes to hold the strips to the forms with the compound curves needed for the bow. I am thinking of doing an accent strip in darker wood here, perhaps mahogany or cherry. not sure yet tho...i need to go to a woodworking store for a spoke-shave and a cabinet scraper, and i will see what sort of specialty wood they have there.

2008-07-13T20:27:00.004-04:00

a few more strips on the hull. its getting a little slower now, as i need to custom cut every bottom strip to fit the sides.

totals so far

2008-07-13T08:54:00.002-04:00

so the totals so far are:
$76.47 for glue, cedar and pine
$99 table saw
$29.99 jig saw
$14.99 clamps
$24.99 belt sander
plywood for forms and strongback-FREE!
total: $245.44

3 hours ripping cedar with the table saw
3.5 hours cutting an glueing forms and patterns
3 hours making box beam and setting forms
9 hours stripping
total 18.5 hours (or so, all times are approx.)

cruising right along

2008-07-13T08:51:00.003-04:00

worked for about 3 hours this morning. starting to come around the sides on to the bottom. laid a strip down the center, and a couple on each side as well.

more strips

2008-07-12T08:43:00.002-04:00

started working on the 'yak at 5:45 this morning, and ran out of glue and cedar at 8:30. time to go to home depot again.

here you see more strips, and some cam straps holding the stubborn strips in place.

more daks

2008-07-12T08:34:00.003-04:00

more pics from the daks last weekend, off Rachel's camera...

me...actually climbing...at McKenzie pond boulders.

Mr. Sweaty, on the hike up Cascade.

2008-07-12T05:27:00.003-04:00

6 hours into it yesterday, and here is what it looks like now. i will get some more done today too. now that i am at the stripping stage, its moving right along. cant wait to get to the deck so i can start doing some fancy stuff.

woot!

2008-07-11T14:13:00.005-04:00

finally! i am getting something done!

here you can see the warped 2x4 strong back, next to the plywood box-beam. the box turned out to be the way to go, and if i build another boat, i will go with the box again.

the forms all in place. getting excited! the fun starts soon!

the first few strips in place...now the hard part is NOT trying to do too much at once. i feel like i could spend all day laying strips, but i think i need to let the glue dry on the first few, before i start going crazy...maybe i will do some more later.

i told a friend of mine (who made a strip-built canoe) that i was building a kayak, and the first thing he asked me was if i had enuf clamps. i thought he was just joking around, but now i wonder if i do have enuf....

the daks...

2008-07-11T13:49:00.005-04:00

OK...so here's some pics from the daks last weekend...

happy dog on the summit of cascade mtn.

the view from the top.

on the hike up...i just liked the way the sun shone thru the trees

unfortunately i didn't get much climbing in, and so no climbing pics...

2008-07-10T05:59:00.003-04:00

after struggling for a few days with warped 2x4's i have come to the conclusion that i need to make a plywood box-beam for the strong back. i think i have enuf in scrap in the basement to do it, so after work today i will break out the table saw again, and start cutting. maybe this weekend i will get some strips on. sheesh...i feel like nothing is getting done. i need to get in gear if i am going to be done before the snow flies (which is when i promised to have the garage clean, so my wife can park her car in it).

2008-07-03T07:36:00.002-04:00

forms cut, and ready for the strongback. going to the 'daks this weekend, so nothing will get done, and i dont care.

finally....

2008-06-30T05:55:00.006-04:00

it seems like i finally got some work done. i managed to cut out all the form patterns included in the plans, and get them glued (with spray adhesive) to some plywood, OSB and MDF scrap that i had in the basement.

i managed to get about half of the forms cut, so all i need to do is cut the rest and sand the outside edges. then cut the hole for the 2x4 strong back, mount and align them. i should be able to get the rest cut this afternoon, and maybe mounted later in the week.

i should be able to start laying some cedar strips by the weeked. :D

some other things...

2008-06-29T04:33:00.004-04:00

perhaps i should take a few moments to mention some other things:

besides kayaks i also like to: climb, hike, make music, make videos (mostly climbing) and drink really strong dark coffee.

some people ask me why i want to build a kayak (i already have one) and the answer isn't simple. first let me say that i have been a carpenter for nearly 20 years, building houses, decks, home improvements, most of the local climbing gym and large commercial projects. this is just something that i want to try. i would like a nice touring boat...and strip built boats are just plain sexy.

2008-06-29T04:19:00.001-04:00

well...i'm behind schedule already. i was planning on getting the forms on the strongback, but i didn't really get a chance to work on it at all on saturday. oh well. today is a new day. if i get the forms set up, i can be stripping every evening this week. above is a pic of the plans.

first post...ever.

2008-06-26T13:53:00.000-04:00

i never had the urge to have a blog untill i decided to build a kayak. after looking at many madels i went for the 14 foot great auk from guillemot kayaks . the plans arrived today, and work will begin for real this weekend.