pulling staples, planing and sanding...

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!

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.

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

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

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...

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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!

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...

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...

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).

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