Justed started a Merganser kayak

[glenn witgen]

Just started and Merganser kayak from plans. It a design from Shearwater boats. I have the plywood hull completed and I am starting on the hybrid deck.
I attached a picture of what I will be attempting. If it works out,it will be sharp.
Thats if I dont get tired of all the cutting and bending.
Will post some pictures of the project.
-Glenn

[Dane Allen]

Looks pretty nice. Is it a stich and glue?

[glenn witgen]

Yes the bottom is a stich and glue.

[Mac McQuinn]

Glen,

Looks like a great Winter Project, 1st boat?? Keep us posted.

Mac

[glenn witgen]

This will make #5.
One Eider double,two CLC LT17,one CLC shearwater 17 and one Yost sea flea. Very addicting. PLus I have three boys the enjoy using them.

[Mac McQuinn]

Glen,
Is the Yost Sea Flea a Skin on Frame Kayak??

Mac

[glenn witgen]

Yes
The skin is a vinyl.

[russell lusthaus]

The pic you posted is not the boat you are making, right? That pic is a Redfish boat, not a Shearwater, if I am not mistaken.

I only know this because I drool over that Redfish boat often.

[glenn witgen]

I am building a Shear water Merganser and using the pattern from the Red fish kayak web sight.
I may be building a Red fish spring run next.
I have to see how this boat fits me.
The Merganer that I am building know is for one of my sons.

[Johnny Ramon]

Just started and Merganser kayak from plans. It a design from Shearwater boats. I have the plywood hull completed and I am starting on the hybrid deck.
I attached a picture of what I will be attempting. If it works out,it will be sharp.
Thats if I dont get tired of all the cutting and bending.
Will post some pictures of the project.
-Glenn
Be carefull!

I found building kayaks is more addicting than crack....(not that I have ever tried crack). :eek:

Anyway I am building my second strip built kayak and have plans for a third. I must stop....

Have fun. I found they are as much fund to paddle as they are to build.:)

[glenn witgen]

Some pictures of the progress. My plan is to complete the pine first,then fill in the western cedar and then paduk.

[glenn witgen]

A few more pictures of my progress.

[Gary Kvasnicka]

You are making great progress. I have not had the time to touch my daughters kayak in weeks. I should stop complaining, I have a job, and I get paid for the overtime.
The deck pattern is looking really good, I can't wait to see it finished.

[glenn witgen]

Most of my building time is at 4:45 am until 6:00 am, before I go to work.
Kind of hard to find time at night and on the weekends.

[David Gendron]

Glenn, what is the poly for? I never seen that used unde the strips, is it to be abble to follow some marking for the paterns?
Thank you

[glenn witgen]

It keeps drips off the hull and I like to draw my pattern on it.

[glenn witgen]

Starting to fill in with pine and paduk. I am going to make a jig for my trim router to keep the opening more even. Bending and fitting the paduk stripes is hard on the fingers. They are bending ok with heat so far.
I have to start thinking about my combing next. Carbon fiber or wood?

[russell lusthaus]

Looking good.

Dont go to all the trouble you have to fit strips to make the nice design, and then go modern with carbon fiber. Wood is the only way to go here, IMHO.

[Phillip Bogle]

I have never built a boat, and the Kayak that I see are those bright colored plastic floaty thingy's and are pointed at both ends. Nothing so graceful as the beauty you are crafting.

I keep thinking I may be missing something. I live within a stones throw (literally) of the bay, on a fantastic river, that empties into one of the most beautiful oceans anywhere. I live on the North Oregon Coast. Yet I have never built a boat. Shameful I know but there it is none the less.

I went to the Shearwater site and those boats with Redstone rockets attached are NOT what you have been posting to say nothing of environmentally damaging. Can someone enlighten me as to the "real" sites to see the plans? You say you are on boat 2 - 3 -4 -5- !? I am trying to finish remodeling the bathroom and that is taking 8 weeks past forever. Are these Kayaks easier to build than it looks or are you just woodcraft wizards?
Where does one learn of these crafts?
Phil

[glenn witgen]

The web sight is www.shearwater-boats.com (http://www.shearwater-boats.com).

Building kayaks comes ease for my self. It all depends on you wood working skills. I have made my share of mistakes, but the great thing about wood is there is so many way to correct it.
I feel your pain with the bathroom remodels.
Last year we remodeled ours. Kayak building is way more fun.

[russell lusthaus]

My next boat will be one of these - www.redfishkayak.com (http://www.redfishkayak.com).

Many other beauties out there as well.

[glenn witgen]

I am already looking at plans for my next build.
Redfish kayaks spring run or Laughloons fire star?
So many cool designs and not enough time or money to build them all.

[Gary Kvasnicka]

I have built 1 1/2 boats ( daughters kayak in progress ). Plans for both came from
http://www.oneoceankayaks.com/, check out the workshop pages, I am self taught from those pages and a couple of books. The Strip Built Sea Kayak by Nick Schade and Kayakcraft by Ted Moores

[Phillip Bogle]

Thanks for the links. My uncle started Wilderness Boats here in Oregon back in the early 1970's. Their canoes were strip cedar and I never understood how they were made just that they were very popular.

I was hoping someone might have a link or two to plans or a kit for building a small rowboat, or dinghy? We have a slew of small lakes loaded with trout and landlocked salmon. I have a photo (somewhere) of me with a 36 lb salmon I caught on a slow rowing troll. I really want to do more, and I'm not in love with the condos on hulls with with twin F16 Falcon jet engines, moving up and down the river. Yes I am bigoted, I hate having the most beautiful scenery in the world disrupted by some idiot that has to cross the 100yd river at mach 2.

[glenn witgen]

Try www.clcboats.com (http://www.clcboats.com).
I have build a LT 17 kayak from plans that I purchased from them. Very helpful if you have any questions. Plus they have a forum on there web sight that can be helpful, there are many builders out there that are very helpful if you find your self stuck at any point during your build.

[russell lusthaus]

Google "Lumberyard Skiff". This is a good first boat project from the editors of WoodenBoat magazine. Designed for standard lumber yard wood.

[glenn witgen]

Update to my progress. On this part of the kayak I made a router plate for my trim router to keep the opening parallel. I made my saw cuts close to the line and then used my router to open it to 1". So far it work great. So far the hardest part is heating and bending to fit the rolling angle.

[glenn witgen]

I havent update due to the holidays and I had to build a skim board for are local schools auction sale. So my kayak project has been on hold.
I attached a picture on the skim board that I built, I know its not a boat but they sure are fun to use at the beach.
Its built with 1/2 plywood center rib with 3/4 foam core. I have 3 layers of 6 oz on the top and 4 layers of 6 oz on the bottom.
The sharks are from a picture that my kids found in a local store.

[Philip Allin]

Glenn, it's a beautiful strip-built kayak. As you probably have discovered, it's a little unnerving to paddle around rocky shores while in "a piece of fine furniture." Here is a photo of our Pygmies on a month-long trip to Alaska: -Phil Allin

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[glenn witgen]

Now that the holidays are over I have some time to get back in the shop.
Yesterday I in stalled the last stripe. I planed some of the high spots and then used my 6" sander with 50 grit to even the rest. After wetting the deck to raise the grain and even out my 50 grit marks it will be ready to fill cracks and finish sanding out. I hope the fiber glass the deck next week.

Just before the holidays my dewalt sander died. After ready many reviews, I decided on a festool 150/3 with a dust extracter. When I was at the check out I thought I must be nuts speading this much on a sander. But after using it for the last month I am glad that I did. I am amazed at how much faster I can sand and with no dust. The extracter is so quit. Most of my building time is in the morning from 5:00 am to 6:30 am when the rest of the family is a sleep. So the low noise level is a plus.

I was hoping to have this one finished in time for the March 6 Quit water show in Lansing Michigan but I dont think I will make it. Looking like The end of March.

[glenn witgen]

Installled combing lip and rear hatch fiber glass lip over weekend. Tonight I will trim the rear hatch lip down to 3/4" with router guide. Hoping to glass the outside deck to hull seam this weekend. After that its fill coats and sanding. Looks like it should be completed around th first of April.

[glenn witgen]

Well after four month of work, its finished. I have a few things to finish. After sanding out to 320, I had a clear coat sprayed on. The finish is unreal. It looks smoother than a car finish. Time will tell how clear coat will hold up compaired to varnish. My son cannot wait to try it out this weekend.

[Gary Kvasnicka]

Beautiful kayak, Glenn, great job! You have inspired me to get back to my daughters kayak.

[Mike Konobeck]

I don't venture into this post much but holy cow!! That is very nice. I would be afraid to use it! Great job and very nice craftsmenship.

[glenn witgen]

I know the feeling, There has been some times when I lost the drive and then you see a kayak on top a of car/truck go by and it reinspires the drive to finish your project.

[Mikail Khan]

Very nice work Glenn.

MK

[glenn witgen]

Well the shops been empty for to long. I started on a Petrel for my youngest son. My plans are to stain this one with a few pin stripes. I have the shear stripes installed and am working on the cheater stripes on the front and rear. I scored agreat deal on some western cedar at Mernards
$14.00 a board for 1"x6" 20'. These are deck boards. I had to pick the pile for some time. Very few closed knots. I should have purchased more but storage is a problem in my 12'x20' shop. I will work on some picture in the next few days. Tried going out kayaking over the weekend, I only made it about two miles. I live in Michigan and there was to many ice jams. Happy paddling

[Anthony Albano]

Looking great, keep the pics coming

[Dave Lehnert]

Interested in building a Kayak.

About how much did you have invested in your last boat? Don't want to start a project I can't afford to finish.

[Bruce Heys]

Glenn - My wife selected the same deck design for her King. Joe Greenley of Redfish Kayaks sold us plans for the King that were reduced to 7/8 of the origninal design. She is 5'1" and it fits her very well. The original concept was for her to build her own kakyak with a "little bit of support". Long story short - the kayak was finished a couple of years ago and she was "very supportive" during the build. The hull went together quickly - not so much wth this deck design. All's well that ends well. She is pleased and proud of her kayak.
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In this photo the hatch is sitting proud. After a few months after launch the gasket compresses allowing a flush fit.

[glenn witgen]

192161Dave i have never added up my cost for building any of my boats. I purchase fiber glass in large rolls and my cedar any where that i can get a good deal. Sorry I dont have a good answer for you.
Bruce great looking yak. The funny thing about building is we stew over little things that nobody will ever see. I guess its part of the sickness.
Im still working on the hull of a Petrel for my son, pulling my hair out on the sharp corner on the bottom. My stripe are not going over the curve on all station at the same time. I just finished a skin on frame Disko bay. What a fun kayak to roll. I think i had about 30 hours into the build.