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Thread: Anyone Build a Kayak ?

  1. #31
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    New Westminster BC
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    2,981
    Quote Originally Posted by Don Rogers View Post
    The pictures in my post above do not show the entire canoe because it is difficult to take photos of it due to it’s being crammed in the only space available. The length is 11.5’ and it;s width is 27” at the widest point. The double paddle (not Shown) is made of wood and is about 10’ long. There is no identification on the hoisting system but it is identical to the kayak/canoe model shown on the Hoister web site and appears to be like new. One of the floor stands is shown in the picture.
    .

    The only cross brace is shown in the seat picture. Looks like it serves as a back rest (ouch). Probably needs a cushion.


    A brass plate on the bow shows the maker's name and a 1991 date. That makes it 25 years old.
    It seems in very good shape for that age. Although it is seaworthy (figure of speech) I will probably refinish it with some marine or spar varnish before trying it out this Spring.


    The canoe is not a kayak but should at least serve as a test boat to see if I really can sit in that position and paddle it for any length of time. That is a big concern of mine.


    I’m happy with this canoe because it will answer lots of questions for me.

    Pleas post your thoughts and comments.
    Looks like a nice looking cedar strip canoe. The seat has me puzzled, haven't seen that design before. I wonder if it's designed to kneel on rather then sit on. You might try posting some of your questions on one of the forums linked by the attached Guillemot site. I have both a canoe and kayak. While I prefer my kayak (faster, easier to manoeuvre and more stable) if you have mobility issues which you seem to be concerned about, a canoe is easier go get in and out of and gives you more flexibility in how you sit in it (although that may not be the case for the one you have). You could consider installing a more traditional canoe seat to give you that flexibility. Perhaps someone here or at the Guillemot site might be familiar with your canoe design and could advise. You could also consider renting both canoes and kayaks to get a better idea of what works best for you and then build what you like. Anyway happy paddling.

    http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/guillemot/StripFamily

  2. #32
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Huntersville, NC
    Posts
    169
    Mac,
    You got it absolutely correct. my canoe fits the description and pictures of the McCarthy “Wee Lassie”. His book is still available and I have ordered a copy. I have also spent lots of time today reading about the book and the canoe on the web.
    I’m delighted with this information and want to thank you very much for leading me to it.
    It could well be that the original maker of my canoe used the McCarthy book during its construction. Excellent information from you.


    Now that I have learned more about kayaks and canoes, I can see where some of my postings show my lack of knowledge on this subject. That was true - but I’m learning.


    All I knew about this boat before your postings was the builder’s name , build date of 1991 and that he lived in Charleston, SC.

    Thanks again for your helpful information.

  3. #33
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Huntersville, NC
    Posts
    169
    Doug,


    My interest in Kayaks began years ago but I never pursued it and never sat in one. However, on my birthday earlier this month, my son presented ne with Kayak lessons at our local whitewater center. I can choose from the whitewater area or the river. When it gets warmer, I will pick a date and go the river area. (rapids do not interest me).


    Originally, my thoughts were to see if sitting in a Kayak was something I could do. Then I became more interested in Kayaks and possibly making one. Next I unexpectedly bought a canoe with a Kayak-like seat which should help me decide on sitting on a low seat. I have not tried this in the canoe yet because of the cold weather, and not wanting to get into the canoe without having water under it, I tried sitting in that low position elsewhere and believe it should be OK. We shall see. If not, I’m sure my two sons would put the Canoe to good use.


    I’m in the dark about the seat. Don’t think I would want to kneel on it. I have seen pictures of “Wee Lassie” with a cushioned seat and backrest. I will want something like that.


    Even so, I will probably build a kayak as soon as I decide which model suits me best. As a woodworker, a project like that appeals to me.


    Thank you for tout info and especially that un the Guillemot site. I will certainly look at it. This is a great forum and I have learned much from it

  4. #34
    This is my Guillemot Petrel. 17' built from paulownia strips and an assortment of reddish hued woods. Approx 48lbs. Check out Nick Schades patterns and books



    kayakgrass.jpg

  5. #35
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Huntersville, NC
    Posts
    169
    Anthony,

    Your Guillemot Petrel .is beautiful. An excellent build. "paulownia strips and an assortment of reddish hued woods".
    Can you tell me what Kinds of wood are in the "reddish" wood assortment? Did you build it from plans or a
    Guillemot kit?
    Whichever you did, it looks very well-made.

    I have some well-aged cherry boards
    and am thinking about using some for a darker contrasting wood and maybe even under-the-water line hull. The lighter color wood could be pine or Northern white cedar. Any thoughts on that?

    I have read the sample pages of
    Shades book and really like it. Have lots to read now but will add it to my bucket list

    Thank you

  6. #36
    Hi Don,
    Thanks for the nice comments. There is a step by step photo sequence on my website, but not sure if I can list the address according to this sites' rules.
    I have some cherry in there but its pretty difficult to sand compared to the softer wood of the paulownia. You will have the same issue using cherry and the cedar/pine. I also used redwood and mahogany. These two woods work really well with the paulownia and are about the same sanding consistency. I bought the plans and made it from scratch. I started out intending to use cove and bead router bits but ended up using a handplane and fitting beveled edges as I laid the strips in line. Schades book covered it pretty well. My next one will be a Millcreek16.5. Its a hybrid canoe kayak for two persons that is very stable.
    Good luck! Its a serious effort but well worth it in the end.

  7. #37
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Huntersville, NC
    Posts
    169
    Anthony,


    Tried finding your website on Google but had no luck. Perhaps you could send me a PM with that link.
    Had not thought about the sanding differences in woods but can understand how that would be a problem. I’m glad you mentioned it and will be careful o the woods I select. I have lots to learn.


    I’m impressed that you made that Kayak from plans and did everything from scratch, You certainly did a great job on it.


    I have been wondering about the cove and bead type construction. Seems like it offers more interlocking between strips but will almost always leave a visible joint that would have to be filled - unless the surface is sanded at least to rid the ledge on the cove. OTH beveling each strip to exactly meet the next strip may be very difficult and time-consuming to do. As it is finished sanded, one could end up with a visible crack if the two strips don’t lay together flat. Maybe I”m making too much of this - Y don’t know.


    Good luck with your next project (Millcreek16.5.). That’s a very nice looking kayak for two people and you are sure to make an excellent job of that one also.

  8. #38
    I will send you a PM,thanks

  9. #39
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Fremont, OH
    Posts
    46
    Quote Originally Posted by Anthony Albano View Post
    This is my Guillemot Petrel. 17' built from paulownia strips and an assortment of reddish hued woods. Approx 48lbs. Check out Nick Schades patterns and books



    kayakgrass.jpg
    Beautiful kayak. Love the strip built the most. I have one started of paulownia but have lost interest in finishing. Maybe some day. Last I looked for paulownia wood I had trouble finding. Are there still sources around?

    Kim

  10. #40
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Huntersville, NC
    Posts
    169
    Anthony.


    Looked at your Kayak build photos from start to finish and enjoyed them very much. The finished kayak is beautiful and I especially liked the photos showing you actually paddling it in fairly rough water.
    Your construction is the first I’ve seen (being very new to this) using a center spine. This appears to be an excellent way to keep the molds in line.


    Your shop is very roomy which is a big help in constructing long kayaks. I would probably have to move outside and work under a canopy. In fact this is where I intend to sand my Wee Lassie canoe when I refinish it. Can’r wait wo try it out.


    Your strip joints look tight and I’m wondering why you switched from bead and cove to hand planed joints.


    Which brings up more questions - do lap joins show in the finished kayak,? could one use short strips with 3 or 4 lap joints per strip?, where is the best place to have a lap joint - at or in between molds.
    I have a finger joint cutter for my router and am wondering if 3/4” boards could be fimger-jointed and glued together to increase their length and then cut into 1/4” x 3/4” strips which could then be used on the kayak. Would such joints be too weak? ‘Would they show up in the finished kayak? Or both?


    Enough for now but will probably have more questions later.


  11. #41
    From all the reading I've done on the subject, butt joints are perfectly acceptable, As long as the joint is tight, it's really not going to show. Where the joint is located also doesn't matter that much, as long as you can hold it in place until the glue dries. The strips on either side of the joint will support it.
    Remember that all the strength of the kayak comes from the fiberglass/epoxy skins inside and out. The wood core does very little for overall strength.

    There's a good forum at Blue Heron Kayaks with a lot of great info. Also a really cool (and free) program to design your own kayak.
    Gerry

    JointCAM

  12. #42
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Huntersville, NC
    Posts
    169
    Gerry,

    Thank you for your information



    When you say "butt joints" are you including "finger joints" ? Finger joints should be stronger than butt joints and should be OK to use - but I don't know. Lap joints would be better , I think, but finger joints would provide more long grain glueing surface than butt joints. My concern is "would finger joints be acceptable ". Short boards could be finger jointed together. thereby making longer strips before cutting them to 1/4" thickness. From your reply, it appears as though they should be acceptable.


    And I suppose if the finger joints are well matched, they would not show after sanding. Again having no experience with this, I am not sure.


    I understand that fiberglass provides most of the strength but when the strips are bent to fit the molds will tje finger joints fail - leaving a high spot on the outside of the hull. That is another concern 0f mine


    I'm trying to collect as much information from experienced kayak builders before I begin construction of my own kayak.
    I will be making enough mistakes of my own.


    Thank you for this information and especially that concerning the Blue Huron Kayak forum. I will certainly look into that.


  13. #43
    I have built strip boats, and lots of boats generally, as an amateur. The using and making of boats is generally two different things. Making a boat that is nicer than most people's furniture is not any advantage when paddling boats, particularly not lending them to kids, even adult ones. Strip building's advantages aesthetically are obvious (though there are disadvantages like detracting from the appreciation of the hull shape, a similar issue as to why one paints Windsors).

    Technically the advantages of strip for small craft are: 1) full shape control, which is a lot more convincing where it is necessary, and one actually knows why one needs it; 2) stiffness, while a little heavy, strip boats are probably still the best at retaining shape in the water, for canoes in particular; 3) Smooth interiors; 4) structural needs, wood is still right up there, but not advantageous in every case; Durability, surprisingly my wood boats have held up a lot longer than my plastic ones.

    For Kayaks, plywood is a real winner. Much faster to build, you can rough one out from scratch, no kits, in two days, strip is a long build for most people, though Jensen reputedly could design one and get it in the water in 2 days. For a first project, where you are working with epoxy and glass for the first time, a far better idea. My first strip build I designed and built back around 1980, but the pressure of possibly wreaking the whole thing with the glass job was pretty heavy, and I did have some difficulty getting the whole things done. Kayaks and ply go together, while with canoes there is normally a big step down in aesthetics and performance with ply.

    One thing I would say is to check and see if the people you are building for are really interested in Kayaks, the whole stand up paddle board fad has sucked the air out of most of the other paddle games.

    Nice strip plans for Kayaks can be found at LV. When I say nice I mean ones that make nice boats, from a designer's point of view. Because so much of the deal with strippers is the look, for decades the plans in circulation have been second rate. But the one LV has good. Noahs has an aggregation of a lot of plans. Wooden Boat is good, but you have to look at specifics, they deal in history and a lot of the boats they cover are curiosities more than state of the art.

    Pygmy and CLC sell nice Kayak plans in ply. And CLC sells plans for SUPs.

  14. #44
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Johnson City, TN
    Posts
    665
    Don

    I have built two over the years. Both from kits and were the stich and glue type. One kit came from Chesapeake Light Craft and the other from Pigmy boats. Both were fairly easy to build and took about 80 hours each. These are large 17' ocean kayaks great for lakes, big slow rivers and the ocean. I also have plastic boats and the wood boats are lighter and faster.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Sparky Paessler

  15. #45
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Huntersville, NC
    Posts
    169
    Sparky


    Both look great. You did an excellent job on each.


    I am waiting for better weather to try out my "Wee Lassie.
    First, I want to refinish it to ensure that there are no places for water
    to reach the wood strips. That will involve sanding it and then giving it
    at least two coats of spar varnish. I plan to do this outside under a
    tarp-covered aluminum frame.



    However, the yellow pollen is covering everything outside
    and yesterday it was very windy. After those conditions are over,
    I should be able to begin the refinishing process.



    I am also making a laminated wooden double paddle
    which will need a few coats of varnish before touching water.



    Thank you for the photo of your two “stitch & Glue” kayaks
    and their Kit sources. If I can Manage ny small kayak, I may
    consider making one also.


    Don
    Last edited by Don Rogers; 04-10-2016 at 8:52 AM.

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