Whoops!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And that's why the kayak building came to a screeching halt!!!

Saturday February 5th I had a slip and fall accident on the ice while carrying a ladder.................long story........................

Result is that I will be in a cast until March 15th and then a couple of months of therapy and Doc says as good as new in 5 to 6 MONTHS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let it Snow



The gluing of strips has been slow and steady.  Not a great incentive to finish fast because I need warmer weather for the epoxy/glass work that comes next.  I figure another 5 hours and the strip gluing will be complete.

 

Axel and I check out the progress.



Axel likes it, so far!!



You're putting me where??

Grandpa, it might be too big!!!

Grandpa, where is the gas pedal and steering wheel??





The work continues and it's still fun



I am still building, just slowed down by Christmas, New Years and the Flu!!
cedar strips laid out in order that they will go on the kayak



shear strips and king planks in white cedar have been attached with small brads and finishing nails.  Need to predirll holes to avoid spitting the strips.

 fitting the king plank(center strip)

plastic wrap used to catch some of the excess glue



Stern  and shear strips are white cedar and next strips are dark red cedar for higher contrast.
Clamps and homemade plywood jigs hold strips without nails or brads

Each strip is sawn, carved with a utility knife, and sanded to shape

Glued strips and clamp holding jig that holds strip tightly while glue dries

Tools used to cut, shape, and hold strips

The deck is almost ready to glass and epoxy.
I now have 48 hours of work on the kayak.  I was slowed down over the holidays, not only by family activities but also the flu bug that kept me out of the shop for a week.  The cold has also slowed down the build.  I hope to have the deck ready for epoxy work in a week and then it will depend on the weather.  My "shop" can only get to 50 degrees with the outside temp ranging from 10 degrees at night and  25 degrees during the day.

38 and 1/2 hours and the fun begins!!!!

Temporary deck bulkheads in place, ready to be hot glued so the deck work can begin.  8 degrees this morning!!  I"ll need warmer weather before the epoxy work begins.  That's OK because Christmas is keeping us busy!!

Another one of the 1000 uses for duct tape!!  It helps hold the shape keeps the temporary bulkheads in place until the hot glue dries.

Starting the temporary bulkheads.

The hull has 3 more thin coats of epoxy to fill the weave of the fiber glass and is now turned right side up and ready to start the deck.  I had a nice visit with Lou Farhood and he offered encouragement and construction tips.  He finished a beautiful Wood Duck 12 Hybrid last August.  I copied his cradle that fits on the saw horse.  It is 1 and 1/2 inch pvc pipe with foam insulation as a pad.  It is simple cheap and works great.  Thanks Lou!!

Glassing the exterior ...... 31 and 1/2 hours and counting

 

In the plastic tent, heater on and three 150 watt light bulbs heats the "shop" to a cozy 65 degrees when it is 30 degrees outside.  It should cure in 24 to 36 hours.    

Glassed and epoxied in 3 and 1/2 hours.  Process was straight forward and no surprises.  Builder only slightly goofy after sniffing fumes for 3 plus hours!! 

Laying out the 4 oz glass cloth was easier than I thought.

Sanding, I love sanding.  Sure glad I hooked the sander up to my shop vac.  My eye glasses were still clear enough to see after an hour of sanding...not the case prior to hooking up the shop vac!!

Interior has second coat of epoxy, ready to flip the boat and start glassing the exterior

23 hours of work so far

Interior is tacked with an epoxy wood flower mix

pulled out copper wire stitches and masked seams to be filleted to keep them neat.

interior filleted, taped and epoxyed

a 6 hour project to remove stitches, fillet, tape amd epoxy the interior and lay in 58 inches of cloth to reinforce the cockpit area

stern after tacking and one application of fillet

taped and filleted and epoxyed stern

bow is filleted, taped and epoxyed

lots of stitches to get the stern and small transom to come together.  Had to spray with water to get the plywood to soften up.

hull and bulkheads stitched together with copper wire!!

side and bottom panels and bulkheads ready to put together

sander and respirator worked good!!

useful tools:  thermometer, clamps, block plane, tape measure, and pencil with eraser!!!