Cedar Kayak - Day 20 & 21

I've been distracted with other things for the last few days and have not been able to make much progress. However, I did get the nerve to cut out the cockpit opening.

PHOTOS COMING SOON

I will be building a horizontal rim around the opening. Then after marking out the final cockpit opening, I will cut out the hole and build the short vertical rim called the cockpit coaming.

I have also been planing and sanding the deck. I can already tell I will need to be patient with this. It will some time to get the surface to near-perfect condition.

Project Elapsed Time: 100 Hrs

Cedar Kayak - Day 18 & 19

I just keep adding strips until the hole slowly closes.


Finally the hole is closed with the last strip. It's been almost 100 hours since starting from a 2 dimensional drawing to a 3 dimensional object. There is still a lot of work to do before moving on to the next step of finishing out the cockpit.

Project Elapsed Time: 96 Hrs

Cedar Kayak - Day 17

I'm still filling in the gaps. You can see how the curve shows up next to the straight strips. Also notice that the strips continue across the cockpit opening. The cockpit will be cut out later, but for now the strips just hang over the stern strips at the middle of the kayak.

Here is a view from the stern.

Project Elapsed Time: 82 Hrs

Cedar Kayak - Day 16

All I'm doing now is filling the gaps around the curves. All the strips come to a point at the bow and stern which means I have to make a lot of angle cuts.

While I am filling in the center with strips, I am also setting strips along the curve that I put in along the side. I think I will stop at 4 curved strips and then go back up and fill in the rest from the bottom up.

This last photo shows how the deck curve continues from the center and runs to a point at the stern. I also placed a center strip made from Redwood for a highlight.

Project Elapsed Time: 76 Hrs

Cedar Kayak - Day 15

I'm working on making some curved lines on the deck. This is the time to plan out any designs that will give the kayak its distinctive look. In this photo you can see the first two strips on the deck from the bow. The curve continues along towards the stern.

Project Elapsed Time: 68.5 Hrs

Cedar Kayak - Day 14

I had a little help today from Caleb. He was pretty impressed with the progress since last weekend. I worked on planning the bow and the stem again. I found a low spot at the bow where a strip did not bridge its neighbors very well. It's an easy fix by gluing a second strip right over the top of the strip that is recessed. By Monday I will be able to sand it down to the correct height.

I turned the boat over to revel the open deck. I modified the stands to support the delicate hull. I turned the stands 90 degrees and cut a couple 2x4's to length that the hull will rest on. I also cut an arc out of the boards and covered them with carpet padding for a soft fit. I'll be ready to strip the deck next!






Project Elapsed Time: 62 Hrs

Cedar Kayak - Day 13

I spent most of the time today cleaning up the hull surface after filling the holes. I don't think I will do much sanding right now because I anticipate some glue drippings to occur while working on the deck. I don't want to make the hull too thin with any unecessary sanding.

I planed down the stern end of the stem and did a rough sanding of the last 6 inches of the stern to see how the transition looks. I think it looks great! So far I am pleased with the surface of the hull. There is still more planing to do on the bow stem piece, but I am waiting for the glue to dry. Instead of quitting for the day, I cut some more strips for the deck.




Project Elapsed Time: 59 hrs

Cedar Kayak - Day 12

The book says that "there are few things more satisfying than pushing a sharp plane across a section of cedar". I decided to give it a try since it sounded so appealing. My arm is tired and I got a blister on my finger, but I can see how someone with limited life enjoyment could find this process "satisfying". I have to admit, seeing the strips of wood blend together was somewhat addictive. I had to be careful not to take it too far.


After planning most of the surface, some gaps appeared that needed to be filled. I made a mixture of glue & sawdust, something I have experience with from other jobs, and filled the staple holes and minor gaps. I found a larger gap that at an angled joint that I filled with a small splinter of wood. It's best to be patient while waiting for glue to dry. I'll finish planning tomorrow.


Project Elapsed Time: 52 Hrs

Cedar Kayak - Day 11

I pieced the last strip in the hull and forgot to take a photo. I'll try to remember when I put the last strip on the deck. I do want to show you the strip that goes from end to end down the centerline. It looks thick now, but most of it will be planed and sanded down to a little hump. This strip is called the "stem" where it curves to the top of the bow or stern. It's called the "keel" along the flat bottom length of the boat.

I took the staples out while the glue was drying on stem. It didn't take too long, maybe 2 hours.

Project Elapsed Time: 45.0 Hrs

TIME OUT - To Answer Some Questions

Today I had a few people stop by the shop and they all raised similar questions. I think I'll take a moment tonight to answer a few FAQ's.

1.) What's the deal with all those staples?

The staples are temporary ways to keep the strips held against the forms. I am gluing each strip to each other; twisting and bending them along the forms. When the glue dries, the strips of wood keep the shape of the forms, but until then they want to spring back to straight. The staples keep them in the right place until the glue dries. I'll pull out the staples soon and then I'll have to fill the holes with glue & sawdust. The whole boat gets planed and sanded before it gets fiberglassed.

2.) Where are you going to sit? (They see the forms and think they are part of the finished boat)

The forms will come out before the kayak is finished. There are a couple of hardwood forms at the bow & stern that will stay in the boat. They are there to give those sections with long sweeping curves extra strength. Everything else comes out before it gets fiberglassed.

3.) Do you have to steam the wood to get it to bend?

No, the strips are bending and twisting without doing anything to them. They are only 1/4" thick and 3/4" wide, so they are thin enough to manipulate.

4.) What are you going to do about the ends? They look pretty rough.

I will be sanding the area where the ends of the strips meet on the bow & stern pretty soon. Once I am happy with the curve and shape of the bow & stern, then I still have to glue a couple thin strips of hardwood down the centerline from end to end. This hardwood will be rounded over and sanded to a nice smooth "bump". This will protect the bottom and ends from the usual "wear and tear" of kayaking. (Maybe by Day 13 to 14).

5.) Have you ever kayaked before?

Only twice and both times were in Hawaii. One time was down a lazy river through the hills of Kaui and the other time was off the coast of Kaui where I was told the water was 8 miles deep. I have years of experience sailing, boating, snorkeling and SCUBA diving. Kayaking looks fun and easy to learn so I'm not too worried about my lack of experience.

Cedar Kayak - Day 10

After laying about 5 strips along the sheerline on both sides of the kayak, I decided to put a series of strips down the centerline. I have to shape every end of the strips to fit the angles. Our new Horizontal Belt Sander makes this easy work compared to using a block plane or pocket knife that I've seen used in the book!




These photos show the pattern that is developing. I am very happy with the way it is turning out. I think I am past the toughest angles now. The rest of the strips will lay horizontal, without the need to twist back to verticle like they did on the ends.
Click the image to enlarge.













Project Elapsed Time:39 hrs

Cedar Kayak - Day 8 & 9

The strips really need to bend about 3 different ways to make it lay down on the bow & stern forms. I've been clamping, gluing, and stapling to make these curves.

I added more strips of Redwood along the port and starboard of the kayak to make a long-sleek pattern. The contrast between the two woods should show up nicely when it's done. It doesn't show up great here in the photo.

Project Elapsed Time: 33 Hrs