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

Cedar Kayak - Day 7

Late yesterday I tried to lay the first strip of Redwood down on the forms. I didn't have long enough staples to keep the strips in place, especially at the bow and stern. Last night I bought longer staples (9/16") so I could start this morning to give it another shot. If you remember from the last post, I had to splice two 10' strips together to make a strip long enough to span the kayak. I thought I could glue the splice together while laying the strips down on the forms. My attempt at this technique caused me and the splice a lot of stress!

I decided that I should glue and clamp the splice, then let it dry for sever hours, before attempting to lay it on the forms. This worked out much better, in fact I was able to get the first and second strip laid down on both side before calling it quites for the night.

The ends on the bow & stern are coming together good too. After the strips are down and the glue is dry, I will need to grind and sand the ends down to a nice smooth bevel..

Project Elapsed Time : 26.0 Hrs

Cedar Kayak - Day 6

My cove & bead bits arrived on Tuesday, so I began running the strips through the router. The strips are very narrow (1/4" x 3/4") which means I have to be very precise on the router setup.





I also decided that I will start with Redwood down the sheer line on my first strip. This will make a nice deep red line where the hull and the deck meet. I spent another hour selecting and cutting strips and redwood. I only had 10 foot boards of Redwood. I will have to splice two strips together to get enough length to cover the length of the boat (17ft).






Project Elapsed Time : 22.5 Hrs