We have Hull

About the only nice thing I can say about this weekend’s blizzard is that I got about 4 hours to spend on the kayak. The rest of the time is spent on Etsy projects and shoveling and shoveling and shoveling. As you can see in the pictures I have managed to get the rest of the hull pieces wired together. The hull is starting to look pretty good, and I am surprised at how wide this thing is. I bet you could load a lot of stuff in this thing for an extended trip for two. I still need to tweak the wires and tighten up some areas and trim some pieces to get a tighter fit. Then the final wires on the temporary supports. After that, I will attach a couple of scrap pieces t the supports and flip it over in preparation for epoxy. So the time spent thus far brings us up to....37 hours... just not in a row.

Interruptions

Not all interruptions are bad. Yesterday I had to fill a quick ship order of wooden toys to send to Manhattan Kansas. That's the stuff that funds the kayak project. If the kayaks paid for themselves I would be tempted to turn this into a business and then it wouldn't be fun anymore..

Weekend Progress

I did manage to spend some quality time in the shop this weekend. The stitching has begun. It has taken a little more time than I anticipated to get the hang of the best way to put the wires in and twisted tight. I am using construction wire instead of the recommended copper wire, to save a few bucks, but I'm paying for it in time. The other little glitch I ran into was the temporary frames, they didn't fit. Not only did they not fit, but were so far off I had to start over and plot them out again. Apparently when I put the numbers in the computer to print out the shapes I messed up the scale factor and ended up close but no cigar. Just goes to prove that doing some things by hand pays off.

I added 8 hrs to the project this weekend, which brings us up to 33 hrs so far. The lake still has over two feet of ice on it still, so I have a little more time...

Panels Complete

Deck Panels

 This weekend was pretty productive, I just wish it was a day or two longer. I spent Saturday running around town doing the weekly shopping and errands. Saturday afternoon was dedicated to ice fishing for northern pike, of which I did manage to land 3 beautiful fish.
Sunday I expected the weather to be bad so I planned on spending the entire day in the shop. The major tasks for Sunday was to prep all of the panels for stitching  after hours of sanding edges and beveling the edges on the shear line and drilling holes, I think I am finally ready to stitch the hull panels together.
At this point I am willing to mention that the plans and manual from Pygmy boats does leave a bit to be desired. While the instructions and plans are complete, everything is there, they seem to be lacking in more depth and in-site to the project that would make the process a little easier. After spending the majority of my life as a professional draftsman, whoever drew up the plans could have spent a little more time improving readability. Again, the plans are complete, just lacking a bit of style.
Eight hours spent on Sunday, which brings us up to 25 hours so far.... not bad for a first build.

Hull Panels

Mothership

Had a great four day weekend to work on the kayak. It started on Friday with a terrible cold (cough cough ;) and ended Monday with the presidents day holiday. At this point, all of the major pieces have been cut out with the exception of the coaming pieces. I have to admit that i didn't spend every available hour on it. I did manage to go catch a couple of fish, take care of some book work and various other tasks. Cutting out 12 twenty foot long pieces with a jigsaw has not been the most fun task that i have done on this boat so far. that works out to about 480 feet of cutting, no wonder i went through 3 blades.
As of this weekend I hereby dub this kayak the "Mothership" because it is one mother of a big boat.
I added about 10 hours to the project this weekend which brings the total up to 17 hours thus far.

A little more

Made a little more progress this weekend on the kayak. The lofting is now complete, next step is to cut out the pieces and smooth out the final shapes. Then will trace out the shapes on the other panels for the other side, cut and smooth. I would have spent more time on it but we got hit with a blizzard and the shoveling was a lot of fun.

hours spent so far...  7

First steps

The first challenge on this kayak build is putting together long enough panels for the length of the boat. Butt joint two full sheets plus 53 inches of a third. I used a trim bit in the router to true up the edges and with a 3 1/2" brace, I glued the butt joints with epoxy thickened just a bit with wood flour. You can see the weights used to hold everything down while the epoxy cured. A good use for paint cans full of bent rusty nails! With the average temp in the shop around 65 deg, it took almost all of two days for the epoxy to dry. The next big issue was figuring out how to turn the 20ft piece of 1/4" plywood over by myself...not happening.. With the help of the neighbor we got it flipped.
Now I can draw on the sections to be cut out.

Hours spent thus far.... 3

K3 The next kayak

And so we begin. This kayak is a Pygmy design called the Osprey double/triple. I purchased plans from them but not the entire kit. This build has started pretty slow, I had hoped for more shop time but you know how life gets in the way. I do have most of the materials on hand, and I will gather the rest as we go along. The epoxy and fiberglass I purchased from U.S. Composites. I used their stuff on the first boat and was happy with the result. The plywood is not the fancy okoume marine grade plywood that cost 60 bucks a sheet... I am using luan plywood from Menards at 7 bucks a sheet. I like the grain patterns and once you put fiberglass on it, it doesn't matter what the material is. All I managed to accomplish this weekend was setting up a 20' table to start work on. Hmmm, I think I feel the flu coming on....

Happy New Year

Wow, what happened to December? Its not like I have been slacking or anything, I had 19 orders for things on Etsy, lots of toy fences, gates, paddle boats and cutting boards. Had to take a little time for the holidays and do some ice fishing.

But now I'm back in the shop, I have the wood on hand for the next kayak and I ordered the fiberglass and epoxy. The space is clear for the the 20' tandem, I just need to move the snow blower back to the garage where it belongs.

I have a couple of projects to ship out this weekend; 2 paddle boats, 6 cutting boards and a farm set (fence, gate, water tank and hay bales). After that I should be able to do some fun stuff right?

Cleaning

I didn't realize just how bad it was until I spent the whole weekend cleaning out the shop. There were scraps of junk and old wood that has been lurking under a few benches for at least 9 years now. If I haven't used it by now, it isn't going to happen. Driven by a local newspaper reporter who is coming out today to take some pictures and interview some local people who sell crafts and stuff on Etsy. I figured that I had better clean enough to at least make it safe to walk around. I'll post the article when it comes out. Now I have the floor space to layout the new kayak...

Busy

Been pretty busy in the shop of late, the weather is getting colder and we have finished the firewood for this year. So that translates into more time for fun stuff and less time doing yard work. The Etsy shop is doing pretty good, I suppose the pre-holiday shopping is picking up. It still amazes me that I have been buying tools and supplies from the income generated by these silly little wooden toys and fences. A big thank you to everyone who keeps coming back and buying more stuff. I'm going to pound out some more stuff to send to a craft show in DeSmet on the 17th that the neighbor has a booth at. We will see how all this stuff sells.

Meanwhile I am just about finished with the re-skining project of B-man's kayak. I have been learning interesting things about tent fabric and spar urethane. Just a few bits of trim to put on and one final coat, then its off to storage for the winter cuz I need the space for the next kayak.

Upcoming Projects

I have a few projects coming up that should be pretty exciting. the first one is a tandem kayak built using the stitch and glue method of plywood construction.

I also need to catch up on some etsy projects to build up a little inventory before the gift giving season starts. Yes I know a lot of people have finished their xmas shopping by mid July but I tend to wait until the bitter end, better deals that way, right guys? 

There is a quilting/work table on the list that I need to get finished one of these days to keep peas in the household and various other small projects that have been waiting for awhile... ok for a long time. but I'm getting better! Now to do some fishing!

Bathroom follow up

Yes I promised to follow up on the bathroom overhaul we finished in June. To sum it up we installed a new tile surround, had the tub re-glazed, new shower head, paint, and a bead board ceiling.

New Addition to the Shop

Ok I finally did it. I have been messing with my band saw for a couple of years now. I must say that it is one of the most used tools in the shop. So why have I been fighting with a tiny dysfunctional table and no fence? So thanks to the proceeds from a lamb sale and a few sales at ETSY I have finally ordered a table top, fence combo from Rockler.com. This should make a world of difference in the production of those silly little fence toys.

Here is the link to the product if anyone is interested.. http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?site=ROCKLER&page=10164

soon

sorry, been busy..... be back soon!

Bath renovation

As you may or may not know, high school graduation is nothing more than an excuse to renovate as much of the house as humanly possible just to keep the peace. As the days click by and the big date draws near I have undertaken the task of the bathroom renovation. Originally I figured that if I was busy tearing out drywall and installing tile I would escape from the other social tasks such as writing invitations, deciding on a menu, and other unspecified tasks that as a man I am totally incapable of.

So here is the before pictures of the bathroom.

Back To Work

I finally finished the built-in components for the end wall of my living room. there is still a few little things to do, like some crown molding at the top of the book cases and a cushion for the window seat. Other than that its finished!

One Confession

One confession.

(To you professional writers out there who got me into this silly thing, I apologize in advance for this post, please be nice in the comments.)

It was a dark and stormy night. The pitter patter of raindrops was punctuated with a blinding flash and the rumble of thunder. The wind could be heard whining and moaning through the exhaust vent as we both stood there looking at the crime scene.

                "Why did you do it." She demanded of me, standing there in her bath robe.

                "Just what are you talking about?" I replied in a tone of voice I usually reserved for small children who are unusually dense. "I heard you screech out and thought you were being attacked by a vampire or something".

                "You know exactly what I am talking about, there isn’t anyone else with access to this room", she countered with hands on hips and a snarl in her voice.

During the next lightning flash I glanced around the room, taking in the usual collection of implements and products designed for some sort of female ritual or diabolical torture. Everything was in its place, as near as I could tell, but with the thunder in her eyes I knew the storm was not the most dangerous thing in the area.

                "Ok, its 3am and I’m jolted from sleep, I don’t think we are communicating very well here. Do you think you can take it from the top and explain to me just what I am guilty of?"

                "Give me your hand", she stated.

                "Why" I replied

                "Just do it",

                "Ok, now what"

At this point she proceeded to take my hand and guide it, down, down to the bottom of her robe where I felt that it was dripping wet.

                With a glimmer of hope that this situation could turn out to my benefit, I asked with the utmost of sincerity "What happened to you? Are you ok?"

                "I fell in you asshole! Some jerk left the seat up again!" Her whiplash reply dashed any thoughts of a late night rondevu.

At this point in a married mans life you come to the realization that anything you say, is wrong, dead wrong. My first thought was to deny any knowledge, because honestly I have no recollection of perpetrating the crime.

Everyone should know that marriage is all about trust and sharing. She trusted that the seat would be down and now she will not be sharing for quite some time.

To make a long story even longer I will make my one confession.

                "Honey, I am so sorry but yes, it was I who left the toilet seat up!"

Two Images

Catching up today with FWG's who am I challenge. Here are my two images that describe my life right now.

A river passes through my life, ever changing, always moving. Bringing new ideas and people, friends and family along the way. Sometimes flood, sometimes drought, ever moving, always changing.

Perfect weekend

I had to think about this one for quite some time. would my weekend be a romantic get-away? A night out with friends? A cruse though the Caribbean?

nope, I don't think so. Those things would be fun and I would jump at the chance to go, but if i had my way....

I would like to spend the weekend in my wood shop. The smell of fresh cedar, the whisk of the plane, the shavings piling up along the workbench. The current project taking shape, be it a kayak, a cabinet or wooden toy. The solitude of working alone, and being happy with that. The only pressure is coming from the clamps as they hold glued up pieces to dry. The mundane tasks that keep the body busy but allow the mind to roam a bit, thinking about the future, the past, or even whats for dinner.

Yes I think that is my favorite weekend.

Day 11 My perfect house

How much space do we really need? How much stuff do you really have to have? As a disclaimer I do have a large garage and a large woodshop that are both separate buildings. But if I ever found myself alone, I would build and live in  a house like this.

This is the Weebee house plan from www.tumbleweedhouses.com

House width:	8'	Porch:	2 ½' x 2 ½'
House length:	15'	Main Room:	6' x 6 ½'
Trailer Size:	7' x 14'	Kitchen:	4 ½' x 4'
Road Height:	13' 5"	Bathroom:	4' x 2'
Dry Weight:	4900 lbs	Ceiling height:	6' 3"
all measurements are approximate		Loft height:	3' 8"

The Weebee boasts the wonderful bump-out windows in the front. The interior is completely finished in pine with stainless steel counters. The exterior of this house is finished with cedar plank siding and an corrugated aluminum roof. Yes, when it rains, you can hear it. The Weebee can also be finished with board and batten siding or corrugated aluminum.

Living Room

The "living room" is flooded with light from all the windows surrounding the front of the house. The stainless steel fireplace warms the house amazingly well. The nook is large enough to store a day bed, futon, or small couch.

Kitchen

The kitchen features a sink, 2 burner stove top, refrigerator, and ample shelving. Below the sink, there is a small water heater, and the refrigerator. There is also space where you can store a small toaster oven or microwave if you choose.

Can I add a dishwasher or laundry to the kitchen?
The kitchen is too small, but a washer/dryer combo can be placed in the lower half of the closet (back left of living room).

Bedroom

The bedroom is in the loft. It is large enough to fit a queen size bed, but that said, this house is a little small for 2 people. The mattress is foam (or like kind) so that it can be rolled up and fit through the loft opening. The loft also has shelving for clothing. At its peak, the loft height is 3'-8".

Bathroom

Like on many boats, the bathroom is the shower … and it is called a "wet bath". We use metal diamond plate finishing on the walls that leave it with a modern look. The shower water is heated from the small water heater under the kitchen sink, and can last about 5 minutes.

The toilet is a low flush RV toilet designed to conserve water. You can easily substitute a composting toilet.

Day 10

I am really surprised I have stuck with this as long as I have. We are in the back stretch now folks so stay with me and it will all be over soon.

Three turn-offs.

1. Excessive drama.
2. Poor personal hygiene.
3. Fluffing the covers.....

hmmmm, yep that should do it...

Day nine?

And we continue on with the who am I challenge. Today's topic is to list four turn-ons (interpret as you wish). Being a healthy male with normal tendencies, four items doesn't even touch the tip of the iceberg. You know what they say "Every time the wind blows" and I do live in South Dakota.

1. Smile.
2. Peak-a-boo tattoos.
3. Tall boots.
4. Show up naked, bring beer.

Day Eight of the FWG who am I challenge

Finally these assignments are getting easier. For today I need to list:


Five ways to win your heart.

1. Smile.
2. Be honest.
3. Show you care.
4. Don't over do it.
5. Good food is never a bad idea.

Easy Cheesy Lemon Squeeze

Day Seven, still going...

Ok, today's challenge is to list out six things you wish you'd never done. Wow this is a tough one. and just like the list of people who mean a lot to me, this list is a hell of a lot longer than six.


1. Traded my Telecaster for three acoustics, never should have done that.
2. Started smoking, I've quit a few years ago but that path was a rough one.
3. Dropped out of school, I should have made college a priority.
4. Stopped playing my trombone, like they say, if you don't use it you loose it.
5. Shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die, oh wait, that wasn't me.
6. I have stepped, tromped, slandered and walked all over some people.

Gee, thanks FWG, this is turning into a nice little guilt trip. Naa, just kidding. I have learned from these poor choices and I hope have made me a better person for it.

Day Six

Today's challenge is to list seven things that often cross your mind. Perhaps I am a simpleton, I don't seem to have great revelations or deep inspirations very often. My mind is not a complicated thing, when left to its own devices it tends to idle its time away with many random observations...

Seven things that often cross your mind.

1. Is it friday yet?
2. Paddle, paddle, paddle, paddle, paddle, paddle
3. What should we have for dinner....
4. Hellooooo nurse!
5. I could fix that by simply _________.
6. If the answer is 42, what really is the question?
7. There you go, another shining example why stupid people shouldn't breed.

Day Five

Another little mind game in the FWG reflections challenge. of course I'm a day late with this one but here we go.
How to spend 5 million dollars that were won in the lottery....

I think the first $200K would go to paying off the mortgage and all of the bills and perhaps a new car for the wife. Next on the list would be the immediate family's greatest needs, I think I would tell them that I would cover their biggest obligation. I have no idea how much cash that would take but just for fun lets call that a cool million. Then I would start looking at farm ground, in our area it could average around $3,000 an acre, so 640 acres is going to cost $1,920,000. Machinery and tractors are not a cheep item so we are looking at another $1,000,000. And that would leave about $800,000 for operating expenses and the rest goes in savings.
Pretty depressing when you think about it... 5 million just doesn't go as far as it use too..

Day Four of the FWG's who am i challange

Today’s assignment is to list out the top 20 albums that I would want with me on a deserted island. No easy task that as I have moved into he 20^th century and don’t play records anymore. I tend to pick and choose what sounds good at the moment and go with that. Anyway without cheating here we go.

20. The Baddest of George Thorogood and the Destroyers. Nothing gets the blood pumping like one bourbon, one scotch and one beer.

19.  Santana’s Supernatural. It soothes all my Latin cravings.

18. Prince, Ultimate Disk 1. Because in every life a little purple rain must fall.

17. ZZ Top, Greatest Hits. Yes I embarrass my son when I sing along.

16. Chilliwack, greatest hits. I like the beat and the tunes and “my girl” is the first song I ever heard with a Walkman in stereo.

15. Zac Brown Band, the foundation. Them boys can really play.

14. Enigma, hard to choose but I would have to go with Voyageur.

13. Nickelback, Dark horse

12. Lady Gaga, The Fame

11. The Cars, Greatest Hits.

10. Train, Save me San Francisco. My heart will always be in that City by the Bay.

9. I think this is where I want to cheat otherwise this is just turning into all my favorites oldies. For number 9 I want to burn my own CD and load it up with a little Flock of Seagulls, Golden Earring, Toto, Journey, Steve Miller, Dire Straits, and other greats of the same era.

2. Will Brady’s Album named Boxwork. If you have ever played an acoustic and want to hear a master, this one is for you.

And the number one album to be stranded with on a deserted island is…….

The sound track from Wayne’s World! Why you ask? Of all the other choices? Why this one? The answer is simple my friends….. I will need to start the fire with something….

Day Three

Today's challenge was both harder and easier than the previous two. The question is to list eight people who mean a lot to me and why (no particular order). How does do you choose just eight? There are at least a hundred more that I could list, but here are eight of them.


1. Mr Spock, who taught me logic.
2. Dad, who taught me engineering.
3. Uncle Sam, who taught me leadership.
4. Mom, who still collects newspaper clippings of me.
5. Family, who keeps the drama rolling.
6. Magnum P.I. good guys always win.
7. Mr Irons, who taught me music.
8. McGuiver......yea! I Know!

Day Two

Today's question is....


What are nine things about me that might surprise those that know me.

1. I snore after drinking or when extremely tired.
2. I have a tattoo of an eagle on my right shoulder.
3. I once attended the Columbia School of Broadcasting.
4. No, I do not think about sex 24/7.
5. My left foot is a half size smaller than my right.
6. Yes, I do like green eggs and ham.
7. I have an Army Achievement and a Commendation medal.
8. I can do a believable impression of Master Yoda.
9. I am unable to float without a life jacket.

Day one

Ten things to say to ten different people right now. In no particular order and without any context..

1. You know it might just be easier to be normal than to use so much energy to add drama to everything in your life.
2. Just because you don't want the hassle, doesn't mean that a project can't be done.
3. You have to want the help, before it will mean anything to you.
4. Please speak in full sentences, I can't read your mind.
5. Really? been there and done that.... didn't turn out so well did it?
6. Lets make this reunion a great party.
7. Darling it would never work out between us.
8. Shut it.
9. Just be a kid.
10.Working every day isn't the end of the world and the paychecks aren't bad either.

A Different Direction

The FWG has challenged everyone who reads his blog to participate in two weeks of reflection.
Everyday for the next two weeks we are supposed to respond to various questions about ourselves, some are fun and some are sort of touchy. This might be kinda fun and totally different than how I usually run this blog but for the 6 people who actually read my blog on a regular basis, this might give you another view into the man inside the workshop. So what the heck, the questions are as follows and I might even try to answer them..

Day 1: Wednesday March 7: Ten things you want to say to ten different people right now.
Day 2: Thursday March 8: Nine things about yourself that might surprise people who think they know you.
Day 3: Friday March 9: Eight people who mean a lot to you and why (in no particular order).
Day 4: Saturday March 10: List your "desert island" top 20 music albums, or whatever number works for you, preferably in order! Should anthologies qualify? You decide.
Day 5: Sunday March 11: You win five million in the lottery. How, specifically, do you spend (or save) each dollar?
Day 6: Monday March 12: Seven things that often cross your mind.
Day 7: Tuesday March 13: Six things you wish you’d never done.
Day 8: Wednesday March 14: Five ways to win your heart.
Day 9: Thursday March 15: Four turn-ons (interpret as you wish).
Day 10: Friday March 16: Three turn-offs.
Day 11: Saturday March 17: Build your dream home. Describe it room by room.
Day 12: Sunday March 18: Describe your ultimate perfect weekend from Friday night through Sunday.
Day 13: Monday March 19: Two images that describe your life right now and why
Day 14: Tuesday March 20: One confession.

Update

Spent the weekend finishing up the final bookshelf for the B-man's built in bed project. We should get it installed sometime this week and I'll get some pictures up. the next project is an additional bookcase for the living room with a under window seat. I have the materials on hand and am ready to start that one.

Skinning the Yack

With this non-traditional skin on frame kayak, made on the cheap, what could be more appropriate than using duct tape to use as the skin?
First we wrapped the yack in shrink wrap, you know the stuff they wrap pallets in. This will give the tape something to stick to and keep the adhesive from drying out. A couple of layers should do the trick.

Frame complete

The framework is now complete. And because I cant decide what type of skin to put on it, I am thinking about duct tape. First a layer of shrink wrap then over that with silver and black tape. It should hold up good enough for a couple of paddle trips... we will see when the ice goes out..

Skin on Frame Kayak

is nearly done...

K2

 I started this kayak last weekend by cutting out the forms and splicing together the stringers. Its a pretty simple design, the speed of construction is fantastic. I got the basic information from http://yostwerks.com/. He provides free plans for non-traditional skin-on-frame kayaks. As this is my second kayak ever, I don't really have the experience to tell you if the plans are good or not (ill let you know if it floats!) but so far there has been a little frustration but overall I have been able to figure it out. I'm thinking that one more weekend ought to finish up the frame. Just for fun I think I will skin this one out in duct tape for its maiden voyage. Length is 13 feet, width is 21" and height is 10". Materials are cheep pine and drywall screws with Tighbond II wood glue. Skin will be a layer of shrink wrap and then a layer of collored duct tape.

Feels Good

to accomplish a couple of projects. The book cases are finished and installed, looks pretty good if i do say myself. of course there is always a few things to tidy up but the main work is done.

I had a great weekend, not only did i start a new skin on frame kayak but i caught a fish through the ice! tasty!

More progress

Couple of projects going on and should be wrapping them up before the end of the week. First is one side of the book case project that will be placed on either side of the fireplace and a dresser module for the b-man's built in bed system.
I used a pocket hole jig for the face frames and was very impressed with the results.

Next Project?

could this be the next project? not according to my spouse. but perhaps in early spring..

where to start

I spent an hour between dinner and the next meeting I had to attend, starting to clean up the shop and get it ready for winter and the next round of projects. I tell you that I have abused everything and there is not a clear counter top or work bench anywhere. There is even some rust on the table saw and the band saw table.(shudder)

hello September

Wow, that was the quickest summer I can ever remember. I havent been in the shop much at all since the kayak was finished. The weather is cooling off and soon the ground will freeze and the snow will fly. I have a lot of projects lined up and ready to go, I just need a little time to get them started and let the sawdust roll....

Canceled

After five months of preparation, countless hours in the shop, 175 miles of travel... the race was canceled due to unsafe water conditions.
i do need to make some modifications to the kayak, the foot braces are a little to short and i had to hot glue on a skeg to get it to track straight. a little fiberglass and a couple more coats of varnish should finalize it...
 next projects?

B-man needs help finishing up a gun cabinet he built in shop class for Mr. Wong.
I'm not sure what I'm going to work on... i have some small engine repair to do, but ill be back in the shop soon...

Finished

ok is a project like this ever really finished? the weather has been terrible, low temps and high humidity. the spar urethane i was trying to use just wouldn't dry. i ended up putting on a couple of coats of polyurethane on top of the sticky spar urethane to cap it off.

there will be a few more pictures as i get it in the water, im waiting for the wind to drop down below the stupid level to launch..
if we ever get some 90 deg days, i will sand off the drips and sags and put a nice hard coat of something on it... but for now, i need to get it on the water!

shhhhh.......

its done..... but the camera wont download...

Crunch Time

Between late last night and early this morning, I managed to get the inside seam fiberglassed and epoxied. We will see tonight, when I pull off the packing tape if I did a good enough job. I couldnt sleep for the nightmares of the sides going SPRONG!!! if that happens I'm gunna go buy a tupperware boat..

12 days to go...

I don't know what i did wrong. I put some spar varnish on the seat back on Thursday, just to check the final look, as of Monday morning it is still sticky. The SD kayak challenge is in 12 days, do I dare varnish the boat and pray that it is hard enough to transport and paddle? Perhaps i didn't mix it well enough and the humidity has been terrible and the weather cold....
meanwhile.....
The coaming lip is finished and fiberglassed, I just smoothed out the ends and fiberglassed them. in the future I can add fancy looking stem pieces (did I mention that the race is in 12 days?)
Next step is to put the two halves together and fiberglass the seams... time is running out, I don't want to use the word panic but.......

stuff to do:
glass seams, inside and out
do end pours
install toggles and coords
get boat checked out by Game Fish and Parks
purchase licence
figure out how im going to manage to haul the dam thing around
apply final finish
pray that it drys
did i miss anything?

Epoxy has arrived

so the epoxy finally showed up last night and i wasted no time in gluing up the coaming lip and fiber glassing on the foot brace supports. late last night i got to thinking, what if my plastic clamps become stuck in the epoxy permanently? so i had to run out to the shop to make sure i avoided that catastrophe..
next step is to attach the cheek plates permanently and glue down the little dammits that hold down the deck shock cord.

Seems to quiet

yes, things were going really fast there for awhile, then i ran out of epoxy. with a 10 day shipping speed i wont be able to put the last of the fiberglass on until Tuesday. my goal is to get the boat in the water by next weekend. that will give me a good two weeks to tweak it before the big race on the 28th. today i finished up the woodwork for fitting, cut strips for a lip on the coaming. i had to soak them in water to get them to bend around the curves. i finished up the day with yard work, always a crises this time of year.... but it was still a good day.

Fiberglassing

The last of the major fiberglassing has been completed! And I ran out of epoxy. I still have lots to do, the next step is to install the footbraces inside the hull and finish the coaming lip. Here is a sneak peak at what the final boat will look like when finished.

Inside glass

i got the inside of the hull glassed last night. now to do the inside of the deck.

Easter weekend update

On Saturday I managed to sand out the inside of the hull, put on a seal coat of epoxy and a fill coat of epoxy on the outside of the deck. On Sunday I spent the entire day with the wife, kid and family... They were starting to wonder who I was and why I keep coming in the house for sandwiches...

Cockpit

Ok, I chopped a hole in the deck last night. It was surprisingly easy to do.  I am gluing on about 100 - 2" long walnut strips around the hole to build up the coaming. that is another task that is surprisingly fast and easy. The next step is to smooth out the insides enough to get the fiberglass to lay flat. I'm pretty sure that is going to take a couple of days. When I pulled the hull off the forms, I was amazed how light it is, cant wait to put it together.

Glass on hull

The weekend went rather well, I was able to put on a seal coat of epoxy on the hull Saturday morning and it was dry enough by Sunday morning to put on the fiberglass. The roll of fiberglass that I ordered isnt wide enough to cover the entire bottom at once so I put on two pieces to cover, it should add some extra strength anyway. I think if I was to do it again, I would wet out just one layer of glass at a time, as doing two was a real pain. I dont know if I got the glass pressed down against the hull tight enough and it took about two hours to do. Good thing it was only 65 degrees in the shop, it gave me extra time to work with the epoxy before it set up.

Ramblings

I now understand why boats have female names...

Glass on deck

the glassing process is really simple, and its kind of fun. i thought the deck looked good with just a sealer coat of epoxy on it, but wow, the clear glass adds depth. i spent about an hour last night doing a final sanding, cleaning a little and fitting the glass to the deck then putting on the epoxy.

only 44 days until the SD Kayak Challenge!

Sealer Coat

now the true beauty of the wood shines through. after another day of sanding and preparing, i have put on a sealer coat of epoxy on the deck. with the temperatures and humidity in my shop, i expect it to take days to dry enough to put on the fiberglass.

Saturday Update

things are moving faster now, the final sanding is about complete, the hull is ready for fiberglass and i should get that on today. the shop is at about 65 degrees and the suggested temp for epoxy is at least 75.... but the race is getting closer and i cant wait for warmer weather....no fear, just get it done!

thursday's note

just a quick note that the fairing is complete, next step is to fill in  a couple of blemishes and do the final sanding. i might even get to some fiberglass this weekend... woohoo!

Quick update

yesterday i bought a random orbital sander and started using it on the kayak.... why did i not buy one of these years ago....

all righty then..

So the fairing is nearly complete. I spent about 12 hours doing nothing but sanding, planing, shaping... and I'm still not happy with it. I'm thinking that i need to start on the final sanding and touch up any other spots i missed or messed up. I also glued up some panels for the cheek plates and the seat back. If anyone wants advise about this process I suggest that you walk away from it every once in a while and come back fresh... that helps a lot.

Sanding

The instruction book suggests that I start the fairing process with a scraper to knock down edges and remove the glue squeeze out, then spend lots of quality time with a hand plane to create the nice fair curves... I started with the belt sander and the high speed air sander, this is going to take some serious grinding..

More progress

Talk about awesome weekend take 2! The deck has been stripped, after 20 hours of painstaking cutting, fitting, planing, trimming, fitting, swearing, fitting again. I think I have it done. This is not a perfect, museum quality piece.... This is a boat that I will paddle, drop, scrape, bang around in all summer, and its looking pretty dam good too!

still lots to do, next step is the sanding and fairing....... woohoo!

Progress

what a great weekend, it all started Friday night when i replaced the starter on the old motorcycle....... and it worked! after that i spent about 16 hrs working on the deck of the kayak. as you can see there is a bit of a wiggle on the center line, I'm still thinking of a way to fix it without tearing it all apart. but I'm happy with what i have done so far. only 67 days till the SD kayak challenge!

a better day

I did get some quality time in the shop yesterday. I finaly managed to finish up a couple of wood boxes that have been sitting on the bench for awhile. Thanks to the equilizing factor of a great air sander, smooths out all of the mistakes. And now that there is only 85 days to the SD kayak challange, im getting antsy about finishing the boat. I made more cedar strips for the deck and prepaired some more walnut. I still dont know what the final look is going to be, but I feel a design growing somewhere in the back of my head. I think the hardest task I have done yet is fitting the shear strips for the deck. Getting the bevels right and maintaing the twist is a little tough. Once these strips are inplace and solid, the remaining should go pretty quick.

Frustrating

ok some days you just shouldnt go out to the shop. i was attempting to use my plunge router with my dovetail jig and was just making a mess. i should have used the other router with the fixed base, the plunge kept slipping even when locked tight. then to add to the fun, the straight bit decided to slip down making the cut even deeper. the moral of the story is.... use the right tool, and replace that collet when it starts to slip...