This is a blog of my next project, 2 strip build kayak twins. Not exactly the same deck design, but the same hull and deck shape.....I think they will be book matched. I'll post stories, techniques, pitfalls and pictures as I move along the path of having them complete by next spring.
Saturday, August 7, 2010. Finished sanding the internal stems for boat # 1. (see slide show pictures) The next step is to set up the external strongback for boat # 1 and mount the forms and align them, a somewhat tedious operation that is one of the most important if not THE most important step in building any boat. I should be able to get this mostly done today and move on to the second boat tomorrow, which is going to get an internal strongback in lieu of an external since that's what the forms for the first boat are cut for. I might be able to start stripping next week sometime.
Well, I started stripping this weekend and was able to get 4 rows on one side and 2 on the other by Sunday night. It's important to balance the stripping on each side as you go so the boat doesn't get twisted from the stress of one side pulling more that the other, primarily on the bow and stern. Because I'm using an external strongback on the first boat it's not that big of an issue, but the internal strongback can get whacked out a little bit more if you're not careful. The color of the hull of this boat is looking a little vanilla, so I'm going to switch it up a little and add some darker lines after row 4.
Saturday, August 14. Almost to the football, which is what the bottom of the kayak is called once you get the stripping past the bow and stern and the strips meet at each end of the keel where it starts to flatten out. I would guess another week before the hull is stripped, then I will move on to the next boat. The reason I am doing it this way is a shortage of clamps. I barely have enough clamps to strip one boat without using staples, and 2 is out of the question. I have 24 bar clamps, 53 spring clamps, plus about 100 rubber band clamps and it's still not enough! I could buy more, but since I have to wait for glue to dry anyway I don't really see the point. I'll get the next hull stripped after this one, fair out both hulls, and glass them at the same time. After the hulls are ready for varnish I'll flip both boats over and strip each deck one at a time.
Saturday, August 21. The hull of the first boat is stripped and I have started to fair it out. I built the strongback for the second boat today, but after closer inspection of the forms left over from the first Terncraft I think I will have to cut new forms. Either the paper on the old forms shrunk or I didn't cut them out very accurately. I have a full set of plans, I just need to buy another 1/2 sheet of 5/8 particle board. Oh well, new forms will work better than the old ones with holes for an internal strongback anyway.
Tuesday, August 31. The second boat's forms are set up and stripping has begun. I only have 2 rows of strips completed, but I am using ""Cheater" strips on the bow and stern with a white pine pinstripe running from bow to stern, so it's taking a little longer to get going. I saw this on Ross Leidy's whiptail and I liked it, so I'm trying it here. Fiberglass was purchased for the first boat's hull, so I should be able to get to that in the next 2 weeks also.
Labor day, September 6
A slight change of plans. I think the hull of the first boat will be ready for varnish this week, so I will start on the deck as soon as I can. By that time the second boat will be into the hull fiberglass stage and I can alternate between deck and hull of each boat. By October I should be working on the decks of both boats. At this rate I hope to have both boats finished by January or February so I can maybe build myself another boat before spring......maybe a Black Pearl........
October 16, 2010
Started working on the deck of boat number one today, made good progress. I had to slightly modify my pattern plan, but not too much. Boat number two is ready for the first fiberglass sanding, then 2 more fill coats before wet sanding. My goal of working on both decks in October is still on track, but I better get moving on sanding the glass of number 2!
November 3, 2010
I only have about 3 more inches of strips to install on the deck of boat #1 to be ready for fairing, so I should be able to fiberglass the deck by the end of this week. After the deck is glassed I will cut out the cockpit opening and build the coaming riser and build the carbon fiber coaming lip and thigh braces. Boat # 2's hull is ready for varnish, so I will start on her deck soon, maybe this week. Since it took me a little over 2 weeks to build the deck of boat 1, I can assume the deck of boat 2 will be done about the end of the 3rd week of November, depending on how much I work on boat 1. It really does help to have 2 boats going simultaneously! Waiting for glue to dry allows me to switch to the other boat, a much more efficient way to build. I've been using packing tape as a clamping system on the deck which is working out very well.
November 12, 2010
The deck of boat 1 was fiber glassed tonight, it went well. I didn't seal it first, I just went right to glass. It always takes more epoxy to do it this way, but I didn't feel like sealing it, sanding it again, and then glassing. I raised the temperature in the garage about 3 degrees first, and then let the garage cool off as I rolled on the epoxy. The wood doesn't off-gas as it cools, it tends to suck air in which keeps the bubbles to a minimum. I picked up a good tip from Rob Macks of Laughing Loon Kayaks today. He stitches the strips with hot glue so he can take the clamps off much sooner to start the next strip. That very good idea should increase my stripping speed a lot!
November 19, 2010
I have been using the hot glue stitch method of holding strips temporarily while the main wood glue cures, and it is working awesome! I do not have to wait at all with this method, and I was actually able to do 11 strips in one night, which is 4 times more than I have ever been able to do previously. It's actually almost faster than stapling, since with staples you sometimes have to re-do it to get it to hold. Plus with stapling you have to pull them out at some point and try and fill the holes. With this stitch method the hot glue comes off in seconds with a carbide edged scraper and there are no holes to fill! I will have the deck totally stripped by the end of this week, which means I will have spent about 24 hours stripping this deck. I should be ready to glass by Sunday the 21st if all goes well.
November 25, 2010
Only 9 days to completely strip and fair out the second deck with no staples, about 24 hours total. I will glass the second deck tomorrow the 26th, and should be ready to start the cockpits of both boats by the middle of next week, on or about december 1. By the first of the year I should be ready to glue both boats together, and have them varnished by the middle of January, ahead of schedule....best laid plans sometimes get changed....Maggie might have something to say about how much boat building time I get.....:-)
January 8, 2011
Almost ready to begin hatches for boat # 1. The fore and aft bulkheads are glassed in, only the secondary day hatch bulkhead needs to be fitted and installed. I should be able to start hatches tomorrow, Sunday the 9th. That process takes a bit since I am doing magnets for all three hatches. I have to drill all the recesses, install the magnets, and glass over the inside of the hatch to protect them. Then the hatch lips are layed up with glass and carbon fiber. hopefully this process will be done by January 15. I am planning on going backpacking on the 16th and part of the 17th, so no boat building that weekend!
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