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jerryg

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Everything posted by jerryg

  1. Hi everyone, Thanks for the kind words. Sorry it took a while to reply. Been busy trying to earn some money to pay for the next boat! Also been doing lots of paddling. Really like the way the boat handles in the rougher waters and moving into the wind. Very smooth and clean. I'm happy. Thanks again to everyone for your support and help. I think this thread is done. Peace.
  2. It floats! Well, I launched the boat yesterday. I ended up painting it blue with Tremclad, since it is about the only exterior oil-grade paint left in Canada. I was going to go two-tone, but decided to keep it easy for the first build. The only thing left to trim up are the painters, which I will do later on this week. Here's another pic of the boat with its proud builder. And lo and behold it floats! For those interested I have a more pics and some videos on my blog. Here is a video of the launch, I'd like to offer a real big thank you to everyone here who tolerated my noob questions, was gentle with their critiques, and gave me the best advice possible. Really guys, I couldn't have done it without you. Much appreciated. Now to get to work on my next building project! Peace.
  3. Hi Dave, Thanks, and you are absolutely correct. I just got off the phone with a tech rep from Rustoleum Canada who confirmed that the Tremclad paint line is comparable to the Rustoleum, it is in fact another formulation, and is not recommended for anything that would be submerged. The statement about using it on metal only is a government thing, and they can recommend it for other surfaces as well (such as fiberglass) but I now think this is not the stuff for me. So I am going to go back looking for a paint. Maybe a marine grade paint, or maybe back to my first idea of poly only, or maybe I can find an oil grade exterior enamel paint (if I can find one) that looks like it will do the job. Maybe something intended for wood, like a decking paint. Thanks for the info, Dave, much appreciated. Jerry
  4. Aye, I'm a Canuck for sure, eh? Thanks again, Jeff.
  5. Hi Jeff, Thanks for the quick reply. I guess the reason I was expecting it to be stiffer was from watching your videos showing how tough the skin is after painting. The fabric seems to be pretty stiff. But it's all good. I can't imagine any reason why the tremclad stuff wouldn't work so I will finish my testing and see how it goes from there. Thanks again.
  6. Hi everyone, Well I am getting ready to start painting. Because rustoleum pro is not available in my area, I have chosen another product made by the same company called tremclad. You can see it here: http://www.rustoleum.ca/CBGProduct.asp?pid=6 I stretched some fabric over a small frame I built to practice on. After two coats the fabric seems well covered, but still very flexible. I was thinking it was going to get very stuff and rigid. Do I have wrong expectations? Thanks. Jerry
  7. I echo Dave's about using a pre-stain/sealer if you are going to stain. My stains always came out blotchy before I started using a pre-stainer. I didn't put any stain on my boat. I used a polymerized tung oil on cedar which I thinned with a citrus solvent 1:1 for the first coat. After 4 coats the wood turned pretty dark on its own, and there was no blotching. I'm okay with the way it looks. I probably should have put on more coats, but I didn't. I think on my next boat I'll just use a polyurethane, which will be pretty quick and easy and because I ran out of tung Now if I could only get back to the shop to get the painting done. All this real life stuff keeps getting the way of the important things in life... like building a boat. Jerry
  8. Hey Woodman, I ws just wondering how you picked the various dimensions for your paddle. Did you eyeball the whole thing, or work from some specs? Thanks. Jerry
  9. Hi Jeff, You are so right. I know that I made many mistakes on this first build, but they will be easily avoided on the next build (which will be a new boat for my wife, though I'm not sure which one yet). No question that the biggest challenge was the coaming, but also I have a much better understanding now how to build it next time. The sewing required some practice, and next time I will use a different thread, but that too can be easily corrected. Perhaps the thing that I didn't really understand at the beginning, was how important the depth of the notches in the frames were to the overall look of the boat. I will take more time on the next build to get them right, and to use a piece of fabric to constantly check the lines. I have a feeling that I could probably now build a boat from start to finish in around 10 days or so, if I could work on it full time, which is freaking fantastic. Love your boats, Jeff, and your build technique. I may try other build techniques in the future but this was hands down the best way to start. Plus my wife loves the boat too. She didn't want me to cover it 'cause she thought the frame was the most amazing thing ever. And a special big thanks to everyone here on the forum. Couldn't have done it without you guys. Paddle on, dudes! Jerry
  10. I was going to go with clear, but I think I have changed my mind as well and for the same reason! Paint will cover those mistakes better for sure. Probably go with white, or perhaps powder blue. Thanks for the comment. Hey Woodman: Thanks for kind words. You are so right, there are going to be many more kayaks in this paddler's future. It was a real fun project. Hi Doug: Thanks for stopping by. Perhaps I did worry too much. I know the next build will go much more quickly and effectively. Now I have to figure out where I am going to keep all these boats! Jerry
  11. Hi everyone, Well, I managed to get a great deal done this month, though not as much as I had hoped. For those interested, I did a major update to my blog today with lots of pics. http://yoyobuildsanakyak.blogspot.ca/ For those not interested, here is some eye candy. Looks like all that's left is to paint it and see if it floats!
  12. Nice, but was that a hemostat I saw hanging from your vest?
  13. Hi everyone, I am thinking that instead of applying a paint color to my boat I will just go with a clear finish. So, I went to the local store to see what kinds of polyurethane are available. There was both a water and oil based product from the Varathane people. They also had some Cabot's Spar Varnish. There Three questions: 1) Are any of these better to use than any others? 2) I know that most people thin their paints before applying it to poly, but is this necessary if I am just going to use poly? 3) Any suggestions on how many coats would be required? Thanks! P.S. I notice there are some 2 part polys which can be ordered online, but I don't know anything about these. Anyone have any experience?
  14. Hi Jeff. Thanks for the confirmation. Much appreciated. Hi Dave. Thanks for the info. There's no noticeable wrinkles or floppiness, though I've haven't done the stern or coaming yet. I did some tests with some cutoffs of the cloth to get an idea of how much it would tighten up. Maybe I have been pulling a bit too tight as I've been sewing, to try and compensate. Great! Tomorrow I get back to sewing and hopefully get the rest of it done. Thanks again guys. Jerry
  15. I ordered my marine grade ply as a special order from my local big box store. Prices in Canada may be higher than in the US, but I paid over $100 for my single sheet. Well worth it imo, though I had to be careful cutting out the bottom of the notches, since it had a tendency to chip. I agree that the stuff you have sounds like exterior grade. Based on the little I know, I wouldn't use it. Jerry
  16. Hi everyone, In Jeff's second video on polyester skinning he shows how nice and tight things get at the bow by "lifting and pulling". Mine, not so much, Obviously I wasn't lifting and pulling enough, though I though I was. My question: Should I just seam around the bow until I get it all together, or is there a way to save this and kinda make it look like Jeff's? Thanks. Jerry
  17. Sewing my kayak is pretty much the first time I have ever tried to sew anything. I've been practicing the back stitch, whip stitch, and running stitch. I'm almost at the point where I am ready to try the real boat. My question is very basic. How to you properly tie off the end of a stitch? Can anyone point me to a video or something about the right way to knot the end so tension is retained and it's secure? Thanks.
  18. Hi everyone, I started laying out the fabric last night on the boat which brought about these two questions: 1) I used push pins along the keel stringer to keep things nice and straight (as per Jeff's instructions), then I started trying to pull the fabric up towards the gunnels to clamp them in place. I noticed that it didn't take much tension for the fabric to really start pulling on the pin creating quite a hole (though I was kinda able to smooth it out when I took out the pin). Was I pulling too tight? Can someone give me an idea of the amount of tension that I should be using? 2) I have an old clothes iron I'm intending to use to shrink the fabric. It's lowest setting says "rayon" and its highest "linen". I realize that all irons are different, but does anyone have suggestions as to a good place to start? Thanks.
  19. Thanks for the suggestion. I thought it was a good idea, but I had already cut and installed new stringers. In the end I am happy I did, though it did add some extra time to the building. In a day or two I will write a post about my experience making the coaming, which was interesting to say the least. Thanks again.
  20. Thanks. I think you are right. Longer stringers it will be. I have the extra lumber I need, so it's just a question of cutting it to length, rounding it over, and lashing it in. Much appreciated, everyone.
  21. Hi everyone, Currently I have around 1/4" overlap at the front and back. Here are two shots, the first from the front the second from the back. Here is a shot looking down, which doesn't tell much, but gives an overall idea of how it fits As near as I can tell, when I cut the back of the coaming I must have gone off my scribe line by a good 1/2"-3/4". Not the end of the world in terms of getting in and out of the boat, but coupled with the fact that I cut the stringers more flush than I should have, has ended up giving me the problem. The coaming is a 3 ply laminate of maple, about 1.5" high. I can make a new one, but in order to do that I will have to make a new form, which would be a bit of a pain (cause I've run out of 3/4" plywood!) but could be done. Thanks again for all the help. You guys are the best.
  22. Thanks Dave. I really wasn't too worried, in fact it was kinda cool seeing the flexing going on. Looking forward to see how it moves through the water.
  23. Thanks, Jeff. Much appreciated. Hey Paxton: Could I ask how thick your maple coaming is? I've built one myself but it seems awfully rigid and I am concerned about how much pressure it is going to require to flex. Thanks.
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