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Lash-a-thon Is Over!


benhardt57

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Thanks! It's been a lot of fun so far.

The stringers are western red cedar. I bought 1x6s (3/4x5-1/2 actual) rough sawn on one face. It was all perfectly straight and knot-free, but at $3.69/ft seemed a little expensive. I don't buy cedar every day so I really don't know, though.

I did a web search for someone to plane them to 5/8". Found a gentleman (around 80yrs old) with woodworking equipment in his basement. We never discussed a price, and he didn't have a lot to say, but he was very meticulous, checking his results with a micrometer! He would feed the boards through and I would grab them and stack them. Each one took four passes.

When we finished I asked, "How much do I owe you?". He tried to wave it off and not charge me. After I convinced him I could not in good conscience come back unless I paid him, he agreed to accept my money. Anyway, that will be another of the experiences of this project that produces fond memories for a long time to come.

I used red stain on the frame and am still in the process of oiling. I want my fabric paint to resemble a leathery animal skin, along with some dark red accents. I have an idea how to do it, but if anybody knows how to accomplish that look I would love to hear about it.

-Ben

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  • 1 month later...

Thanks man! Or uh, rat.

It's too squishy. The first reason is the liberal radii I routed on the inside edges. I don't regret doing that because I like the way it looks and feels. The second reason (that I really regret, but it was another rookie mistake) was my choice of wood, poplar.

I decided to add some parachute cord to the inside of my seam. I'm almost happy with the way it turned out, but I think something a little stiffer would have resulted in the crisper look I was hoping for.

Live and learn. Maybe I'll build another next winter.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 5/16/2017 at 7:36 AM, benhardt57 said:

 I'm almost happy with the way it turned out, but I think something a little stiffer would have resulted in the crisper look I was hoping for.

 

I really like the curvy look of the coaming pulled down tight like that.  I was just looking at that picture thinking, "I'm gonna do that on the next one..." and then I read your last post.

 

I think if you just adapt to using the gunwales as your support for getting in / out instead of the coaming, it might grow on you too.

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Thanks for the encouragement.

I like the look of it too. If I build another kayak, the only change I would make to the coaming would be the type of wood. I made a spontaneous purchase on a Sunday afternoon at Lowes. Their hardwood selection was Oak or Poplar, and I didn't really want to use Oak. I'll probably look for some Maple next time.

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You know it's going to be REALLY hard to make a coaming look better, right? :)

 

You are too close, because you can only see every change you'd make. It's nice work, Brother.

 

You, know, the skin will wear out if you use it too much, so, by the time you replace this skin, you'll have made enough other boats that you'll be experienced, and the coaming will be "better" than this one.

 

And you'll still only see every change you'd make. :)

 

Peace,

Robert

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I appreciate your comments Robert, and even the sarcastic one(s). :D

There have been very few projects I've been involved with in my litetime that were absolutely perfect, but when the newness wears off I settle in and take a little pride in the fact that the object was the result of my creativity. 

Thank you Jeff for another outlet of creativity for us all. I can only imagine the number of hours of TV I missed because of you.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I took her out for the first time today. I had never been in a kayak before, so it reminded me a little bit of my first time on ice skates. I figure it'll just take some time to get the feel of it.  Unfortunately I had to cut things short because she was taking on water very fast. I used the loose weave polyester with three coasts of rustolium. Since all my stitching is on top, I have to assume I need another coat of paint. Can I get some advice?

- Ben

20170611_130636.jpg

20170611_130622.jpg

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That is beautiful!  Put it upside down on saw horses in your garage.  Put a trouble light or the like inside the hull and turn off the lights.  You'll be able to see all the pinholes.  Then you can make a decision about another coat or some just rolling over the holes.  Again, that is a fantastic pain scheme.

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I put on about 6 coats of Rustoleum paint with a foam mini roller and made sure I did not miss any spots.  Then I checked to make sure nothing was leaking by putting some water in the kayak.  I checked for pin holes and none were visible. 

 

But I always had more than an inch of seepage after a few hours of paddling.  I thought it was just an SOF thing you had to live with..  

 

A couple of years later I read some building instructions that said you should use a regular nap roller when applying paint, not a foam hot dog roller. 

 

I put on 3 coats with a regular nap roller, each of which was a thousand times thicker than hot dog roller coats. 

 

No more seepage.

 

 

 

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