NY Dave Posted October 15, 2017 Report Share Posted October 15, 2017 Well, I posted FROG pictures for my Curlew back on 8/12/15! Shortly after that, the frame went to the ceiling of the garage and stayed there for nearly 2 years. I wasn't happy with the fairness of the frame near the cockpit and there was an "S" curve in the keel. Luckily, SteveH ran into the same issues with his Curlew this past spring and armed with our comments, Jeff was able to figure out the problem. He sent me new drawings for the frames at the 7'0" and 11'6" positions. The new frames made a huge difference and really kick started my progress again. Here's a new FROG picture from July with the laminated coaming and the foot braces in place. The past 2 years weren't wasted however. I spent quite a bit of time working on the white Ash laminated coaming and a bunch of time deciding how I wanted to attach the foot braces. I originally fabricated a couple of aluminum brackets for the foot braces that look like this. But I wasn't happy with a couple of things about these. I didn't feel that this method of attachment was particularly robust, I didn't like that the foot braces couldn't be removed, and I just didn't like the idea of having that much metal in my SOF kayak. So I decided to make some blocks out of BB plywood and lash them to the frame. Then I epoxied T-nuts into the blocks so I could attach the foot braces from the inside of the kayak. This means I can remove them should I ever decide I need to move them to another boat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NY Dave Posted October 15, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2017 Here's what the foot braces look like once they're attached to the blocks. Once I had that all taken care of, it was time to sew on the 11.6 oz skin that had been sitting around for 2 years. The sewing was definitely the most challenging part of the project for me...and I'm not a stranger to sewing. But sewing a 3 dimensional structure like this was a beast. As far as waterproofing, my original plan was to go with a marine varnish for that "see through" finish but after multiple sewing attempts, I realized that paint was going to hide more sins than the varnish ever would. Here's a picture after skinning. After 3 coats of BM urethane alkyd gloss enamel on the hull and 2+ on the deck, here's what she looks like. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NY Dave Posted October 15, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2017 I put the Curlew in my pool to see how well she'd keep the water out. After some additional attention the seam in the stern, she was ready for "open" water. Here's a picture of her on our 14 year old minivan. And here she is where she belongs...finally in the water. It's been a long trip but totally worth it. Now I have to decide which Kudzu Craft to build for my wife! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NY_Rocking_Chairs Posted October 16, 2017 Report Share Posted October 16, 2017 You did it backwards Build the wife's boat first then she is more open to as many boats as "you" want...though now I'm running out of storage space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NY Dave Posted October 16, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2017 You're probably right. She told me that she doesn't want to wait 2 years for her boat to be finished! In fact, the whole building process has convinced her that maybe the Swift Kiwassa isn't too expensive after all. How many boats have you built? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NY_Rocking_Chairs Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 Wife's Curlew was first, then did the Stonefly canoe for myself. Made the kid's one for my youngest and now making a SUP for my oldest. Planning an expedition kayak for myself though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benhardt57 Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 Very nice job! And well worth the wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kudzu Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 Love the colors and this is still one of my favorite designs. I love the lines of that boat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
even-keeled Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 I like the look of the stern with the skin pulled close to the fan tail as you've done here. I've been visualizing how I'm going to do that. Having never stitched a boat, it seems like a complicated shape to work around. Great color as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kudzu Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 It not the easiest to sew. Do it last and don't be afraid to back up and start over. The original 8 oz is the best choice for that because you can shift the weave of the fabric around to better fit the shape. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Maddy Posted November 8, 2017 Report Share Posted November 8, 2017 Nice color, beautiful design with a classy paddle. Did you make the paddle as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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