13 replies to this topic

[paxtonm]

Hi,

Feeling pretty stupid, but I have to ask: The Vardo coaming rests on the two extended top beams flanking the centerline at the front of the cockpit, and there are the two kind of L shaped brackets to be screwed in as supports after it's installed, but what the heck is it supposed to rest on at the back of the cockpit? I can't find anything here in others' pictures or in the instruction manual. Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Mark

[paxtonm]

Sorry, but to be clear, does the coming go past the after frame, or on the deck beam?

[Kudzu]

But both ends just rest on top of the frame. On Curlew and VARDO it rests on the two beams at the front instead of the frame for cosmetic reasons.

The brackets along the sides are just to prevent the coaming from bending to much when you bear down on it getting in and out of the boat. It doesn't rest on them.

[pakalolo]

Having used a jigsaw to cut out all of my parts, my coaming pieces are not really uniform and do not match up as well as I'd like. I'm not sure how to glue the top piece to the middle piece. Am I supposed to be trying to keep a good lip on the outside of the top edge to accept a skirt? Am I try to center the inside holes? Am I trying to have a lip on the inside? I would have definitely preferred a laminated coaming, but for this first build I'm settling for the glued up plywood version, I'm just not sure what my intentions are supposed to be. Thanks!!

[P Douglass (WA)]

Sorry. I can't answer the question on a plywood coaming. I just wanted to say, I've only built one kayak, a Curlew, and I did the lamenated coaming. Following the book instructions, and watching videos on Jeff's site, and a couple youtube videos on wood bending, I found it remarkible easy to make the lamenated one. Only had to buy a heatgun got a cheap one and had at it. I've already made a second one now for my next kayak. It was even easier. The second one I prebent the wood. Wet it bend it in place and clamped it and let it dry that way for a few days. Them went back and glued it. Worked great for my.

[Kudzu]

You want a lip on the outside for a skirt.

The inside is flush on all three pieces. You can temporally screw or clamp them together and use a rasp to clean them up and make the match. Do the same thing to the outside edge of the bottom two pieces. Then sand them till they are smooth.

If you have a table mounted router, use a flush bit and make all the sides match.

[pakalolo]

Thanks guys! P Douglass, I would definitely prefer a laminated coaming, but my tool selection is so nil. I've spent a year in a boat shop and we had to bend lots of stuff, with steam, boiling and pure brute force, but I don't even have a table saw right now. But maybe I can find someone around here to help. Newer area and not a lot of friends with shop equipment. But, no, I'm not really happy with my jigsaw coamings!!

[pakalolo]

So if I did have a friend help make one, and having a vardo, White cedar would be too soft? Maybe not though. Stacked together it's probably stronger than the marine plywood coaming. If not maybe oak.

But what seems to be missing from the videos and the book is how many laminates for the wide base?

Then all I do is cut 1/2" strips for the skirt to grab, so how many laminates of 1/2" to get the lip?

Thanks!!

[pakalolo]

Wow!! And measuring my full size drawings (still glued to the wood), the coaming pieces are only 1/8" difference in widths? That doesn't seem like much. My upper coaming is 1 1/8" and the smaller two are 1" in width. So the lip is only 1/8"? Intuitively, it seems like the lip should be a bit bigger. It's definitely seems bigger in the video and the book.

[P Douglass (WA)]

Even when making a lamenated coaming, the lip is not more much more than 1/8th. Coarse you can make it wider if you want. I've made another lamenated one to my next build and I made the lip wider than I did on the first one and I lowered each layer as I went around a bit so I could make the top more rounded over. I also added a few extra pieces on the front of the lip so it is wider at the front than the rest. Just having some fun.

[pakalolo]

Hi Jeff,

Could you comment a little more specifically about the Vardo coaming. I'm made the outter deck beams, both fore and aft, extra long and have trimmed up the center ones so the lashing holds. I understand that the forward part of the coaming is to rest on the deck beams, but is the same true for the aft section?

Can you give a rough estimate as to how long those deck pieces are (I understand that each kayak is custom).

It still seems weird that the lip is only 1/8th of an inch, but that's what the plans call for.

[Kudzu]

Page 51 in the manual shows the bow.

The stern just rests on the center frame stringer.

If you want a bigger lip you can trim some off the lower coaming rings.

PS The best thing to do is leave the stringers long. Dry fit the coaming before skinning and then you can see where you need to trim everything.

[pakalolo]

And I can't believe I'm wondering, but looking at coaming pictures on the web, I see that some coamings have the kayaker sitting with his back in the widest part of the coaming and I also see kayaks built where the kayaker issitting in the narrower part of the coaming. Why the differences?

The plywood coaming with Vardo is not really an elongated oval, but has distinct narrow and wide ends. I imagine the wide part goes forward, right?

[Kudzu]

I imagine the wide part goes forward, right?

Nope, to the back where you are widest.