Bcone1381 Posted January 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2014 I am starting to cut out my ribs. This hydrotek marine plywood is manufactured for boat builders, and meets BS1088 standards which is a British manufacturing standard of some kind. One 4x8 sheet is making me two kayaks, and I think was $96 last summer. I first flatten the plans with a hot clothes iron, cut them out, apply the to the plywood using 3M spray adhesive following their instructions for temporary bonds. A drywall knife gets the paper totally flat and looks great. Now I am taking each Rib to the band saw for the final cut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kudzu Posted January 13, 2014 Report Share Posted January 13, 2014 Search the videos on my web site. http://www.kudzucraft.com/video/coaming.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hirilonde Posted January 13, 2014 Report Share Posted January 13, 2014 This hydrotek marine plywood is manufactured for boat builders, and meets BS1088 standards which is a British manufacturing standard of some kind. One 4x8 sheet is making me two kayaks, and I think was $96 last summer. Hydrotek is BS 1088 Meranti plywood and is superb for this application. Okoume would be a little lighter but also cost a little more. $96 is a very reasonable price retail. If you build laminated coamings and lay out your frames carefully, I would bet you get close to if not 3 boats per sheet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bcone1381 Posted January 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2014 Jeff, your videos show how experience develop skills. I recall watching these once upon a time. I get info from other places too, and I think I make it harder. I also think my coaming jig has a tighter bend at the front and wish I had made it with a wider radius. I practiced bending my oak strips with a heat gun and did not have success that had with your maple. I have one more strip to add to the lip, then I will be sanding and finishing her up. I will study these videos again before taking these next steps. The fist time I watch them I just come away thinking "I can do that." A month later After I try it I think "Now how did he do that?" Dave, the first boat I built was the Jeff's Cast-a-way. Its plywood needs were greater that the Ravenswood. For those of you thinking ahead, Dave is right on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mks Posted January 14, 2014 Report Share Posted January 14, 2014 OK! thanks. I was thinking the lip was stacked perpendicularly on top to facilitate trimming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mks Posted January 14, 2014 Report Share Posted January 14, 2014 Jeff, thanks for video link. little confused now on the coaming dimensions. Your plan shows the lower rings 1" wide and upper at 1.5" wide. But Bcone's description indicates 0.5" thick and with lip about 1" thick. Alternatively, would it be possible to make the upper two ring components in plywood segments that overlap and are glued together. Say, make each ring as two halves (one an left/right split, the other a front/back split) so that the plywood sheet used more efficiently? Obviously the bottom one would need to be one complete piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kudzu Posted January 15, 2014 Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 I don't know exactly what size they are, but they are laid out full size on the plans. I just cut them out using those. I can get all the parts for a boat out of a 5x5 BB ply no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncleralph Posted January 15, 2014 Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 mks said: "little confused now on the coaming dimensions. Your plan shows the lower rings 1" wide and upper at 1.5" wide. But Bcone's description indicates 0.5" thick and with lip about 1" thick." The dimensions you reference are for the coaming built up from plywood rings. Bcone is making the version that is laminated from thin solid wood strips. Two different animals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bcone1381 Posted January 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 Progress continues... -I Cut the outside of the ribs with the bandsaw...2.1 hours. - The rough coaming is completed...this is a wild guess...ummmm...3.7 hours. (I am slow, trust me. You can do in 1.5 hours if you follow Jeff's video. I soaked my oak, then steamed it, the wrapped it around the jig to shape it, then unassembled it, and glued/assembled it one layer at a time. I think I can save some weight without sacrificing strength but I would like feedback before I commit to this idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bcone1381 Posted January 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 Here are some shots of my rough coaming. The lip is about 1/2 wide, and the main ring is about 1 1/2" wide. The main ring has four wraps of 1/8" oak and I gave the lip 3 wraps. As Uncle Ralph says, This coaming is a different design than the plans called for, but the method of building it is covered on page 66 of the assembly manual. I now see that Jeff says to build the lip about 3/8 wide. I have some sanding to do, mine might bet close to that. If you are going with the laminated coaming I really like building it first. It's ready to go when I need it. This will prevent a lot of perceived slowdown at the covering phase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hirilonde Posted January 16, 2014 Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 I think I can save some weight without sacrificing strength but I would like feedback before I commit to this idea. image.jpg Structurally I don't think there is any issue, but do you know that the gunwale stringers will not land in a cut out? Off hand, it looks like they will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hirilonde Posted January 16, 2014 Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 .If you are going with the laminated coaming I really like building it first. It's ready to go when I need it. This will prevent a lot of perceived slowdown at the covering phase. Several of us have discovered and discussed this already, you are correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bcone1381 Posted January 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 P I think I can save some weight without sacrificing strength but I would like feedback before I commit to this idea.image.jpgStructurally I don't think there is any issue, but do you know that the gunwale stringers will not land in a cut out? Off hand, it looks like they will.Dave, I see your point. Anyone else have feedback? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kudzu Posted January 17, 2014 Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 Dave pretty much covered it. Only thing I can add is the weight savings will be minimal. Unless you were racing it wouldn't really gain anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bcone1381 Posted March 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2014 Finished the Ribs - 1.8 hours Purchased Stringers - $84.30 Frame Assembly - 6 hours Lashing of Frame - 14 hours Floor build and Lashed - 1.7 hours Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bcone1381 Posted March 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2014 Jeff, these two frames were labeled something like "allow extra allowance along dotted line, and finish to size" I know I did not leave enough allowance, but I am going to remake these to support the coaming, unless I am on the wrong track. Is that the right idea? I believe they are sized correctly for the plywood coaming as the the plans call for. Maybe my oak coaming doesn't need the support? PS. If my wife thinks I need a bigger workshop, she doesn't complain! Harley says "Hi" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kudzu Posted March 19, 2014 Report Share Posted March 19, 2014 You probably don't need them if your coaming is strong. I rarely use them on my boats now. I have thought about dropping them off the plans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bcone1381 Posted March 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2014 We are leaving them off then! Thanks Jeff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bcone1381 Posted June 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 It's been a while since I updated, and I lost track of time and cost, got behind, but persevered and got her in the water today. The covering system I experimented with time used non-certified light-weight aircraft fabric top coated with fiberglass. The Ravenswood started out whited, then I dyed it with Jacquard Acid dye. I choose the color Spruce, and after my first attempt the question of the day was "Brooks, Why did you choose that color?" It was just ugly with a capital U! Steeley blueish gray with a hint of green. The next day I mixed up another batch of dye, heated it to 180F, applied it and immediately ironed it into the fabric with iron set at 250-280F. An uneven streaky look turned out, but it was closer to the dark green I was hoping for. As it sat outside drying, an isolated rain cloud moved over, and sprinkled large drops onto the Kayak. I saw my dyed hull fabric become spotted! Well, it looked kind of cool, so I turned it over so rain could spot the deck too. It was like dying Easter eggs...the more I did, the better it looked...impossible to make it look ugly if you just keep trying things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bcone1381 Posted June 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 The next step was to seal the 3oz Dacron with epoxy, add the 4oz glass cloth/epoxy top coat, then Protect the epoxy from UV rays with spar varnish. The epoxy brought out the color to a deep rich green, and the varnish gave it a nice but textured appearance. I wish I had a close up of the rain spots....makes it look a bit like a Speckled Trout...sorry. The kayak was built for my wife. We have little to no experience kayaking, so we had a concern about stability. If this was going to be a little bit tippy, even for the first 15 minutes, it would probably be the last time she would paddle it. Jeff, from the first stroke, my wife paddled the Ravenswood with total confidence. It was stable, and a joy for her to handle and she really scoots without much effort! From the start she was focusing on the Blue Haron's, Mallards, and Lilly Pad flowers. Stability was not even a thought. On the drive home my wife said she was amazed I could build something that paddles so well, goes so straight, and is so comfortable with so little building experience. I told her it all in the plans and the designer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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