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Building a FreeB 12 Kayak


soitios

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Update: I finished sewing the kayak and transported it, in the rain, to the place where I'm gonna paint it. Everything got wet but seem to be completely dry and looking great now. There was a hiccup......... I was using a couple of those foam kayak blocks (on amazon for $22). I thought I had everything strapped in really well.... but the rear strap came off my car's rear bumper, and the kayak swung to the side of the car on the highway!!! Imagine my horror when after hearing cars honk at me looking to the right to see my precious kayak on the SIDE of my car instead of the TOP!!! .. The kayak blocks were lost on the highway, ripped to shreds by oncoming traffic. I used a foam mat I had instead, and strapped the kayak down to it, this time winding the straps around the middle frames. Talk about having my heart in my throat!

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Back in our twenties, my wife and I transported our 20 foot strip/glass canoe on the roof of our 67 beetle. One day the rain gutter mounted rack feet (good old Yakima 1A towers) began sliding forward. Only the tie to the rear bumper arrested movement.

We just pulled over, slid the rack back until the front bumper tie was snug, and continued driving.

Ever since, pretty much, we have trailered...

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There is a right and wrong way to tie off boats. Have no idea what you did but mistakes are easily made. I had had one come loose on a trailer and was bow was hanging off and the nose clipped the bridge railing, so I know the feeling. If your straps are nylon, they expand when wet because they are hygroscopic. They absorb water and expand. That is why I prefer polyester straps and ALWAYS check them if they get wet.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I think I did two things wrong. First, I didn't securely strap around the kayak. I don't think just throwing the straps over the kayak is enough. Now, when I strap over the kayak, I reach the strap inside of the coaming and go through the frame a couple of times, adding a lot more friction. Secondly, I didn't securely strap the rear of the kayak to my car's hitch. I just hooked onto the hitch, when i should have securely tied to it. After bouncing on the highway, the hook came loose, and the canoe slowly made it's way over the side of my car... eeeek!

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Something else I wanted to ask everyone about.

 

After I skinned the kayak, I used an iron to tighten everything up. I was pretty happy with how tight it was. Then I took it on the highway before paint, it got wet at least 3 separate times, dried thoroughly in between. Looking at it today and setting up for paint, I saw that it was very loose, possibly even more loose than when I originally sewed it on!! I thought I read somewhere that Nylon loosens up when it gets wet, but Polyester doesn't? Does painting make polyester stay tight?

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No, polyester does not expand when wet. As to what happened I really don't know because I paint mine before they go outside so I have no idea.

 

I think I did two things wrong. First, I didn't securely strap around the kayak. I don't think just throwing the straps over the kayak is enough.

 

Properly done, it is.  I use cam buckle straps, not ratchet straps.  The strap goes over the boat, under the bar and back across to the side where I started. Then just pull tight....no, snug.  If boat is sitting on bare bars I have to do something to keep it from sliding across the bars because they are slick.  I use foam blocks and that works pretty well.  A bow and stern line will work as long as they tied properly. Meaning they are to pulling straight down so the boat can't slide from side to side.

 

kayak_roof_rack_tie_down_straps__88043.1

 

I found this photo which shows the strap going across the boat and it appears he/she wrapped a loop around the mounting bracket so the strap wouldn't slide across the car.  I have done that with my old Caddy. I had a VERY short roof line and even doing this I HAD to have a bow line or the boat would slide around even on very short trips.

 

As to looping through the frame, no. It put stress on the frame in the wrong place and just isn't necessary.

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  • 1 month later...

I see from the dates on your posts that you went from buying wood to sewing skin in one month. That's darn good progress. And this was part time while working on a Pygmy project as well? Can you tell me how much time in hours you think you put in on your FreeB... Ballpark guesstimate?

 

Thanks for sharing your build, and nice work!

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I'm not a fan of promotion of one brand of product over another, except in cases where there is a world of difference. And in the world of straps, NRS (Northwest River Supply) has the best straps, hands down, of the many brands I have used, over 30 plus years of tying boats (and all manner of other stuff) on cars and trucks and trailers. I tried other brands to save a buck for years and nearly lost some loads, so now I'm loyal to NRS.

 

And I can't tell you how many of the foam gunwale pads I have picked up off the roadsides while driving and cycling, that were lost by people carrying boats without a rack of some kind on their vehicle, but it is into the dozens. A rack is a good investment, pays for itself in one use, IMO. Lacking a rack, a pair of partially inflated inner tubes is a way better bet for cartop transport, as my father proved with a family Folbot (non-folding version) for many years, back in the day...

 

Glad your boat survived that maiden pre-voyage!

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Andrew, I put a lot of hours into the build. Guess? Somewhere around 70. I took a lot longer than most people, I think. I drew out the frames on cad, printing was tricky, took me a couple tries, and i even made one of the frames incorrect so I had to remake it. Most of the time was just preparing the materials and painting. Assembly is the easy and fun part. If I had to do it again, I feel sure I could do it in half the time.

 

Thank you for your strap recommendation. I'll definitely have to try a pair!! My car does not have a roof rack. I need to get one. Actually my car needs a valve job so if I can't fix it myself I think I'm gonna have to get a new car soon, I'll be on the lookout for a roof rack to match.

 

I realized that I had not wrapped up my build topic with photos of the finished product!!!! Enjoy!

 

 

Finishing up Sewing, it went quickly and was fun. The fact that the 8oz fabric is loose did not bother me.

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Kayak, with sewing complete. I used the lexel caulking along the base of the sewing to fill up any holes I made. I love lexel! It's so flexible, and completely clear. I found it easy to paint.

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Maiden voyage in the slough. It accelerates quickly and is pretty responsive. My only complaint is the seat. I need a better one. The basic one I have right now makes my butt sore after 30 min.

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Very light, easy to carry. I love this.

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  • 1 year later...

Beautiful work! I am just finishing my Free B frame and getting started on the coaming. I'm hoping to sew the skin on next weekend. I started on Thanks giving afternoon by ripping my longitudinals and laying out and cutting the frames. I used a laminate trimmer with a round over bit on all frame pieces and ther gave them a coat of satin polyurethane. On Friday I sanded and recoated. I started lashing and building on Saturday, and today, Monday I've just got to finish the gunwales to the stem and the fanny beams that I decided to add per some of Jeff's other designs. I've built 5 plywood epoxy sailboats, but none were as fun as this project. It's the closest thing to instant gratification in boatbuilding!!! I found the lashing to be extremely enjoyable when compared to spreading or sanding epoxy, etc.

 

I also want to give a big shout out to Jeff for offering the Free B offsets for free! Thank you sir for giving us this beautiful little boat! I am already looking at one of your thinner longer designs, so yea...you got me hooked by giving me a "sample". ;~)

I'm in Nashville and get to eastern TN a couple times a year, so I hope to meet you someday soon.

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