kayak278

Jeff...I had an awesome time meeting you and your wife at Quiet Water yesterday. Thanks again for all you do for the SOF community!!! Here's a shot of Jeff in action at his booth......note the display stand is different from the display stand Jeff posted on a while back.....he'll have to tell you that story

Anyone else going to the Quiet Water Symposium in Lansing, MI this Saturday? Jeff, I saw your name on the exhibitor list. I'm looking forward to stopping by your booth as you've been my supplier for several SOFs.

Wow....that looks really good!!

Like Dave said above, boats designed for the surf aren't very good for other uses....specifically tracking straight and fast. A few years ago, I built a North Alaska Retrieval SOF kayak, sometimes called a Recovery Kayak. The basis for the design was that the native seal hunters switched to a shorter, wider, more stable kayak when firearms started being used for hunting, rather than the harpoons. With the use of firearms, they no longer needed the stealth and speed that the longer, narrower kayaks offered, they only needed a stable kayak to go retrieve their catch. That being said, the North Alaska Retrieval design performs very well in the surf due to the extreme rocker, and it is a very stable platform. It was a fun project to build as a woodworker, but it is not a practical, comfortable design for extended paddling. I think you would be best served to look at one of Jeff's tried and true designs, any of which would be fine in the surf.....it's amazing how the SOF design and construction methods "give" as you surf over waves. The built-in flexibility of the SOF design almost feels like a shock absorption system when you are cresting waves and going down into the trough! Because the recovery kayak is not the most efficient to paddle for longer distances, I have relocated the kayak to a permanent home hanging in my classroom....my 6th grade students love asking about it and I'm pretty sure I'm the only teacher they've ever had with kayaks hanging from the ceiling. In fact, I also have hung an old fuselage frame and I reference both boats by giving the students an analogy about "being uncovered". I tell them that when we look at each other, and see our "put-together" exteriors, that we're not letting others see our blemishes and faults that are on our insides....hence the covered kayak and the "uncovered" frame. I then go on to tell them that it is OK to let their guards down, to show their imperfections and show others that they aren't perfect. At this point, I reference the uncovered frame and show them all of the mistakes and problems with it, telling them that even though there were problems with the frame, it still operated fine in the water. I think our digital, Instagram/Facebook/Twitter, media-centric culture is hard on pre-teens because all they see is the highlight reel that people post online...the kids end up thinking that they need to have everything perfect and all put together, and that it's not ok to show any kind of fault or weakness...or ask for help. WOW...can you tell that school starts for me tomorrow? Sorry, I didn't mean to highjack the thread and go into a positive thinking message -Matt

Al, I've finished three SOF boats using Rustoleum from the white can. I did thin the first coat by 20% using acetone as the Rustoleum website stated...results were great! Here's my latest.... 19' long, 11.7oz polyester from Kudzucraft, coated with three coats of Gloss Black Rustoleum from the white can. Picture is from a recent trip on Lake Superior, at Presque Isle Park in Marquette, MI. -Matt

I used a regular soldering/woodburning iron with a very fine woodburning tip on it that I bent into a hook. All I had to do then was put the hook tip through the fabric and pull towards me....worked great. The soldering iron was one of the cheap hobby versions sold at the big box hobby stores.

I've used both 54lb test braided polyester catfish line and artificial sinew.....and had great results with both. If I had to choose, I would say I liked the sinew better because when pulling the stitch tight, I feel like it held its tension within the fabric better....I didn't have to use the hemostats as much as when I used the braided polyester fishing line.

Wow....this fabric is amazing. Definitely worth the extra $$ because with the tighter weave, you can really pull the stitching tight. I used the rolled cord method with artificial sinew. On all of my other boats, I used the 8oz fabric with braided polyester catfish line as thread and I was always disappointed with the pull holes and the fabric not being tight. As a worship leader/musician at my church, I was having fun getting different percussive tones out of my frame with the tightness of the 11.6oz poly! Rolled cord stitching: Drum tones: All sewn up....next step- ironing and gloss black Rustoleum:

There's more rocker in the front than the picture shows....I've done some work on the keel and stem since taking the FROG picture. I know it isn't one of your designs....I instead used Christopher Cunningham's book on building a Greenland kayak, which to those unfamiliar with it, uses your body's individual measurements to design a kayak around. Honestly having now built two fuselage style kayaks using cross sections and two Greenland style using the bent rib "build it around your body" method, I'm on the fence as to which style I like better. Building kayaks is definitely a disease! It's hard to stop at just one. I was just looking for any of those tips and tricks people may have discovered (on top of Jeff's awesome advice) as they've built kayaks using the 11.6oz poly.

I've recently purchased the 11.6 oz polyester from the KudzuCraft store to cover my 19' frame. This is my 4th SOF using polyester but the first time I've used the heavier 11.6oz fabric. I'm just wondering if any of you builders out there who have used the 11.6oz have any tips or tricks that you used to get the skin really tight. I will be using the rolled cord method of sewing that is shown on one of Jeff's great videos. Here's a FROG shot and a shot of the frame wrapped in 4mil plastic just before the "plastic wrap test".

Here's what has worked very well for me and has endured numerous expeditions on the rocky Lake Superior shores in both Michigan and Canada. Coat the tips of the paddle using West System Six10 thickened epoxy tinted with West System 501 white pigment. Just use a bristled brush to apply the thickened epoxy. The white tips are very durable and really stand out from a distance, giving you extra visibility to other boaters, and they kinda simulate the look of the bone tips that the Greenlanders used on their paddles.

I'm running the 58" bars in my rack setup. My 17' sea kayak goes in Yakima Land Shark Saddles, and the other two kayaks are in J-style cradles. I've also still got room for one bike on the roof, even with 3 kayaks. Matt

Thanks Jeff for your great service and attention to detail! I just received the 20' of 11.6oz polyester that I ordered from you this week. I really appreciate that you folded it neatly AND cut it with a hot knife. I've ordered from other kayak suppliers who cut the polyester with a scissors and it arrived at my house with polyester snags and strings coming off the edges. I can't wait to start skinning my traditional Greenland frame:

Hi all.... This past weekend, I, my wife, and our 4 year old son (in his own SOF) went on a 4 hour paddling trip here in Michigan. All three of us wore our PFDs....my rule is, if you're in a kayak, on the water, you must wear a PFD if you want to paddle with me. During our trip, we saw at least 25-30 people in their recreational kayaks not wearing their PFDs. The water was definitely deep enough to be over a person's head. My question is this.....what do you all do when you encounter people not wearing their PFDs. Do you say anything, or do you remain silent on the issue and just give them a friendly "hello"? Do we as ambassadors of the kayaking community have a duty to inform people how important it is to wear the proper safety equipment? How have you broached the subject with complete strangers when you've encountered this? I talked to one kayak outfitter at the takeout who doesn't see the need to have his clients wear their PFDs. Happy paddling! Matt

I second the stitch and patch and then coat with paint. I had to do this and it worked very well.

Great write up! I'd love a close up shot of just your wheel transport setup

I don't remember off the top of my head how far apart I put the cross sections on my son's Sea Flea, but the coaming definitely is larger than the width between the two. He hasn't had any issues with this. Here are some pics illustrating it:

Nathan C..... I love that you have Star Trek: TNG on while you work. LOL....I do the same thing in my shop! Resistance is futile!

Here are some shots of my setup....hauling 3 kayaks on a 2007 Chrysler T&C with a "naked" roof, without factory rails. I use a Yakima roof rack on my minivan and the specified Yakima rack distance between bars is only 24", so I have some experience with narrow bracket width! I have used this setup traveling from Holland, MI to Munising, MI in the UP at 70mph highway speeds, with nary a wiggle in the boats. Because we as kayak transporters can be held accountable for any damage incurred should a kayak fall off of our vehicle while transporting, I am a stickler for tying them down right. Each boat is secured using either normal hull saddles or J style racks. I have transported both SOF and plastic boats in each of these without any problems. Once the kayaks are placed in the saddles, I use cam lock straps anchored to the crossbars. I then tie the bow and stern down with ratchet ropes that are tied into a hood strap attached to fender bolts in the hood of the van..... these can be purchased at most outdoor type stores. I modify the ratchet ropes by removing the factory hooks, which could work loose, and replacing them with stainless load bearing carabiners. For my touring boats of 15' or longer, I like to use 2 bow lines, which are extremely helpful if there are strong cross winds. The reason I prefer using hood straps as opposed to using the factory assembly line hooks or the bottom of a bumper is because if one of those lines were to ever work loose, the extra length could easily get caught up in your tire, and at highway speeds, I'd hate to see what kind of force would be put on a boat once the line wrapped itself around the wheel. By using hood straps, the line shouldn't get caught up in a tire. For the rear of the van, I use hatchback adapters, which fit inside the vehicle, running the strap between the gap between the hatchback and the roof....this gives a stable tie down point for the stern ratchet rope. By no means am I an expert, this is just the setup that I have found works best for me and hopefully keeps any of my kayaks tethered to the vehicle in the case of any kind of rack or strap failure .

I'll be there tomorrow as well! Can't wait....a lot of great presenters and booths. My personal favorites are always Cliff Jacobson and Kevin Callan, the "Happy Camper".

Unfortunately I haven't made any progress on the sea sock. I used cardboard, a big garbage bag, and duct tape to create a mock up of the sock. Once I put the garbage bag into the cockpit, I used duct tape to create a fuselage shaped bag, tucking in all of the extra material. Once the "bag template" was made, I took it out of my frame, and cut it down the middle to make a 2D template to be applied to the coated nylon fabric that I purchased for it. That's as far as I've gotten......I've built 3 more SOFs since starting the sea sock and haven't finished the sock....I should be ashamed of my boat building addiction

I used the double cord method on the 8oz polyester for my son's kayak and it worked great. I used regular para-cord.

Gary, It all depends on what makes you the most comfortable and what you will be using your kayak for. If you are going to be rolling in your kayak, you may want to think about having your knees slightly bent as to place your knees in a place under the skin so you can use them to help lift up the side of your kayak....also useful in doing edge turns. However, I've seen numerous threads on other kayak forums on how straight legs are also acceptable. It all boils down to what position is going to be the most comfortable for you over a period of time. Personally, in all of my kayaks, I have my footrests placed so my knees are bowed and tucked up under the skin on each side near the front of the coaming. I've found that on longer periods of time in the seat that it helps to stretch my legs straight out in front of me, either together or one at a time, but the majority of my time is spent paddling in a "locked in" position, with my knees placed at the aforementioned position and my feet on the footrests. If you're able, put yourself in your kayak frame and try some different positions, see what is the most comfortable for you! -Matt

I used regular parachute cord and it worked great.

Very cool! I'm a 6th grade Language Arts teacher and last year our math teacher across the hall had me bring in an offset table and several cross sections from my son's 10' Sea Flea. Using the offsets and some completed cross sections, he taught the students how to graph out points and then had them also estimate the interior volume of the kayak. The kids loved it. I also brought in my Greenland balance stool (see Christopher Cunningham's book) that I had built to simulate what it is like to use your balance to stay upright in a kayak on the water. Since I teach in a very rural, low socio-economic area, it was really neat to see the students' eyes light up and ask questions about kayaking.