P Doug (WA)

WOW!! Very, very VERY classy. I love the paint job.

Talking about putting a wood covering over the seam on a SOF kayak, made me want to get an idea of what it would look like. I just laid the scrap strip I just made on my whip stitching and snapped a picture. If I was to do it I would stitch the seam real well, maybe using a back stitch and lay a slightly grooved piece of wood over it. Fasten it down with screws about 4" apart. Going down the stem and bow would be a little more of a challenge, but very doable. Might not look bad....

I know where I would have been spending my lunch time! Would have cost me a fortune!!

This 1/2 round looks like it is solid. It say the 3/8" and the 1/2' can be coiled to ship so it must bend pretty easily.

I think most of us are here to learn and appreciate you all with more experience pointing out things to look for and ways of improving. I didn't even notice what Jeff saw. Your experienced eye is a big help. Hope you well feel free to give me advice where your feel I can use it, I sure can see some things on the one I just completed, I well work to improve on on my next build.

Holy Moly! What a way to go!

I think I read on this forum sometime ago where someone painted those areas with epoxy, maybe it was all the end grain areas. Not a bad idea, especially if you live in a real humid area. I live in the desert, so I didn't worry about it much. I well coat my next one with linseed oil before assembly and again after it is assembled just to make sure all areas are covered. P.S. Thought I would come back and add another thought about the wood finishing. I oiled my floorboard when I applied oil to the rest of the boat. Kinda wish I had varnished them instead. I have dirty foot prints on them already from the one or two times I have gotten into the boat and the prints don't wipe off the oil finish.

SWEET! When I painted my ship, I tried out the Frogtape. It won't stick to the polyester, but it will stick to the painted portion. It gave me a nice clean line.

I think most people give them a good coat or two of linseed oil. Most seem to to do it after the frame is Lashed together but I can't see why it couldn't be done before.

Jerry, I checked your blog. Nice looking build. I enjoyed the sewing part. Just took my time and plodded along. The hardest part was just getting going. Once I started I hated for it to end. Found it pretty relaxing after I got started. I had my kayak sitting a little too low while I did it and made my back pretty sore. I'm rebuilding my strong back and am going to make it so I can change the height when I want to. Least that is the plan.

I don't get it. 3/8" x 6' is $13.77, not bad, but I would think 1/2" would be better, but holy molly it jumps to $41.96!! That is $7. per foot. That is without shipping!. I can see why you would go with the 3/8"! It would look nice and work well also, I would think.

I just finished making a new strip, out of maple this time. It seems to be mush harder than the cypress. It's all stained, waiting to dry so I can varnish it.

You are correct it is much softer than I would have thought. Guess I will go back to my wood pile and see what else I have.

Looks like you will have some nice places to paddle. Any chance you'd have some pictures to post? Yes, and Jeff has created a monster, these kayaks are just too fun to build and causing me great grief with my wife. She just doesn't seem to appreciate the time I spend on the kayak as apposed to all the other things I should be doing!

Well some great progress. Frame looks real nice. The coaming was the most stressful part of the project for me. I have never been very successful bending wood. I just used a heat gun. My strips were a little over 1/8" thick. It worked out. The finished coaming doesn't have to bend much when you put it on the kayak, least mine didn't. It well work. The next one I make, I going to try soaking the wood good, than heat, bend and clamp the strips around the form. Let it dry then undo it and put them back in place with glue. It well take longer, but I think it well work better. I didn't like heating the wood so hot with the glue on it. Seems to me it would weaken the gluing. Maybe not, but I wasn't real comfortable with it. Seems to be holding though.

Really looking nice. I like the look of the whip stitch. What color will she be?

I've started to make a skid strip for the bottom of my boat. I'm doing the unthinkable, and using wood! Is cypress any good for this? I have a piece of cypress, but I have never worked with it before. Don't know much about it. Also do you think 3/16 would be thick enough? That is about as thin as I can go and be able to countersink the screws.

Does look nice..

As I said in my post, my main reason for the hollow shaft was to just try it and practice for the mast I have to build one of these days for my never ending sailboat project. I personally don't see the importance of a few ounces of weight to a once in a while paddler like me. The other advantage I saw in the one I made was it worked for the wood I had on hand. I didn't have a piece of solid wood for a paddle shaft. I look at the GP and it doesn't register with me as to why they are so popular, but they sure have a huge following, so when I find a piece of wood that shouts GP, I well make one and give it a try. After watching You-Tube videos on paddling a kayak, I realize I have a lot to learn about the whole subject!

Interesting, you sew the whole thing up and then put in the coaming? I can't compare because I have only done one boat, but I really liked sewing with the sinew. I bought some breaded fishing line I was going to use, but it was so fine, I just didn't think I would like using it so I went with the sinew and really liked the look. I see all your boats hanging above and have to laugh. I want to build another kayak, and my wife just doesn't understand! "What do you need more than one for?", she asks. I can't give a good answer other than , "well, because."

Nice rack. I had to go look up the "truckers hitch" knot and learn how to tie it.

Very anxious to see the finished project. Looking real good.

that is a cool picture .

It seems to me that you used to be able to by "Messing-About" stuff here on the site. It was handled through Cafe Press? Is there an advantage to going that route, like not having to invest so much of your cash. I know nothing about how it works. Navy Blue, Khaki for me also.

Likewise on my Curlew. I'm pretty sure Jeff would have left enough frame in that area in his plans to allow for it. If not, I'd be tempted to cut the notches as deep as I could ( and still maintain the 1" rule) and then notch the stringers a little to make them sit at the right height.