bylawren

Agree with Mr. Underwood's comment about ounces adding up. For my Short Shot, I routed a radius on the length of the western red cedar gunwales/stringers where they would interact with the skin. I haven't compared it with a "standard" frame; however, my finished frame, excluding coaming, weighed 19.5 lbs. YMMV

The specialty store is called "Architectural Carpentry Materials" and it is located a few blocks south of the Love Field airport. Their web site is: www.acmus.com. (Usual disclaimer...no affiliation, just a *very* satisfied customer...)

Having just built a Shot Shot, I can say that I was *very* impressed with the western red cedar...it is super light and very easy to rip, trim, etc. I was lucky enough to find some clear 10' boards at a local (Dallas) $pecialty $tore and a buddy helped me with the ripping and surfacing. (Longer boards = fewer scarfs) My finished frame, sans skin and coaming, weighed 19 lbs.!!

I agree with the reasons that "bagarre" provided. Even if I was attending alone, I would vote for the second option. I like to have options for lodging, food and after hours activities.

Exactly what I needed to know...thank you for the quick response!!

I have finished the Short Shot frame and am now working on the skinning/coaming. I have done a preliminary "fitting" of the skin and trimmed the excess cloth (leaving a bit for "oops" opportunities). I also have done a "running stitch" along the deck beam; however, I do plan to remove that stitch and do the corded stitching that Jeff shows in his video. Before I do the corded stitch, is it safe to assume that the cockpit coaming is strapped in place and sewn on *before* finishing the deck seams are completed ? (Since one needs to know the starting/stopping place for the deck seams...). Can someone please confirm that this is the correct order? If not, further feedback/correction is welcome.

Wow...VERY nice (and creative) paint scheme!! Your wife's smile pretty much says it all...

Wow...that paint job looks AWESOME!!

I initially routed all of the edges that would be in direct contact with the cloth...and after lashing, went back and sanded most of the inner edges as well. It's [very] likely "overkill"; however, I think the end result is more "finished" looking.

Jeff, that yellow/white two tone is VERY nice... I just might try that...!

Well, FROG via SWMBO (she who must be obeyed...) since she'll be the primary paddler. (Currently weight, without coaming or skin, is about 19.5 lbs.) I am very happy with the way the tung oil darkened the western red cedar gunwales and stringers. The next steps will be skinning and painting. I was thinking about the ZAR oil based urethane for an amber/clear look; however, my wife would like yellow for safety/visibility. Any thoughts or recommendations on getting white Rustoleum tinted bright yellow?

I ran my stringers/gunwales through the planer first, cut the scarfs second and did the scarf glue-up third. I lined up each set of scarf joints, marked the tops/sides with alignment marks and then applied the glue to the respective surfaces. If your clamps aren't holding the glued joint to the alignment marks, I have used an industrial duty staple to span each side of the joint and keep it together. (And of course, pull the staples out when the glue dries.) I didn't apply the tung oil until after everything was assembled because (a) If you do need to apply some putty/epoxy during the assembly, the oil would probably keep the putty/epoxy from adhering properly... and ( if you need to do some sanding in any areas, oiled wood clogs up your sandpaper pretty quickly. One final tip is to get a few large strips of wax paper (from the kitchen) and put it between the glued up joint and whatever the joint is resting on...keeps glue drips from spreading and it keeps the joint from sticking to whatever it is resting on.

Thank you! The manual *does* cover "deforming" the coaming [a bit], sewing on the skin and releasing the tension on the coaming to allow it to return to its original shape and tighten things up even more. (My previous construction experience is from the "stitch and glue" world and I'm more accustomed to the laminated coaming being more "integrated" into the deck/hull.)

Aside from sewing the skin to the circumference of coaming, are there any additional lashings that connect the coaming to the front or rear of the kayak frame itself? In other words, does the coaming simply rest on the fore and aft deck supports...without additional lashing to the respective deck supports?

Suggestion 1: If you have a router and router table, run all of the stringers and gunwale surfaces that will be touching cloth though a round over bit before assembly. Suggestion 2: When making the "recesses" for lashing on the keel (and bottom stringers if you're building a Short/Long Shot), don't get overzealous with the rasp. I didn't *think* I was cutting too deep; however, when I pulled the boat off the strongback, I saw that the indentations in the [soft] cedar were at some points deeper and sharper than I would have liked. (And would likely have created "wear points" for the cloth...) To make the necessary repairs, I cut about 18 - 20 bottom lashings, added some epoxy filler to a couple of the "too deep" indentations, sanded all of the indentations smooth[er] and re-lashed the joints. Suggestion 3: If you are a first time builder, building a Short/Long Shot, go ahead and purchase TWO spools of sinew... Happy building, Byron