Ravenswood on Vancouver Island

[Peter Smith]

Well, I actually launched this back in April 2021, so now I have 2 summers of use out of it to report on.

 

1/2" marine-grade fir plywood
yellow cedar stringers
laminated oak cockpit coaming
9 oz nylon with 2-part urethane from the Skin Boat Store

 

Yellow cedar is around 30% heavier than red cedar but also 30% stronger. I decided to use it for the extra strength, foregoing some lightness.

 

I coated the plywood ribs with West System 105 epoxy to waterproof it.

 

I am really pleased with the kayak. It handles great and is a joy to paddle. The primary stability is lower than the plastic kayaks I paddled previously, but it only took 2 outings to get used to it. It edges well with good secondary stability, and it is easy to perform self re-entry. I'm still working on learning to roll. I am 6'1" and 210 lbs and appreciate the large cockpit opening. I've recently switch to a Greenland paddle and think it is a nice aesthetic fit with the skin-on-frame.

 

[Scott Pettigrew]

Looks great!  Is that urethane minus any coloring?  I also used the two part urethane and wonder what it would look like without the pigment.

[Peter Smith]

3 hours ago, Scott Pettigrew said:

Looks great!  Is that urethane minus any coloring?  I also used the two part urethane and wonder what it would look like without the pigment.

Correct no pigment. I am very happy with it. It is very translucent and has yellowed just a tiny bit over the last two years. I considered ordering some rare earth pigment from Cape Falcon Kayaks, but the write-up at The Skin Boat Store mentioned that this fabric didn't take pigments very well.

[andy00]

Nice boat! And a beautiful place to paddle. Thanks for posting.