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To get an idea what colors the
freshly ripped wood strips would actually finish to, I built a test panel
from scraps. I then finished the panel with 4 coats of gloss
polyeurathane. Wow! Some pretty nice contrasts here. From top
down, it is cedar, black walnut, and spruce, repeated twice. I have
216 feet of spruce, and 107 feet of walnut, and lots of cedar - - Plenty
enough to get creative. |
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Here, finally, are the first 2 REAL
strips attached to the stations. I am using hot glue for temporary
attachment to the stations (forms) that I have now covered with duct
tape. This is done to make the stations easy to remove after the
boat is completely stripped. A few whacks with a mallet should pop
the stations free of the hull. |
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The hull will be stripped primarily
with red cedar. I am including one pinstripe, a half-width strip of
spruce. The 2 strips attached are the sheer strip, which is red
cedar, and the pinstripe just below the sheer, in spruce. To see the
contrast difference, look at strips 3 & 4 (counting from the top) in
the first picture on this page. The deck is where I will attempt to
get creative after I learn a bit more . . . |
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A close-up of the station/strip
clamping means I decided to use. I cut some small clamping jigs from
1/2" plywood, and spray painted them with gloss enamel so they wouldn't
become permanently attached to the kayak. these are held with
spring clamps and keep the strips tight against the stations and adjacent
strip while the glue sets. |
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A little further along in the
construction, with a few more strips added. The operations include
cutting a rolling bevel on the edge of the new strip that will allow it to
conform to the station profiles. I think I like a small "pull"
surform tool the best, and I also tried a block pland, file, sandpaper on
a stick, etc. |
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Even though we're laying the strips
along curved surfaces, there are no gaps between the strips (well,
most of the strips), because of the bevel I
cut. |
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My favorite clamp has turned out to
be duct tape, it is wonderful because of the strength, adhesion, and easy
workability. Thanks for the hint, Dale
Frolander. I use my clamp fixtures only at stations where the
strips tend to warp away from the station (form). |
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Working with 17-20 foot strips is a
big pain. I decided early on (after scarfing the sheer strips
before their installation) to use my 10-12' strips individually and butt
join them. Less length means that I have lots of time to get the 1/2
strip positioned before the glue starts to set up. It is much less
hectic and frenetic, and the seam can be more easily controlled.
This pic shows the first 1/2 of the strip going in, ready to butt against
the next 1/2. Strength is not a concern, as glass and epoxy will
sandwich this layer to produce a classic composite
layup. |
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More strips and duct tape - - I buy
it in 180 yard bundles as I move along . . . |
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More strips added, it's starting to
curve and take on a pleasant shape . . . The glue must be scraped
from the sides before it can be planed or sanded. |
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|
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And yet more of that duct
tape, it is invaluable as a clampimg aid for these cedar
strips. |
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A closeup of a typical bevel near
the chine. I use two half strips instead of a full strip for
stripping in the hull, and this is the aft view ot the half-strip starting
at the bow. I eyeball the required bevel at each station, and mark
the strip as to whether it's a small, medium, or large bevel at that
station. It's sort of like "connect the dots." I simply "roll"
the bevel between the stations. The end grain of the strip is not
red, that is a fluke of the flash/CCD. |
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Here is as far up the side from the
sheer as I will go. It measures 6" total layup. From this
point forward, the keel strips will be laid in place (could be nasties),
and stripping will continue from the keel to these existing strips, while
remaining parallel to the keel. |
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A view down the keel with the first
keel strip laid in place. It had to be removed and eventualy given
to my grandson as "hobby strip" because I needed to start on the other
side first, and I cut a bevel on the wrong side of this strip as a
consequence . . . You don't have to be smart to build one of these
kayaks, only consistent . . . It helps not to be stupid at
times. This does show the accuracy of the forms placement, as the
strip shown was aligned on the forms to the centerline, and it looks like
a straight line to me . . . |
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The two keel strips are now in
place, and bow-to-stern filler strips are now being added. This
photo shows the method of "stapleless" attachment I have employed, as well
as the severe twist in the new strip that must follow the fair lines of
the keel strip. I use steam to assist in bending while clamps hold
the required twist and bend. Then I use an industrial heat gun to
dry the strips and "lock them in place." When they are dry I apply
the wood glue to the adjoining strips. |
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Another view of the clamped,
steamed, and air dried assembly. The twists and bends must become fair
lines of the kayak. Any bumps, lumps, or unfair sections will be
quite obvious in the finished product . . . This view is from the
bow to the aft section. |
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Here the keel strips have doubled in
number, and you can readily see the twist that is taking place as I
approach either stem. The steam iron with a damp cloth, and the heat
gun have become my best friends (next to duct tape). I lay the strip
in, steam it and then dry it, and it assumes the shape it was originally
clamped in. That makes glueing a whole lot easier with a pre-shaped
strip. |
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A view from the other side.
You can tell when you are forcing wood to do what it did not originally
intend to do by counting the number of clamps it takes to force the wood
into position . . . |
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The same sort of conditions exist at
the bow, but the twists are more gradual. That is good and bad, in
that it is easier to twist the strips, but very difficult (for me) to tell
where the bow begins and ends! You have to build one to understand
this. |
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A view of the stern with a few more
strips added, just trying to emphasize the radical 90 degree twist the
strips must make when transistioning from the hull to the
stem. |
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The stern as viewed from the
side. The Georgian Bay has a long waterline length, and part of this
is because the stern does not have much rocker, and has a fairly steep
vertical angle at the stem. That also makes it easier to strip in
this area. Not a "cake-walk," but I have not lost any hair over it
either . . . |
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A view toward the bow, the nice
lines suggested by these strips make me want to get it done as perfectly
as possible. Let's see, 1800 lineal feet of wood joints, 99%
accuracy assumed, HEY! That's only 18 feet of bum
joints! At this time I have one 12 - 18 inch section on one
strip I wish I could do over (impossible), but a hint of filler might save
the day. That joint will NEVER appear in a photograph until it is
properly filled . . . |
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Here is the profile of the bow
stem. It is longer than anticipated, because of an 1/8" warp
that developed in the plywood stem itself. I have been compensating
by building a small gap onto the opposite (starboard) side, keeping the
stem aligned with the rest of the kayak. An 1/8" in width
corresponds to many inches in length at these sever angles, so I now have
a longer than normal Georgian Bay. It looks
cool! |
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View from the bow with keel strips
newly joined to sheer strips at the stern. |
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Same as above, but photographed from
the stern. |
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The stern strips now meet on both
sides of the boat. The next strip on either side will likewise
attach the keel and sheer strips at the bow. The hard fit-ups are
over for the time being. |
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The most used tools for the past
week. |
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The only unused tool in the shop . .
. |
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Another strip added - - The bow is
now joined, as is the stern. I guess there is no turning back at
this point . . . This is what it is going to look like!
8-) |
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The aft end is sealing up quickly,
not too much longer before the hull construction is simply a memory . . .
Darn! |
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The long tapers are slowing me down
dramatically. I had a couple each at the bow and stern. It
turns out that the keel strips near the bow (or stern), coming down to
meet the sheer strips, have a slight curve to them because of the bends
they make. That requires that the taper on the new strip is a
concave surface - - It took me a little planing and measuring to to figure
this out. Here's a pic of the new strip being fitted to the
transition area. |
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This is how it looks when done
properly (I won't say how long this took). You'll notice a NEW
tapered seam was created at the left of the photo, so the process will
repeat ad finitum for each new strip - - Although the angle of the taper
gets more manageable with each strip . . . |
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A close-up of the joint, before
planing and sanding, or filling. The upside is that it should look
pretty good when I am done. This craft is starting to remind me of a
tubular bowling alley . . . |
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Here's the reason for the many
tapers that have to be done. There are many ways to strip the hull
of a boat, but this particular technique has some points going in its
favor. About 6" of the hull starting at the sheer line (Where the
hull and deck meet) are wrapped around the forms, producing graceful lines
that accentuate the shape of the kayak. Above that (if the boat were
right-side-up it would be 'below that'), the rest of the hull starting at
the keel is stripped parallel to the keel line. Everywhere the straight
keel line strips meet the curvy sheer strips, a tapered fit occurs.
One alternative is to continue the sheer lines clear up the hull,
producing the familiar "football" shaped area as seen on many canoe
hulls. That affords an opportunity for lots of cutting and shaping
as well . . . In the end, it all amounts to simply filling the area with
strips, be it the hull or deck, as the glass cloth and epoxy, together
with the wood in a sandwich, provide all the structural
strength. |
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Here I got very brave and trimmed
the bow of all the overlapping strips that were taper joined at the
stem. A new saw, patterned after a Japanese pull-saw was used and it
worked great! I then used my new 12-1/2 degree Record block plane to
smooth the surface. |
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This stem will be planed such that
the width increases to about 3/8", and a laminated white ash external stem
will be added and planed to follow the hull contours. This
will ad to the abrasion resistance afforded by the fiberglass layup soon
to be added during the "epoxy the hull" stage . . . |
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I developed the attitude years ago
that "I ain't no dummy." Instead of beveling each and every keel strip, I
simply butt-joined each one, and when the flat flexible surface developed,
I laid wet rags across them and steamed them with my plywood clamps in
place. A finish with the hot-air gun locked them in
position. |
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Here's a pic of the almost completed
hull after the steaming operation . . . Amazing how the hull strips grip
the forms even though there is no beveling between the strips . . .
<g> |
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Here is the compulsory picture of
the last strip on one side (in this case the port side) waiting to be
installed. The sliver of wood laying on the tape to be used for
securing said strip, is awaiting installation. The Queen is dead -
Long live the Queen. |
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At last, the port side is stripped.
This shows the clamping employed to hold the little fellow in place.
He has been tapered, beveled, steamed and twisted into a loyal
subject. |
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This is simply a close-up of the
port side of the hull after final closure and a rough planing to shape.
Several sanding stages still need to be done, following some scraping to
remove all vestiges of glue. |
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The bow and stern stems have been
planed to a consistent width of 1/2", awaiting the application of an
external stem, consisting of laminations of 1/8" white ash for abrasion
resistance under the glass. These were cut today, but no pictures
exist. We will pick up when the hardwood strips are being formed to
the stems. |
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Two laminations of 1/8" white ash
are being glued to the bow stem, they were pre-bent using steam and a hot
air gun. Pre-bending these parts took all the stress from the tape
clamping employed, and the glue joint is a vanishingly thin line.
This detail provides for a very pleasing appearance, as well as some
additional abrasion resistance in this vulnerable keel
area. |
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Here is a photo after the glue has
dried, there is some planing necessary to make the new external stem
conform to the hull contours. |
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The aft stem laminations are
temporarily in place after a quick steaming and air gun application.
|
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This composite photo (poorly done,
but, hey, it's free!) shows non-kayak people the scope of this project in
a panoramic sort of way. The bow and stern shots look nice, but
it's hard to visualize just what we are creating without stepping back a
bit . . . |
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Using an ROS (Random Orbital Sander)
the finishing of the hull has become very, very easy. I used to use the
pneumatic DA sanders on my car projects, same thing now in electric -
Maybe better . . . Wow, does my new $39 Ryobi ROS sand that there
wood! Here's the bow after a rough (60 grit)
sanding. |
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Same application to the stern.
Concave, convex, the ROS really doesn't care . . . There is a
workable position for every need . . . |
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Here's the middle, where I
sit. Geez, the ROS just gobbles up wood that doesn't belong . .
. |
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A detail of the white ash
laminations on the bow stem. They look so darned good, it's really a
shame they are sacrificial as the "abrasion strips" both fore and
aft. They will be covered with 3 layers of glass, so perhaps they
will survive my ownership . .
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