Kayak Building

Description

For discussion surround the building kayaks and similar small boats

Pygmy Arctic Tern 14 performance

Submitted byjim onTue, 08/04/2020 - 15:57

I have had 30+ wooden kayaks over the past 20 years, most have been low volume Greenland type boats, but a few have been high speed racers and a few general use day boats. I recently saw some postings that categorized the Pygmy Arctic Tern 14 as a boat that a paddler would quickly grow out of. In my experience this is a boat that a beginner can certainly handle, but after many boats and many years of paddling, I still find this boat fun in all kinds of weather and fast enough to stay with most groups. What do you think.

Rice paper decal mistake - need advice

Submitted byBrad Grimm onSat, 07/25/2020 - 14:27

In my zeal to get the hulled glassed I completely forgot to apply the decorative kingfisher decals we had printed on rice paper.  Now I'm wondering if I can epoxy them on and put a few layers of epoxy over them for protection before sanding the hull prior to varnishing.  What do you think?

Alternatively, the print shop that printed the rice paper also printed the design on plastic with an adhesive backing.  So I could wait until after varnishing and stick those on, but I'm concerned they may peel off in the salt water.

Rice paper decal mistake - need advice

Submitted byBrad Grimm onSat, 07/25/2020 - 14:26

In my zeal to get the hulled glassed I completely forgot to apply the decorative kingfisher decals we had printed on rice paper.  Now I'm wondering if I can epoxy them on and put a few layers of epoxy over them for protection before sanding the hull prior to varnishing.  What do you think?

Alternatively, the print shop that printed the rice paper also printed the design on plastic with an adhesive backing.  So I could wait until after varnishing and stick those on, but I'm concerned they may peel off in the salt water.

Rice paper decal mistake - need advice

Submitted byBrad Grimm onSat, 07/25/2020 - 14:26

In my zeal to get the hulled glassed I completely forgot to apply the decorative kingfisher decals we had printed on rice paper.  Now I'm wondering if I can epoxy them on and put a few layers of epoxy over them for protection before sanding the hull prior to varnishing.  What do you think?

Alternatively, the print shop that printed the rice paper also printed the design on plastic with an adhesive backing.  So I could wait until after varnishing and stick those on, but I'm concerned they may peel off in the salt water.

Panthera 507

Submitted byJohnAbercrombie onMon, 07/13/2020 - 23:42

Without picture uploads there's not much to say, but I thought I'd mention that I'm putting the finishing touches on a Bjorn Thomassen Panthera.

Hope to have it on the water in a couple of days.

I wanted a rudder boat for day paddles and possible short trips, so built a short (507cm) version of Panthera ('High Deck' variant, I like room for my feet...).

Perhaps some kayak sailing; I've planned the attachment points for the stays and mast step.

West Clear over MAS?

Submitted bydaviddewitt onFri, 07/10/2020 - 10:39

I am in the process of building a CNC Vember and used MAS LV epoxy for the layup and initial fill coat.  This is the second boat I have built using MAS recently.  While I love the ease of wet out, the bubbles are driving me crazy. On this particular boat I applied an initial seal coat and let the boat cure overnight.   The layup was performed at a constant 75 degrees (as measured by a digital thermometer sitting adjacent to the boat).   The first fill coat was applied by brush (using Nick’s suggested technique) according to the cotton swap test.