Strip Built

I’ve just started building a guillemot, using the info in Nick Schade’s book. I have a query on the end form lines as the keel depth on the end forms is deeper than it is on either of the forms against which it comes up against. What is the purpose of this edge or should I be planning it off so that it match the adjacent forms?

Any help/suggestions gratefully received

Never again!  I can't tell you how many times those words came out of my mouth when working on this boat.  This one is pretty special in the fact that it took over twelve years to complete and how close it came to scrap many times over those years. 

I’m getting close to finishing my Guillemot build after several years of work.  I did a final sanding on the boat before varnishing and decided that I would not be satisfied with the coaming lip.  I didn’t put a large enough radius on the fillet between the coaming lip and the riser so the outer layer of fiberglass pulled away from radius.  I sanded through the glass in several areas and dust got underneath leaving large white areas.  So I sanded more until the loose glass was removed.  I then mixed up some epoxy and cedar dust and put a larger fillet.

I am in the process of building a cedar-strip canoe. I am using Raka Epoxy. I have a little experience using epoxy. I built 2 strip kayaks 18 years ago (Mas epoxy) and a SUP last year (raka). The kayaks wet out very nice, did a sealer coat, everything went well, very clear, no glass seen under two fill coats, lots of varnish, still very nice after all these years. The Sup (raka) last year seemed to show a little of the cloth under certain light and angles. I chalked it up to maybe using glass I purchased from a internet company, thought maybe wasn't compatible.

I don’t know how much interest there is in adopting others’ unfinished projects, but I have a half-finished strip-built  Njord kayak that has been hanging around (literally - at my in-laws’ house) for more than five years, and I need to do something with it.  Life and living circumstances don’t allow me to finish it, so if anyone else is interested in doing so - it’s yours!  

Hi. I'm about to start my first kayak. I'm in the Chicago area and I've yet to find any clear (or at least reasonably so) WRC and no place has NWC... at least no store that I've been able to get to. At my local wood shop (Owl for those in the area) I checked out their WRC and it was very knotty. Looked at a bunch of other options and all seemed quite heavy by comparison. The backup choice of basswood wasn't too bad appearance and weight wise but then I found their Spanish Cedar. It is not a wood I had heard of before.

Appreciate any help with my concerns below concerning build of Petrel. Thanks  Chris

1.      I’m ready to assemble the bow and stern endforms. After assembly, the lower edges of the endforms will project outside the envelope of the frame. Do the edges need to be beveled before the bow frames 1,2 and 3 are mounted?

2.      Any chance there’s a photo of this assembly?

I just ordered Great Auk kayak plans and read Nick’s book, “The Strip-Built Sea Kayak” as first steps.  I also ordered a 2x4x16 foot LVL construction beam to use as the strong back (I read that this was a better option than a 2x4 because it is more true).  My naive question is how I attach the forms with actual 2” by 4” cutouts to the LVL, which has 1 1/2” by 3 1/2” true dimensions.  Should I try to center a 1.5 x 3.5 inch hole on the form instead of cutout the 2x4 hole, or just try to shim the larger hole to the smaller LVL?

Well All, 

With the arrival of a beautiful custom seat from Joe Greenley at Redfish Kayak, my Kayak Couture project is done short of some final fitting adjustments on the seat when we get back to some decent weather here (20 degrees here today, even the lawn is frozen solid).  The boat replaces my wife's sassy Chesapeake 14 that is approaching 20 years old now (but still in great shape).

well today i finished the epoxy work on the boat (frej 90 15 feet long 19 inches wide)....so it is all seamed, bulkheads installed, skeg in, internal rigging points completed....so the only thing left now is finish sanding, varnish, seat, back-band and rigging.   so will be taking a couple months off during the winter until i can start work again in the spring....it should be quick work at that time.