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Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions
By:Mike Bielski
Date: 12/16/2014, 11:22 pm
In Response To: Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions (Gero Verheyen)

It is my opinion that Cunningham is totally tool-crazy. It's overkill. Check out one of the other books (Mark Starr, H.C. Petersen, Robert Morris) so that you have a broader perspective, and if your library has Kayaks of Greenland by Harvey Golden that's worth leafing through as well. Once you see the variety of options I think you'll worry a lot less about it. I bend 3/8 stock for ribs no problem, and only thin them with a knife so that they fit into the mortises. Whittle away. If it was good enough for the originals, it's good enough for me. You may also want to look into Harvey Golden's web site. He has a couple of build logs: http://www.traditionalkayaks.com/Kayakreplicas/48057JS.html

Fir will be fine- you just need to take extra precautions because it's brittle. It will split easily in certain circumstances, so be sure that you drill your holes accurately-sized, and back up the gunwales with a piece of wood and c-clamps at the mortises when you bend in your ribs, or you'll crack the gunwales. I don't remember which book says to do it that way, if any, but most builders I know do it that way. I do. It's a lot easier than trying to repair a cracked gunwale.

Messages In This Thread

Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions
Gero Verheyen -- 12/12/2014, 4:49 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions
Allan -- 12/12/2014, 6:30 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions
JohnAbercrombie -- 12/12/2014, 7:20 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions
Gero Verheyen -- 12/12/2014, 10:37 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions
JohnAbercrombie -- 12/12/2014, 11:00 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions
Marc Upchurch -- 12/13/2014, 9:57 am
Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions
Gero Verheyen -- 12/13/2014, 1:53 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions
George Groshong -- 12/13/2014, 2:32 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions *PIC*
JohnAbercrombie -- 12/13/2014, 3:40 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions
Gero Verheyen -- 12/13/2014, 4:28 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions
john vanburen -- 12/15/2014, 9:40 am
Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions *PIC*
Gero Verheyen -- 12/15/2014, 10:31 am
Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions
JohnAbercrombie -- 12/15/2014, 2:29 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions
Gero Verheyen -- 12/15/2014, 4:59 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions *PIC*
Mike Bielski -- 12/15/2014, 10:44 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions
Gero Verheyen -- 12/15/2014, 11:01 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions *PIC*
Mike Bielski -- 12/15/2014, 11:19 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions
Gero Verheyen -- 12/16/2014, 9:03 am
Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions
Mike Bielski -- 12/15/2014, 11:28 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions
Gero Verheyen -- 12/15/2014, 11:03 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions
Bill Hamm -- 12/16/2014, 12:18 am
Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions
Marc Upchurch -- 12/16/2014, 8:00 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions
Mike Bielski -- 12/16/2014, 9:33 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions
Gero Verheyen -- 12/16/2014, 10:35 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions
Mike Bielski -- 12/16/2014, 11:22 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions
Gero Verheyen -- 12/16/2014, 11:29 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions
Bill Hamm -- 12/17/2014, 12:50 am
Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions
Mike Bielski -- 12/17/2014, 9:33 am
Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions
Bill Hamm -- 12/17/2014, 12:48 am
Re: Skin-on-Frame: kayak proportions
Gero Verheyen -- 12/17/2014, 7:39 am