Monday, December 31, 2007

Happy New Year!!

2007 is almost finished with 2008 showing promise of being a very interesting year. Elections, a changing economy, global warming, and (most importantly) the launch of the kayak.

Haven't had opportunity to do any work on the boat over the past week, but I have bought the paint and varnish. Now all I have to do is wait for a day warm enough to work on it.

At any rate, working on the boat has been one of the most gratifying things I've done in a long time. I've learned a lot and seeing it "grow" has been fun. For now, however, I wish all of you who have been following the progress a Happy and Prosperous New Year in 2008. I leave you with this pic that was sent to me by a friend. Wonder if he's trying to tell me something?

Monday, December 24, 2007

Merry Christmas to All

It's 1:23pm on Christmas Eve, and I just finished the second coat of epoxy on the deck. I went out today and bought a couple of syringes to fill voids in the glass. I also purchased an 8' 1"X4" piece of oak to rip for the rubbing strakes. At this point, I'm ready to paint the hull and varnish the deck.

For now, I'm done. I have no idea how many folks are following this blog, but I'd like to take the opportunity to wish all of you and yours a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year!!!

Saturday, December 22, 2007

It's beginning to look a lot like Kayak....


Well, it's three days before Christmas, and it's warm enough at Lake Royale for me to do some epoxy work. Since the last time I posted, the clamps have come off the coaming, the hatches have been cut, and the hatch covers glued together. Today, I put a coat of epoxy on the deck and hatch covers for waterproofing. It'll have plenty of time to cure since we're headed up to Richmond tomorrow morning. If the forecast holds, I'll put a second coat on Christmas Eve.

Below are pictures taken from inside the hatches. The one on the left is inside the rear hatch, the right the forward hatch.








Rear Hatch View


Front Hatch View

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Rectified!!


Temps today reached near 70, so it was a good day to redo the coaming. The pictures show it all glued up on the boat. Won't drop below 50 tonight, so it should have plenty of time and temperature to cure up.

Highs through Thursday are supposed to be in the 60's and 70's, with lows in the 50's. This may give me ample time to cut in the hatches and maybe even "paint" the deck with epoxy. If I get anything done, you know it'll be posted here.

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Another Lesson Learned

Well, once again I have given myself the opportunity to learn from my mistakes. I thought I might be able to laminate the spacers and coaming together before putting them on the cockpit opening. Unfortunately, when I tried bending it down to the curve of the deck, the coaming broke in two places (see picture for illustration). In my zeal to get the boat finished before it got too much colder, I didn't allow for the lamination creating a far stiffer unit than the individual layers. This is the same stiffness formed by laminating the deck beams; I've got no one to blame but myself.

So now, I get to redraw and recut the coaming. This time I'm going to draw the template on poster board and (hopefully) end up with better shaped pieces. Glad I bought the full sheet of 6mm plywood even though the plans called for a half sheet; means I already have the material to use.

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Short Days



Not only is there less daylight, but the number of hours with a temperature conducive to epoxy is even less. However, today was a pretty nice one, as late fall goes. I had cut out the cockpit earlier in the week

and today glued the connectors in place to join the two parts of the hull. I put the boat back in the garage with a space heater to keep the temperature up.



I also glued together the spacers for the coaming. Hopefully, I'll be able to finish gluing the coaming to the boat before it gets too cold for the epoxy to cure properly. If the weather is nice tomorrow, and the temperature is cooperative, I'll cut the hatches out.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Thanksgiving


Janet and I got back Saturday afternoon from our visits to Northern Va. and Richmond. I took a little time Sunday to trim the deck to fit the hull. Look closely at the pics. While they're very similar to earlier shots, they do show the deck fitted much more closely to the hull.

Temperatures Monday and Tuesday are supposed to reach the 70's. I'm hoping to get the hatch covers glued up, the cockpit and hatches cut and maybe the cockpit coaming installed.


Tuesday, November 20, 2007

All Decked-Out and Nowhere to Go (at least not yet)


Well, I did take a long lunch today (beautiful day of 70 degrees) and attached the front deck. Here's a couple of shots. I put the coaming ring on top to give an idea of the location of the cockpit.


More after Thanksgiving.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Time's A-Wastin'!

Well, it's mid-November, and the weather's starting to cool down quickly. In fact, we've already seen freezing temperatures at night. Obviously, I didn't finish by the end of October as I'd planned, but the work continues.

The picture above shows the hatch frames glued together (at least I hope they'll stay together). The smaller one on the left is the front hatch, the larger is the rear hatch.

I also cut and scarfed the front deck. Right now, it's waiting for the epoxy to set and cure (under the cinder blocks I use to "clamp" it together).



Finally, I glued and nailed the rear deck into place. It still needs to be trimmed, but it's looking pretty good. The picture to the left shows the view from the rear, while the one to the right shows a view from the front.



Next week is Thanksgiving. Janet and I are leaving on Wednesday to head north for the annual family get-together and won't be back until sometime Saturday night or Sunday. Unless I decide to take a Long Lunch on one of the workdays this week, I doubt that there'll be much done on the 'yak. If there is, you know where to find it.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

So Did You Miss Me?




It's been a couple of weeks since my last post. To be honest, I haven't done a whole lot on the boat, but I did get some minor and one major tasks accomplished. I've cut out the components for the hatches, the coaming spacers, and the coaming ring. Today (with the help of my dear wife, Janet), I cut out the back deck. This is it on the boat, not yet attached, but it gives you some idea of how it'll look.


The strapping, clasps, and bungee for the hatchcovers and deck straps also were delivered since the last time I posted. I heard the UPS guy drive up and, when he didn't come to the door in a "reasonable" time, I went outside. I found him standing outside the garage admiring the boat. We talked about my experiences, and he left saying he might have to give it a try.

I'm hoping to glue the back deck in place Monday or Tuesday. This is one of those jobs that'll have to be completed once it's started, and there's not enough time to do it tonight. If I get it done, the front deck will be done next weekend. After that, the holidays start go get in the way.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Bulkheads


I installed the bulkheads this afternoon. The plans call for either 3" closed cell foam or plywood. I went with the foam because 1. it will add flotation and 2. more importantly, it's easier to shape and place (it compresses).

I couldn't find 3" thick foam, so I glued three 3/4" sheets together. Ordering the 3" would have cost close to $300, while I was able to get the 3/4" as remnants from an upholsterer for $40. I used Gorilla Glue to put the sheets together.




I created templates from posterboard for each template. My next challenge was cutting the foam. After trying to buy a cheap bread knife without driving to Raleigh, I used a hacksaw blade. Worked passably well.

Finally, I glued the bulkheads into place using marine adhesive caulk (3M 5200). Now, it's wait three to four days for the caulk to cure sufficiently for me to cut the decks.

My bungee cord was delivered from Karst Sports. I'm still waiting for my Fastex buckles and nylon webbing. Should be here this week.



More to come

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Plymouth Boat Show



Janet and I took a day trip to the Plymouth, NC Antique and Wooden Boat Show. This is an annual event that I found on the 'net in January and planned to attend since. While there wasn't a kayak to be found, the craftmanship in the canoes, sailboats and powerboats was impressive.


At the cafe where we had lunch, the proprietress told us that the gentlemen who has been organizing the event was selling his place and moving to take care of his in-laws. Hopefully, someone else will step up to fill the role. I wouldn't mind taking my completed kayak there next year.


For more pictures, go to my Picasa site. Now I'm off to work on my own project.

Monday, October 22, 2007

Baby steps


I've gotten a few things done. Got the seat bottom in and decided that in order to make sure the foot braces were best located, I had to sit in it.


Took the kayak off the sawhorses (thank God it wasn't epoxied to them) and took it outside to the grass. With Janet's help, I marked where the braces would be comfortable. While I had it out, I had Janet take a pic or two of me sitting in the boat. I really can fit into this thing!! Did find out that the epoxy is still a bit tacky.



Next step, install the bulkheads. Headed off to work on cardboard templates for them. Then install the decking. I'm also going to order the straps for the hatchwork so it'll be in hand when I'm ready.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

A Little Bit More, A Little Bit More....


Not much since last week at this time. I started getting ready to put the deck on and stopped. It made more sense to me to put the bulkheads, foot braces, and seat in while there's no deck on it. So, I cut out the pieces of the aforementioned assemblies (except the seat and bulkheads; will do that soon, though) and glued them together. In the first pic today, you can see the foot braces in their approximate position in the hull. These are just two pieces of wood glued together that will be glued and screwed into place inside the hull.

The second picture shows the seatback on the form to shape it. Y'all have seen the form before; it's the same one that I used for the front deck beam.

So what have I been doing, you may ask, if I haven't been working on the kayak? Well, this past Saturday Lake Royale sponsored their first triathlon. Now before anyone asks, I didn't take part in it as an athlete, but was a volunteer on the water during the swim portion. A number of us who canoe and kayak were out there to help anyone who found themselves over their head. We all did so well at it that we're being recruited to help out in another one this week at Falls Lake. I've got a board (bored?) meeting so I won't be able to help out on that one.

It's starting to look unlikely that I'll be finished by my self-imposed Halloween deadline. Which means it may be spring before I launch her. Janet and I are going next Saturday to the Wooden Boat Festival in Plymouth, NC. I'll take some pics there so that you'll have something besides my efforts to look at.

More later!

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Deck Beams are Installed


A little mid-week update. I've installed the deck beams. Next is to coat the inside of the hull with epoxy (as a preservative), then measure and cut the deck.

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Just a Quick Update

As I mentioned last week, Janet and I had a reunion to go to Saturday after I got home from a four day trip to West Virginia. While I would much prefer that my animals were healthy, one "advantage" of having to give fluids subcutaneously to a cat is that the needle is not reusable after two treatments (at least not for the intended purpose). We had a syringe left over from some earlier vet treatments that the needles fit into. I was able to inject epoxy into the worst of the voids and some of the lesser spaces before the syringe and needles gunked up too badly. Now I just have to wait for that to cure before shifting the boat around.

I'm going to spend a bit of time checking out the installation process for the deck beams. Those of you who have read the blog from the beginning will recall that my kayak is about six inches shorter than originally planned. I need to "guesstimate" what this will do for the beam and cockpit placement. Hopefully, I'll be able to put the beams in place this week.

More to come!!!

Saturday, September 29, 2007

The Hull is Glassed (almost)!


Ain't she purty? The hull has been fiberglassed with two (of what will be at least three) coats of epoxy. I'm hoping to get the third on tomorrow before I head up to West Virginia for a few days.






This has been the messiest part of the job so far. Overall, I'm pleased with my first effort but, as the pictures below show, mistakes were made. Hopefully, my little "clamp jobs" will help. I may have to see if I can find some kind of syringe to squirt epoxy into the gaps.






I doubt I'll get much more done this weekend than another epoxy coat, so won't be posting again until sometime next week. I'm out of town until Thursday, and Saturday Janet and I will be attending her family reunion. Slowly but surely, I'm getting it done.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Glass and Beams

Making progress slowly but surely. Didn't do as much as I'd hoped this weekend as I had to build a new set of stairs on the deck.

I did manage to finish sanding the boat, filled in some gaps and low spots, and drape the cloth. I hope to start saturating it with epoxy this week. It will take at least two coats (and more likely three or four) to fully fill in the weave. I need to buy a few 3" foam rollers to aid in doing this quickly and cleanly. The first coat needs to be squeegee'd on; I already have everything I need for that.

I was also able to laminate the two deck beams required for the kayak. These were formed from 1/4"X1-1/2" lattice clamped around a form. The 18" radius beam is shown in the picture on the left; I took it off the form too soon and it sprung apart. The second time, I left it on the form for a full 24 hours.


The final picture today shows the 24" radius beam still on the form. It should be ready to take off tomorrow morning, but will probably wait until later in the day when I get home.



Tomorrow, it's epoxy time!!!

Sunday, September 16, 2007

The Seams are Glassed

The only thing I got accomplished this week was the glassing of the seams. Each of the three seams required three lengths of 3" fiberglass tape with epoxy saturating them in between each layer.

I might have gotten more done, but had to take Buster to the animal hospital to have him put down. He was diagnosed with lymphoma six weeks ago, and the cancer attacked him agressively over the last few days. He was a good dog, a good companion and will be missed.

Sunday, September 9, 2007

Ready for Glass


At long last, the hull is stitched together. I've suspended it and it's ready for fiberglass and epoxy in the seams.

Saturday, September 8, 2007

The Bottom Gets Stitched



Today I started fastening the bottom to the sides to make a complete hull. I had to move the kayak off the table and onto sawhorses since I have to get underneath/inside to feed the wires through the holes (and tiny holes they are!).


The first picture gives an idea of what it will look like once it's stitched. The second shows some of the detail that I'm having to work with: 3" pieces of copper wire, fed through 1/16" holes. With each wire 4" from the next one, my 18' (almost) kayak requires a total of 270 little pieces of wire. Times like this I'm glad Mom taught me to knit to teach me patience.

Monday, September 3, 2007

Where We Are


OK, so I'm actually jumping in with a fair amount of work already done. I've cut the plywood, scarfed the pieces of the hull together, shaped the sides and the bottom, and stitched the sides together and the two halves of the bottom together. At this point, I can actually see a boat!!

It's been an experience. So far I've learned that 1/4 inch plywood scarfed together to make 18 foot long pieces is fragile; as a result, my boat will be 17'9" instead of 18'1".

I've learned that it pays to measure at least twice, preferably three or more times. This boat will take an extra 1/2 sheet of plywood as a result.

I've learned that you can find good tools on Craig's List.

Finally, I've learned that you can't have too much space. I'm building in my garage which is 14X30 in the area I'm working; however, shelves, tools, and the boat do a fine job of filling the space.

The next step is to stitch the bottom of the hull to the sides. This will take place some evenings during the week and (hopefully) next weekend. Then it's time to break out the fiberglass.

The Beginning

(This was taken from a website I had started before this one)

"The Journey to Storm Dancer"

About the Builder

My name is Stuart Nottingham. During the week, I'm a not-so-mild-mannered accounting systems consultant. Weekends (and often in the evenings), I'm an active participant in the governance of my local homeowners association.



In my younger years, I was an avid outdoor type. I enjoyed hiking, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, and hunting. Even dabbled in rock-climbing a bit. As I've aged (and gotten much more sedentary than I should have), I've left the outdoors behind me. Now I want to get back.

As part of that journey, I've decided to build my own touring kayak. This site will chronicle the process.







About the Boat





To start, I read two books on alternate methods of building a kayak. The first, The Strip-Built Sea Kayak by Nick Schade, covered building the kayak using a frame and cedar strips. The second, The Kayak Shop by Chris Kulczycki, presented the stitch-and-glue plywood method.

After reading both of these books, I decided that the first boat I build will be the stitch-and-glue model. I purchased plans for an 18' Cape Charles from Chesapeake Light Craft in Annapolis, MD. This design was created by Chris Kulczycki and illustrated in his book.

The major component for the kayak (plywood) was purchased in October, 2006, during a trip to New Bern for the annual Ghost Walk. Staying with Janet's cousin and his wife, I went to Beaufort and purchased marine grade plywood at Atlantic Veneers. One task down.

While I had an old table saw, it was missing the mitre gauge and rip fence. I found them for $180, but found a whole table saw for sale on Craig's List. Deciding I really didn't need two table saws, I sold my old one and found a radial arm saw (again on Craig's List).

For Christmas 2006, my family lent their support by giving me hand tools and books that will help. Stuart III has already put in an order for one of the sailboats.