Kayak Build pt. 1

I guess it has officially begun........

We got CNC cut molds - saves a lot of time and probably more accurate than we could do. But they were made from particle board - easily damaged, especially if bending stems around them. Using some ½" plywood we copied them, cut them out and shaped them with a sander. Rather than risk damaging something that we’ll need for two builds right out of the gate, it was worth the effort to make a copy to bend the stems over. The size and the outer curve was the only part we needed to be persnickety about. The holes are for the clamps, and those could be as rough as they are. This is the bow mold. 

Stern mold copy.

Bow mold copy.

Stern mold copy.

Planed very thin cedar. Bear Mountain was kind enough to give us a pair of stems for free, but we needed more than one set.

We didn’t use steam to bend them either. The piece with the knot hole was left till the last. If we needed it we could use it and fix the hole with epoxy and cedar saw dust paste. But since it was the stem that would go inside, it didn’t matter much. We achieved the thickness we needed without it, so it was put aside.

Work table at just the right height.

Dampen one side of the cedar slats, Gorilla Glue on the other side of the next slat, form a laminate and then bend and clamp. Worked very well.

 Stern mold all clamped up.

You can never have too many clamps.

Clampification.

Kayak attic as we’ve taken to calling it. With the most important piece of equipment of all - a rotating fan. Makes it somewhat bearable in this heat.

Go here for part 2 of the build.