Navigation

2009-06-01

Wood Strip Kayak - Post 10 - Extras

Index: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

Having the kayak together I carried it out into the yard to see how easy it is to climb in. After months of working on it I was itching to see if I would comfortably fit in it. As it turns out I had plenty of leg room.

I didn't think of it at first but as it turns out a guy sitting in a hand built wood kayak in his front yard grabs some attention. I slowed passing traffic and summoned over neighbors I've never even met!

With the project drawing toward an end I had a few remaining steps. Step 1: drill 2 holes in the side of the finished kayak! I had to create an opening for a rope to pass through so I can lift, carry, tie down the kayak. After I calmed my nerves I drilled two oversized holes. Next I pulled out the wood dowel that would fit within the hole. I chose oak since it took on a similar tone as the bubinga. I then drilled smaller holes into the dowels big enough to allow the rope to pass through. I applied resin to the inside of the dowel to create a watertight seal of the holes I just drilled. Looks good and seems to be a very strong point capable of withstanding the force of ratcheting it to my car. To finish off the rope I created a couple wooden toggles from the remaining length of dowel.



With a week before the final launch I decided to make a removable, adjustable, reclining back that attaches to the coaming... why not?!?




Wood Strip Kayak Coaming and Seat

With all the pieces in place I weighed the final product. 45 pounds even! Not too shabby. I'm sure if I were to skimp on some resin I could have shaved 4-5 pounds off. Either way I'm able to carry it without any help.

Index: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12





No comments:

Post a Comment