My Kayak-Build Thread
 

I thought y'all might enjoy this. I'm building a skin-on-frame F1 kayak from Cape Falcon Kayak.

First, I had to build a 14-foot-long work bench for the 14-foot-long boat:

(The 912 project is on hold, as is the paint job for the 1950 hood I finally found for the bug - that's it resting on top of the 912.)

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1637394702.jpg

These are the mortises in the bottoms of the gunwales for the ribs. The gunwales were ripped from a 1X12X14' board of clear, straight-grained red cedar. (I wish I could figure out how to rotate the pics.)
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1637394937.jpg

The deck laid out with capture forms on the bow and stern, and spreaders in the middle.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1637395017.jpg

There are three curved, laminated deck beams on the bow end. This is one of them glued and clamped in a jig.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1637395222.jpg

The bow and stern have been secured with pegs and sinew. The capture forms are no longer needed.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1637395383.jpg

The first deck beam in place with a mortise and tenon joint. (there are three straight deck beams behind the coaming.)
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1637395477.jpg

More to come this weekend!

Excellent! Unfortunately, i would probably run out of motivation before I finished the bench.
Looking forward to the next installment.

Best
Les

ck...what is the variety of tools needed for such a build? I can't imagine doing mortise and tenon with saw, hammer and chisel.

Sinew? Really?

Por que?

And, why the choice of cedar for those gunwales?

Interesting!

https://www.capefalconkayaks.com/

May not be your model but sure is purdy:



http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1637416740.jpg

Damn! And here I’m celebrating turning a 30” wide saw horse into a 40” wide sawhorse.

Gonna be nice! I have zero lumber skills.

Fantastic! My brother has one and paddles everywhere in it. Great project. Keep the updates coming!

Following - I have been thinking about building one of these for years. Deck beams seem a little heavy compared to what I have seen in other plans. Looks like it will be a beautiful boat.

Power Tools: table saw, band saw, table-top thickness planer, hand planer, drill, drill press, plunge router, sliding compound miter saw.

Hand Tools: chisels, saws, lots of clamps, hand planes.

The tenon are done with hand saw and chisel, but the mortises are done with a plunge router. The tenons for the straight deck beams go through the gunwales at a 25-degree angle, so I used a jig attached to the router for those mortises.

Sinew (artificial) is used because it works. Also, part of the goal is to build a kayak using the same methods as the inventors, the Inuit. You'll be seeing a lot more sinew.

Red cedar is used because it's rot-resistant, it flexes nice and straight (if the grain is straight), it's light, and it's strong enough.

Thanks. When I first saw that, the only thought that ran through my head was, doesn’t sinew loosen and stretch when it gets wet?

My first thought about the cedar was that you were probably using western red cedar, which can be higher in oil content and sometimes difficult to glue.

There is no glue. The deck beams are attached with mortise and tenon, with two pegs. If done right, no glue is needed.

The rear deck beams are made with ash, which is heavy and strong. This is so they will support your weight when you enter the boat from the rear end in deep water. The front, curved, deck beams are made from laminated red cedar, which is very light.

Didn’t your curved beam lamination use glue?

What wood choices did the Inuit have? I’m not terribly familiar with their environment. Did they have any tools that weren’t derived from bone?

What do you plan to skin it with?

Excellent, you sir have skillz, I'll enjoy following progress!

What is the estimated finished weight ?

I knew a guy that built one of those. They are absolutely gorgeous when complete.

Can't wait to watch progress..

Not much, you?

Looks like a fun project!

I was thinking of the joint to the gunwales, but you're right, the laminated beams are glued with Gorilla Glue. It seems to work very well.

The Inuits used different materials and tools, but the design and methods are very similar.

It will be skinned with a stained and treated fabric.

29 pounds.

Subscribed

Got all the deck beams installed today.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1637481696.jpg

My mortise and tenons got pretty good.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1637481739.jpg

Why are the pics rotated? :mad:

This is a test:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1637482342.jpg

It worked! I rotated it!

Wow not bad at all . Looking forward to progress pics .

The deck is done and the ribs are next. I need to heat up 20 ribs in my steam box, bend them, and stick them in their mortises. I then need to install the keel and stringers immediately after the ribs while the ribs are still pliable. The keel and stringers will help the hull get the correct shape. Without them, the ribs will get out of shape overnight. This takes a few hours so I'll have to wait until this weekend when I have a full day in the garage.

These are the ribs where they will eventually go, each cut to the correct length.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1637652430.jpg

Loving this, Sub'd.

I'd like to see how you built the steam box if you get the chance - I'm always interested in how people heat the water and direct the steam to the box

You can see it in the background at the end of the work bench. That's a wallpaper steamer on top of the box. I'll heat water in the steamer and run a hose into a hole at the back of the box. I'll take better pics soon.

Since you're interested, the pic below is of a side bending machine for guitar building. I have one just like it. You soak the boards then sandwich one between two metal sheets. You then crank down the middle and pull the two end guides around until the sides are fixed into the jig for the desired shape. You then turn on the four 150-watt light bulbs inside the machine to heat it up. After a while you turn off the bulbs (actually, they are on a timer), let it cool down, and take out the board. Et voila, you have a bent side for the guitar.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1637681921.jpg

That guitar body bender is cool. I had no idea, but after thinking about it, of course!

I watch a YouTube series where this guy up in Montana builds horse drawn wagons. At the risk of a slight hijack, here's some wagon wheel parts being bent. Lots of energy in that machine....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHAbShWQ7JI

Very interesting link, thanks.

Charlie, I wish I was close enough to lend a hand with the ribs, keel and battens. I know you have everything planned and it will go well. Keep your gloves on!

Best
Les

This is very cool.

No help needed. I'm building it with my 25-year-old daughter! It was her idea and it will be her kayak. I'll build one for myself too. But it sure is nice spending this time with my little girl.

I did a trial run on bending ribs. I need 20 for the boat and I have 25 total, which makes for 5 spare ribs. (Not as tasty as the other kind.)

As promised, here's the steam box setup:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1637727865.jpg

For the first trial I used a rib that that didn't seem to have optimal grain. I was right. It broke right away:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1637727939.jpg

Then I took out a rib with nice, straight grain. Success! I think 7 minutes in the steam box will do. I have 15 seconds to make each bend. I now have only 3 spare ribs. I hope no more break.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1637728014.jpg

Big day today. Bent and installed all the ribs, finished the bow and stern stems, clamped the keel and stringers in place.

All the ribs in place. (Note the steam still coming out of the steam box.):
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1638169671.jpg

The keel clamped into place:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1638169706.jpg

The stringers clamped into place:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1638169730.jpg

Detail of the lashing at the bow stem:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1638169773.jpg

I'll fix the keel and ribs into place with lashing next.