My Kayak-Build Thread

[ckissick]

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.)

[ckissick]

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.)


The deck laid out with capture forms on the bow and stern, and spreaders in the middle.


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

[ckissick]

The bow and stern have been secured with pegs and sinew. The capture forms are no longer needed.


The first deck beam in place with a mortise and tenon joint. (there are three straight deck beams behind the coaming.)

[ckissick]

More to come this weekend!

[oldE]

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

Best
Les

[flatbutt]

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.

[javadog]

Sinew? Really?

Por que?

And, why the choice of cedar for those gunwales?

[Seahawk]

Interesting!

https://www.capefalconkayaks.com/

May not be your model but sure is purdy:

[vash]

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.

[LWJ]

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

[fanaudical]

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.

[ckissick]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

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.

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.

[ckissick]

Originally Posted by javadog

Sinew? Really?

Por que?

And, why the choice of cedar for those gunwales?

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.

[javadog]

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.

[ckissick]

Originally Posted by javadog

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.

[ckissick]

Originally Posted by fanaudical

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.

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.

[javadog]

Originally Posted by ckissick

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

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?

[Captain Ahab Jr]

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

[rfuerst911sc]

What is the estimated finished weight ?

[herr_oberst]

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

Can't wait to watch progress..