Monday, August 30, 2010

Time to build another kayak

Well the Wood Duck is finished and we use it allot. It was my first kayak build and I learned allot about both building and kayaking.

I made some big blunders during the building process but that's all what learning is about.

It's time to use what I have learned to advance to the next level. A full cedar strip sea kayak.

I have started to build a Guillemot !

I started a new blog to document the build.

www.louskayakworks2.blogspot.com

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Greenland paddle


You have probably noticed my skinny looking paddle. I get a lot of comments about it at the lake. It's a greenland paddle. Just like the ones that the Inuits have used for hundreds of years.
Don't let those skinny blades fool you. I see a lot of big name people in the kayak world using Greenland paddles. I was stunned to see how much power you can generate with this paddle. And when you paddle against a strong wind, The blade up in the air does not catch the wind and slow you down like a wide paddle does.
People laugh when I tell them that I carved out this paddle from a 2x4 stud I bought at Home Depot for $2.05. It is too heavy if you plan to paddle for more than an hour or so. I need to carve a lighter one from Cedar.
Lou

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Clear coat paint job


I posted not long ago about my ugly clear coat paint job. The supermarine clear paint did not flatten out and left the deck covered with brush and roller marks. Well as it turns out, it does not look that bad in the sunlight.
Bring it indoors and it looks like crap.

I said in that post that I will sand it down and varnish the deck the old fashioned way. Well I found out that you can not varnish over this product. It has what they call long oils in the clear coat. Varnish will not stick to it.

I also found out why the clear coat did not flatten out like it was supposed to do. You must use a flattening thinner with this paint with a ratio of 10 to 15 %. Nowhere on the can does it give that information.

Now all I need is about one ounce of this thinner to redo the clear coat on the deck. I will have to buy a full quart plus pay over $20 for shipping and handling. I think I will wait until after the kayak season to sand the deck smooth and repaint again.

I have tried to show the clear coat in these photos.
Lou