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

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

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

First time in the water

Today we put the wood duck in the pond for the first time. We have never kayaked before so we can not compare it to anything but we both liked it very much. Donna thought it might be too wide for her, she said that her feet were too far apart to feel comfortable. I am trying to figure out if I can get a big walleye in this thing without tipping over. The more we paddled the more comfortable we felt. It seems to move pretty fast and I was stunned at how well it penetrates the wind.

I give special thanks to my lovely wife Donna who put up with all the noise, sawdust, and paint fumes. Thanks to my buddy Ted for all his technical support. And thanks to my Dad who helped me with tools and cedar strips.

I want to build another kayak for Donna but I think she wants to chose a more narrow design than the wood duck. In the mean time I will start hocking things on e-bay to raise some money for another build.

Lou

Bad paint job

Well I am finished messing around with this Supermarine paint for the deck. It is very expensive, the shipping and handling charge was just criminal, and it does not work like it is supposed to. I have sanded the deck smooth and repainted seven times. each time I have tried something different and each time it looks like crap.

Tomorrow Donna and I will take our ugly kayak to the lake for the first time and use it, ugly or not.

On Monday I will sand the deck smooth and start the long presses of varnishing. The old fashion way that has proven to work for many decades.

Lou

painting the deck

Well I have colored outside the box this time. The traditional method of finishing the wood is with marine grade varnish. It is a long hard process of putting on multiple coats of varnish and sanding between coats. Then after a year or two of use, you have to do it all over again to keep it looking good.

So my buddy Ted said that I should try a new clear paint that is supposed to be the new way to finish a wood boat. It's called Supermarine revolution 1000.

The first coat went on great and when it dried it looked perfect. Smooth as glass and a wet gloss shine. I needed to put on a second coat to get the UV protection needed for the epoxy and glass cloth underneath. The second coat did not turn out very good at all. Ted thinks that it might be the high humidity on the day that I painted. Maybe I should have painted in the basement with the AC running.

I will wait a few days for the clear coat to cure and sand it smooth again. Maybe I can get a day with low humidity to re-coat the clear again.

Lou

painting the hull bottom

Well it's been a few weeks sense my last post. I have been sand, filling, and sanding again almost every day.

I just painted the hull bottom about an hour ago.

I could have left the hull a natural wood grain finish but I had some ugly spots that I wanted to hide. The beautiful cedar deck will be done in clear to show the natural wood.

Another reason I painted the hull white is for safty on the lake. White sticks out like a sore thumb on the water. So if a boat runs me over, he can't say that he did not see me.

Tomorow I will sand the white with a 320 grit sand paper and then apply a second coat.

I just noticed that this photo showes some other projects that are going on in my man cave.