Flipping the Kayak, Again.

The strips were cut, and just like before I shaved off 1/4″ pieces, then turned the piece and cut off 2 pieces 3/4″ each. All together I calculated needing about a dozen strips so I cut 20 just to be sure. For a longer discussion on how the boards were cut, see the early August posting.

In order to cut the strips I had to lift the kayak out of the way and get the saw out of the corner. After cutting the strips and cleaning up I decided to put the kayak back but flip it around 180 degrees so the part I’m working on is closest to the door and the natural light. The shop lights work great but daylight and fresh air is even better, so when I can take advantage of it I do. I lowered the kayak and put it in the driveway while I rearranged the saw horse supports. Of course I had to get a few pics. In the last one, you can clearly see one of my layout mistakes, which at this point I’m just going to have to live with. Post a comment if you think you know what it is.

With the new strips I picked one and cut it down to fit the remaining gap on the front and used the other part for the rest of the space. Once again it was a pretty interesting shaping the strip and it was a hair too small so I glued on a small scrap and shaped the resulting combo strip for a tight press fit.

Starting on the back half, I looked over my plans and it called for a larger center strip (4 strips instead of 2 up front) and a different shaped panel. The first two strips were beveled to meet up tightly and put in place. They were glued to each other but only hot glued to the hull and forms as the deck still needs to be removed.

The next two strips were added, all trimmed to just inside the cockpit space and then I moved on to figuring out the detail panel. Unlike the front, this is simply rimmed in 1/4″ walnut and doesn’t have multiple strip layers. I put the first strip along the center boards and then used clamps to form the curve. I got it into what I felt was a flowing curve and was pleased with it when SNAP! and the board broke on the curve. Grumbling, I had plenty of extra so I slid it down, reformed the curve and everything was holding good. I put in the lower strip, aligned edges, cut them and had everything clamped up. A layer of glue was added to the strip by the center as I put it back in place and clamped, SNAP! It broke again.

Undeterred, I grabbed a couple of 1/8″ strips instead and they easily made the bend without the same stresses as the 1/4″ was experiencing. It was a pretty simply glue up then. The walnut was glued to the basswood and to each other and then hot glued to the forms to keep it in place. Lots of clamps to keep everything aligned. After it was well setup I removed the clamps and left it to dry overnight.

3 thoughts on “Flipping the Kayak, Again.”

  1. Starboard side accent strip has a constant width until just before the first visible form, then a distinct angle where it starts to get wider, port is a smoother curve.

    But still very beautiful, keep up the good work!

    1. I’ll have to check that… the issue I noticed was the angle of the walnut strip(s) right near the bow. One is a gentle angle back, the other is a sharper angle.

      Thanks for the feedback! I’m really anxious to see how the colors pop when it finally gets wetted out with the epoxy.

    2. Justin… you’ve got some great work on your site (bespokekayak.com) too! I really like your magnet ring and just may have to borrow that idea for mine.

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