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#1 ·
Kayak Build: Getting Started

This winter I started a new project for my Grand Children. I started building a Kayak for each of them. For my Grandson who loves to fish, I built a 12' kayak. For my Grand Daughter I built a two person 15' kayak. I started with plans from Spira International.com. The plans for the 12' kayak is free. The Huntington Harbor.



I purchased the plans for my Grand Daughters kayak. It is called the Wilamette River.



I want these to last a life time so I used the good quality materials. For the frames I used clear Douglas Fir. DF is more durable with respect to rot than the other softwoods and is much lighter than oak and mahogany. Kayaks need to be as light as possible. To get started I needed to build strongback jig for each kayak.

For the 12' kayak.


For the 15' Kayak.


The frames are built out of clear Douglas Fir.



Then the frames are placed on the strongback per the plans, The frames have to be notched to let the keelson, chine log and shear clamp fit in the frame. Notice on the frame the notch was pre-cut square to the frame. I have marked the actual angle the chine log will need to attach to the frame.



You can see the angle needed from the test fitting of the chine log.



I trimmed the angles to get the chine log and shear clamps to fit into the frame to maintain the lines of the boat.



The keelson, and chine log are installed. All of the Douglas Fir boards are from 8' stock. The keelson, chine log, and shear clamp are the full length of the kayak. These were scarfed together to make the 13' and 16' boards needed.



Next the shear clamp is installed.



The same process is followed for the other kayak with the number of frames being the only difference.




All of the frame joints are screwed with stainless steel #8Ă—1 1/2" deck screws and glued with PL Premium. The screw holes had to be pre-drilled and counter sunk to keep this straight grain Douglass Fir from splitting.

The frames are then faired. The frame edges have to be planed to match the angle that the chine log and shear clamp have as they pass a frame. Each joint is planed and sanded so that the plywood will fit flat to the frame.



 
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#3 ·
Love me some boatbuilding blogs! I've built Chesapeake Light Craft's Eastport Pram, a little sailing dinghy that is slightly shorter than a sheet of plywood.

Next is either a Passagemaker, the 12' version of the Eastport Pram, a NanoShip from the same company or Dudley Dix's Oppikat, which is basically a cedar strip version of a Hobie Wave.
 
#5 ·
Installing The plywood and Fiberglass

Next step is to install plywood to the faired frame. I am using 6 mm Okoume Marine Plywood for the sides and bottom and 3mm for the decks.

The side panels are fitted and screwed to the frame .



The bottoms are fitted and screwed.



The panels are marked to show where the panels touch the frame and removed from the frame.



The frames, and the panels where they make contact to the frames, are coated with epoxy, then reinstalled to the frame using #7Ă—3/4" stainless steel screws to hold the panels in place while the epoxy cures.



After the epoxy has cured the panels are trimmed and faired.



The screw holes and the seams are filled with a thickened epoxy made from epoxy and wood flour.





The cured thickened epoxy is sanded smooth with the plywood and the edges are rounded over.









To reinforce the frame, the seams are laminated with 6" wide 6 oz. fiberglass tape and epoxy.





After the epoxy on the tape cured it was sanded to a feathered edge.



The boats where covered completely with a 6 oz. fiberglass cloth.



The epoxy is poured over the cloth and allowed the saturate the cloth, any excess is scrapped away with a Bondo scraper.



And laminated to the boats with epoxy.







After the epoxy cured the excess cloth was trimmed and two more coats of epoxy was added to fill the weave of the cloth.





The kayaks are now ready for sanding. The epoxy has filled the weave of the cloth but has a orange peal appearance. Laminating epoxy is not self leveling, so a lot of the two fill coats will end up being sanded away. I try to sand epoxy within two days of application. Epoxy takes a week or so to completely cure, each day it gets harder. If you wait a week it will be very hard and will wear out sand paper very fast.

Thanks for looking!!
 
#8 ·
Kayak Build: Painting the bottoms



After the epoxy fill coats have cured for a day or two the boats had to be sanded smooth.





I cleaned up the sanding dust by washing the boat with warm water then a lacquer thinner swipe.



After Taping off the boat at the water line I painted the bottoms of both boats with a two part epoxy bottom paint with Teflon added. This is a very hard paint that is very hard to scratch. It holds up great to being dragged up on beaches.







The tape was removed to show the bottom paint line.



The Kayaks are now taken off the strong back jig and placed on saw horses. Arced deck beams are made for the top of the frames and additional structure is added to support the deck



I missed a few pictures here of the 12' Kayak but it received the same steps to get ready for the deck.

6 mm Plywood bulkheads are added to seal off the front and rear chambers from the cockpit. I epoxy coated the chambers in front and back of the cockpit. Two coats were applied.

On the 15" two seater Kayak I have added extra structure behind the cockpit and added sided decks because I have decided to add a sail rig to this Kayak. The extra structure is to allow sailors to sit on the rear deck and sides.





3 mm Okoume marine plywood is cut for the decks of both boats, I made paper patterns of the decks using thick brown construction grade paper, then used thoses paterns to cut out the forward and aft decks for both Kayaks. The decks are epoxied down with thickened epoxy and held in place with #6Ă—1/2" Stainless steel flat head wood screws.







The decks edges are router smooth with the sides and the screw holes and seams of the deck are now filled with thickened epoxy.





Both Kayaks are sanded, to sand the thickened epoxy smooth, a layer of 4 oz. fiberglass is laminated to the decks.





On the 12' Kayak I let the decks over hang the cockpit. the plywood is only 3 mm thick to thicken this edge so it won't get broken, I added a 3/8" thick strip of Douglass Fir with epoxy and screws and clamped to maintain a smooth arch.





Epoxy Fill coats are added to fill the weave of the 4 oz glass used to protect the decks.



Next we will get the boats ready to paint.

Thanks for looking!!
 
#12 ·
Making Outriggers and Crossarms

At this point I needed to get the outriggers made so that they would be ready for paint at the same time as the Kayaks. To get started I knew I needed a outrigger that would support the weight of my grandson. He is 6'3 and 250lbs.

I looked at a lot of options for outriggers, Stitch and glue, made out of foam, inflatable, a frame covered with cloth and epoxied. He is quite tough on things so I decided wood with Fiberglass would hold up best. I found a plan on the internet for a small single sheet stitch and glue canoe. I took the plan and sized it down to 1/4 sheet. And lofted it onto a 1/4 sheet of 3mm lauan plywood. With the outrigger this size it will displace 90lbs of water. I plan to install them 36" from the center line of the kayak. This will make the buoyancy of the outriggers at 270lbs, per side.



The shape was cut out using a utility knife.



Two of these cut outs were then stitched together. The stitching is plastic wiring ties, pushed trough 1/8" holes drilled 1/2" from the edge and 4" apart.



The stitched plywood panel are then opened up in the middle and the tabs folded in and stitched with plastic wire ties.





I put blue tape on the outside joints any where that there was an opening.



I mixed up some epoxy and wood flour to make a batch of thickened epoxy, and spread a thick layer over the stitched seams on the inside of the outriggers. and epoxied on plwyood backer blocks on the flat seams at the end of the tabs.



After the epoxy cured I turned the outriggers over, cut off the plastic ties and sanded the outside joints smooth.



I mixed up more thickened epoxy and filled all of the holes and seams on the outside of the outriggers, also filled any low spots.



When the epoxy cured I sanded it smooth.



I coated the inside of each outrigger with two coats of epoxy to seal all the wood. I cut a frame for the top edge out of Douglas fir 2Ă—4 stock. These were cut to compound angles matching the shape of the outriggers and were 1/2" thick x 1 1/2" tall. I cut a 2Ă—4 down to 2Ă—2 and made a cross brace on both end of the outrigger. This is to support the 7/8" Stainless steel pipe I will use to mount the outrigger to the cross-arm.

A top was cut out for each outrigger from 3 mm Okoume plywood and a 4" access port hole was made.



The tops were installed with epoxy and screwed with #6Ă—1/2" stainless steel screws. Thickened epoxy was used to fill the screw holes and seam around the top.



The outriggers were then covered with 6 oz. fiberglass and laminated with epoxy.



After the epoxy cured the outriggers were sanded to remove the epoxy that was standing proud of the fabric. This step reduces the amount of epoxy needed to fill the weave.



Two epoxy fill coats were added to fill the weave of the fiberglass cloth.



The epoxy fill coats are sanded to make the outriggers ready for paint.



To make the outrigger cross arms I epoxied two layers of 3/8" marine grade Meranti plywood together with a layer of 6 oz fiberglass in the middle. I did this by cutting out 8 - 3 1/2" x 48" pieces of the Meranti plywood. Then epoxying them is a single stack by using a layer of plastic wrap, then plywood, then fiberglass, then plywood, then plastic and so on until all was stacked up and clamped in one assembly. The plastic will keep the plywood from sticking to each other. Sorry no picture of this step.

After the epoxy cured I sanded each cross arm, rounded over all the edges on the cross arms with a 3/8" round over bit in a router, and drilled a 35 mm hole in each end of each cross arm 36" apart. Next the 35 mm holes were filled with epoxy. After the epoxy cures a 7/8" hole will be drilled on each end through the epoxy at 36" on center to center/



The four cross arms were then coated with 5 coats of spar urethane.





After the holes were drilled the cross arms were cut to size. I used the scrap from the ends of the cross arms to make 3" wood washers with a 7/8" hole drilled in each one with a forstner bit. The washers were rounded over the same as the cross arms, sanded and finished with 5 coats of spar urethane. These washers will be used on top and bottom of the cross arms to supply a flat surface for the cross arms to move on and to help keep the cross arms from sagging.



Thanks for looking !!!
 
#13 ·
Making the Mast, Rudder and Leeboard

While some of the epoxy was curing I got stated making the mast, the mast partner, the Rudder, and the Leeboard. For the mast I decided to make a birdsmouth 8 segment mast. I needed a finished mast that was 1-1/2" in diameter. I started by cutting 8 Douglas Fir strips each cut to 5/8" x 3/4" x 8'. On each piece I routed a grove that was cut by a 45 degree x 45 degree router bit. To assemble the mast you place one of the right angle sides into the grove on another strip. As you continue to do this, the assembly starts to form a octagon.

Wood Gas Hardwood Wood stain Plank


Each grove was filled with a thickened epoxy mix of epoxy and silica. This makes a very smooth glue.

Wood Gas Hardwood Plywood Wood stain


To hold the assembly together during the assembly process, I drilled a 2" hold in several 6" x 6" plywood pieces. These were cut in half to make a glue up jig. The last piece is harder to fit in the assembly,

Wood Table Engineering Gas Machine


Once all of the pieces are placed in the assembly plastic strips and large wire ties are used to hold assembly together for the epoxy to cure.

Wood Gas Engineering Machine Table


After the epoxy cured the mast was an 8 sided assembly that needed to be turned round and sized to 1 1/2" diameter. I made a rudimentary lathe, using a 8' piece of PT 5/4" x 6" x 8' I had on hand. For one end I took the handle off of my hammer drill and drilled a hole that the handle would fit trough in the board. Then reassembled the drill on the end of the board. On the other end I attached a end piece of popular with a end cap with gussets. In the end cap a hole was drilled that would hold the Morse taper for my live center from my Grizzly lathe. To attach the drive end of the lathe, to the mast, a 2" hold saw with a 1/4" guide bit was fitted in the open center of the mast. Two screws were put into the mast end through the holes in the top of the hole saw. The other end was fit in the live center. And WAL LA a 8' to 9' lathe was created and the mast rotated fairly smooth. I started with a 40 grit sanding belt and got the mast round, then used 60, 80, and 120 grit belts to finish the job. Thickened epoxy was put into and of the seams of the turned mast assembly to seal out any water.

Wood Hardwood Lumber Plywood Engineering


Wood Flooring Hardwood Engineering Lumber


7 coats of Spar Urethane was put on the mast and allowed to cure.

Wood Building Engineering Gas Workbench


Next to make the Mast partner. This is a piece that fits across the top of the Kayak with a 1 1/2" hole in it to hold the mast in place. In my hast to get the Kayaks finished for the Grand-kids I missed some pictures. The only one I have of the mast partner is a finished boat picture. As you can see from the picture, the mast partner is removable. It is held in place by two stainless steel bolts and two blocks that fit under the in-wale and the sheer clamp. A tapered spacer is on each end to ensure a flush fit to the deck of the kayak. On the end of the mast partner is a flange with gussets to hold the leeboard. At the base of the mast there is a board that is epoxied to the chine, the hull and the keelson, this board has a 1" square hole in it to hold the end of the mast in place and keep it straight. This board is called the mast step.

Plant Building Window Shade Slope


The mast partner clamp blocks were made to fit tight against the under side of the sheer clamp, the in-wales and the side decks.

Table Wood Flooring Rectangle Floor


Next the rudder was made, The rudder consist of three pieces. The rudder, the ruder guide frame and the mounting frame.

The rudder is made from two pieces of 3/8" meranti marine plywood with one layer of 23 oz tri-axle fiberglass in the middle between the plywood. This assembly was put together with epoxy and allowed to cure overnight. It was cut to size and shaped, then thinned on the trailing edge and rounded on the leading edge. The rudder profile is similar to the profile of a airplane wing. The outside of the rudder is laminated with 6 oz fiberglass and epoxy

Wood Tool Gas Hardwood Machine


Wood Natural material Hardwood Wood stain Varnish


The rudder guide frame is used to hold the rudder and the tiller attaches to the top flange. The rudder mounting frame is permanently attached to the back of the kayak. A stainless steel bracket made from 14 gauge stainless steel sheet metal is attached to both the rudder mounting frame and the rudder guide frame and a 3/8" by 5" stainless steel carriage bolt is used a a pivot pin for the rudder.

Wood Flooring Tints and shades Lamp Shade


The leeboard is made from two pieces of 3/8" meranti marine plywood with one layer of 23 oz tri-axle fiberglass in the middle between the plywood. This assembly was put together with epoxy and allowed to cure overnight. A White Oak Stiffener is attached to the outside top center of the leeboard to keep it from flexing under load. It was cut to size and shaped, then thinned on the trailing edge and rounded on the leading edge. The leeboard profile is similar to the profile of a airplane wing. The outside of the leeboard is laminated with 6 oz fiberglass and epoxy.

Wood Wood stain Floor Flooring Hardwood


After the epoxy cured the leeboard is sanded and prepared for painting.

Wood Hand tool Wood stain Hardwood Lumber


The Mast partner, the rudder parts and the leeboard were all primed and painted.

Wood Table Wood stain Shelving Hardwood


Wood Table Engineering Gas Machine


Thanks for looking,
 

Attachments

#14 ·
Making the Mast, Rudder and Leeboard

While some of the epoxy was curing I got stated making the mast, the mast partner, the Rudder, and the Leeboard. For the mast I decided to make a birdsmouth 8 segment mast. I needed a finished mast that was 1-1/2" in diameter. I started by cutting 8 Douglas Fir strips each cut to 5/8" x 3/4" x 8'. On each piece I routed a grove that was cut by a 45 degree x 45 degree router bit. To assemble the mast you place one of the right angle sides into the grove on another strip. As you continue to do this, the assembly starts to form a octagon.

Wood Gas Hardwood Wood stain Plank


Each grove was filled with a thickened epoxy mix of epoxy and silica. This makes a very smooth glue.

Wood Gas Hardwood Plywood Wood stain


To hold the assembly together during the assembly process, I drilled a 2" hold in several 6" x 6" plywood pieces. These were cut in half to make a glue up jig. The last piece is harder to fit in the assembly,

Wood Table Engineering Gas Machine


Once all of the pieces are placed in the assembly plastic strips and large wire ties are used to hold assembly together for the epoxy to cure.

Wood Gas Engineering Machine Table


After the epoxy cured the mast was an 8 sided assembly that needed to be turned round and sized to 1 1/2" diameter. I made a rudimentary lathe, using a 8' piece of PT 5/4" x 6" x 8' I had on hand. For one end I took the handle off of my hammer drill and drilled a hole that the handle would fit trough in the board. Then reassembled the drill on the end of the board. On the other end I attached a end piece of popular with a end cap with gussets. In the end cap a hole was drilled that would hold the Morse taper for my live center from my Grizzly lathe. To attach the drive end of the lathe, to the mast, a 2" hold saw with a 1/4" guide bit was fitted in the open center of the mast. Two screws were put into the mast end through the holes in the top of the hole saw. The other end was fit in the live center. And WAL LA a 8' to 9' lathe was created and the mast rotated fairly smooth. I started with a 40 grit sanding belt and got the mast round, then used 60, 80, and 120 grit belts to finish the job. Thickened epoxy was put into and of the seams of the turned mast assembly to seal out any water.

Wood Hardwood Lumber Plywood Engineering


Wood Flooring Hardwood Engineering Lumber


7 coats of Spar Urethane was put on the mast and allowed to cure.

Wood Building Engineering Gas Workbench


Next to make the Mast partner. This is a piece that fits across the top of the Kayak with a 1 1/2" hole in it to hold the mast in place. In my hast to get the Kayaks finished for the Grand-kids I missed some pictures. The only one I have of the mast partner is a finished boat picture. As you can see from the picture, the mast partner is removable. It is held in place by two stainless steel bolts and two blocks that fit under the in-wale and the sheer clamp. A tapered spacer is on each end to ensure a flush fit to the deck of the kayak. On the end of the mast partner is a flange with gussets to hold the leeboard. At the base of the mast there is a board that is epoxied to the chine, the hull and the keelson, this board has a 1" square hole in it to hold the end of the mast in place and keep it straight. This board is called the mast step.

Plant Building Window Shade Slope


The mast partner clamp blocks were made to fit tight against the under side of the sheer clamp, the in-wales and the side decks.

Table Wood Flooring Rectangle Floor


Next the rudder was made, The rudder consist of three pieces. The rudder, the ruder guide frame and the mounting frame.

The rudder is made from two pieces of 3/8" meranti marine plywood with one layer of 23 oz tri-axle fiberglass in the middle between the plywood. This assembly was put together with epoxy and allowed to cure overnight. It was cut to size and shaped, then thinned on the trailing edge and rounded on the leading edge. The rudder profile is similar to the profile of a airplane wing. The outside of the rudder is laminated with 6 oz fiberglass and epoxy

Wood Tool Gas Hardwood Machine


Wood Natural material Hardwood Wood stain Varnish


The rudder guide frame is used to hold the rudder and the tiller attaches to the top flange. The rudder mounting frame is permanently attached to the back of the kayak. A stainless steel bracket made from 14 gauge stainless steel sheet metal is attached to both the rudder mounting frame and the rudder guide frame and a 3/8" by 5" stainless steel carriage bolt is used a a pivot pin for the rudder.

Wood Flooring Tints and shades Lamp Shade


The leeboard is made from two pieces of 3/8" meranti marine plywood with one layer of 23 oz tri-axle fiberglass in the middle between the plywood. This assembly was put together with epoxy and allowed to cure overnight. A White Oak Stiffener is attached to the outside top center of the leeboard to keep it from flexing under load. It was cut to size and shaped, then thinned on the trailing edge and rounded on the leading edge. The leeboard profile is similar to the profile of a airplane wing. The outside of the leeboard is laminated with 6 oz fiberglass and epoxy.

Wood Wood stain Floor Flooring Hardwood


After the epoxy cured the leeboard is sanded and prepared for painting.

Wood Hand tool Wood stain Hardwood Lumber


The Mast partner, the rudder parts and the leeboard were all primed and painted.

Wood Table Wood stain Shelving Hardwood


Wood Table Engineering Gas Machine


Thanks for looking,
I am enjoying this build
 

Attachments

#15 ·
Painting The Kayaks

It's time to finish the Kayaks, My grandson requested navy blue with a deep green cockpit, and a natural deck. My Granddaughter requested Teal with a navy blue cockpit.

The cockpits of both Kayaks have to be sealed so if the kayaks get left out in the rain that water can not get between the frame and the plywood. All of the plywood to frame joints were filleted with thickened epoxy. After the epoxy fillets cured the cockpits are coated with two coats of epoxy.

Wood Rectangle Flooring Floor Wood stain


Wood Rectangle Table Floor Flooring


The kayaks have to be primed.

Naval architecture Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies Boat Wood Watercraft


The cockpits and sides are painted with marine topside paint.

Boat Wood Naval architecture Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies Automotive exterior


Wood Gas Naval architecture Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies Leisure


The Outriggers are painted with marine topside paint.

Hood Motor vehicle Automotive tire Wood Bumper


Watercraft Boat Wood Naval architecture Shelf


The decks on my grandsons kayak are finished with 5 coats of spar urethane.

Blue Sports equipment Wood Wheel Rolling


My grandsons kayak is assembled and the rub rails are installed, I used PVC lattice moulding for the rub rail. The handle on the left side of the cockpit will retract and deploy the outrigger for the left side, another has to be installed for the right side.

Wheel Boat Tire Vehicle Motor vehicle


A seat back and bottom was made for the 12' kayak but due to the 15' kayak being a sail boat you don't know where the passengers will be sitting due to wind and wind direction. So they were only made for the small kayak.

Table Wood Desk Flooring Font


Thanks for looking. Next blog will show launch day!!
 

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#16 ·
Launch Day!!!

Here are the finished kayaks.

Boat Tire Vehicle Watercraft Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies


Plant Vehicle Boat Wheel Watercraft


Property Wheel Sky Tire Plant


Building Sports equipment Vehicle House Wheel


Sky Wheel Boat Window Tire


Plant Road surface Asphalt Building Wood


Plant Road surface Asphalt Tree Building


Table Outdoor table Wood Outdoor furniture Shade


Table Outdoor table Wood Automotive exterior Outdoor furniture


I found a old Kayak Trailer on Craigslist. It looked perfect for the kayaks.





I made each one of them a Kayak Buggy.



Here we are putting them together at the lake.





In the water pictures of each Kayak.



















I hope the grand-kids will keep these for the rest of there lives.

Thanks for looking.
 

Attachments

#17 ·
Launch Day!!!

Here are the finished kayaks.

Boat Tire Vehicle Watercraft Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies


Plant Vehicle Boat Wheel Watercraft


Property Wheel Sky Tire Plant


Building Sports equipment Vehicle House Wheel


Sky Wheel Boat Window Tire


Plant Road surface Asphalt Building Wood


Plant Road surface Asphalt Tree Building


Table Outdoor table Wood Outdoor furniture Shade


Table Outdoor table Wood Automotive exterior Outdoor furniture


I found a old Kayak Trailer on Craigslist. It looked perfect for the kayaks.

Wheel Tire Vehicle Plant Building


Wheel Car Tire Land vehicle Plant


I made each one of them a Kayak Buggy.

Wheel Tire Automotive tire Rolling Vehicle


Here we are putting them together at the lake.

Water Water resources Sky Lake Tree


Boat Watercraft Vehicle Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies Tree


In the water pictures of each Kayak.

Water Boat Paddle Watercraft Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies


Water Boat Watercraft Plant community Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies


Water Boat Plant Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies Watercraft


Water Boat Paddle Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies Vehicle


Bicycle handlebar Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies Watercraft Wood Grass


Water Boat Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies Watercraft Vehicle


Water Boat Tree Lake Watercraft


Water Boat Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies Tree Lake


Water Boat Vehicle Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies Watercraft


I hope the grand-kids will keep these for the rest of there lives.

Thanks for looking.
WOW Super through and through! Your construction is simply put SUPERB! There is a bass tournaments once a month on Chickamauga Lake of the Tennessee River out of Dallas Bay impondment for kyakers daylight till about 4:00pm spring through fall. Some monsters (12lbs etc) are caught.
 

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