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Hello all. Just discovered this website while searching for ideas on things to make. I'm a fairly novice woodworker, but have found I kind of have a knack for it. Thought I'd share a project I finished recently.. it's still not 100%, but only needs some varnish for UV protection. I have had it in the water a few times and who knows when I'll get around to varnishing :/

This is a 17' Cedar strip kayak, weighs in just short of 37 pounds.
It's made of Northern White and Westen Red Cedar with the stem pieces and combing lip made of oak.
The strips were ripped from 1×6 planks. I hand beveled the edges of each strip to get the fit tight, a heat gun was used to bend any stuborn strips into place.
The whole unit is coated with 6oz fiberglass and epoxy resin inside and out. It's incredibly strong.
All the fittings are recessed type fittings and internal hatch hold downs as well to keep the deck clean
I made the seat and back rest out of 3" minicell foam carved with a sure-form tool.

I've had the boat in the water a handful of times to date and it performs excellent!
I'm no kayaking expert, but in my opinion it's super fast and effortless to paddle. Quite stable and tracks nearly perfectly. There are mistakes here and there, but I'm probably the only one who notices them. My wife looked at me like I was a nuts when I started this project, now she's wondering when hers will be done!

I have a more complete photo build log here if anyone is interested:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1493951707496.2074319.1195143287&type=1&l=de4b96afaf
It's a Facebook photo album, but you don't have to be a Facebook user to check it out via that link.

Gallery

Comments

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Very nice project.
 

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WOW!! That sure is a beauty, very streamline,and graceful looking. I too am like your wife???
 

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Wow is right great job and a real beauty! Great work.
 

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Outstanding!, Super nice project and one you will obviously enjoy for years to come, Yes, I would agree you seem to have a nack for woodworking and this is a great place to expand your horizons, learn and be inspired. Welcome to LJs.
 

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I agree with the others….WOW!...beautiful job, looks superbly built…well done.
 

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Very cool, welcome th LJ.
 

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you sure started in the deep end of the pond

beautiful build

welcome to LJ's
 

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Welcome to Lumberjocks, very great build on a project that will give you a lot of pleasure for a long time.
Thank you for sharing.
 

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547 Posts
That's incredible. Really nice job. Thanks for all the photos of the build.
 

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I'm impressed. Projects like this continue to "raise the bar".

I'd better kick it into gear, or I'll loose sight of your "tail lights".

Thanks for posting.

later,
 

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So impressive and beautiful,outstanding build.
 

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First one I've seen with beveled strips, rather than cove and bead joints. Very nice.
 

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Very nice job Andrew.
From my experience once a boat is launched the drive to finish the details almost always drops off abruptly.
I think it's because when they become living things what they do becomes much more important than how they look.
There will always be another day to get the varnish on. ......... Take her out today.

Oh yes, and do get the one for your wife done. ......... Maybe next winter. :)
 

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Thanks all :)
This started as more of an experiment after seeing a picture of a wooden kayak online.
It quickly turned into a flat out obsession… I will build another.

Plinked away at this over 2 summers (no heated garage and Michigan winters can get mighty cold!) saving pennies to buy materials and required tools. I think I could do another one in MUCH less time now that I have the tools and kind of know what I'm doing. Only real power tools involved were a small table saw, a jigsaw, and a heat gun. Everything else was hand planed, hand sanded, etc.

You are correct shipwright, I'm not all that anxious about the varnish now that it's been in the water. It will get done someday. Am more thinking about starting another boat!

sgmdwk. I thought about beading and coving but didn't have a router, table, or the right bits… and have never routered anything… The more I read up on beading and coving I came to the conclusion that by the time I saved the money for the tools and got the rig set up and dialed in (it's apparently a tedious task) that I could have the thing stripped already by beveling. Took a while to get the hang of it (had never used a plane before) but once figured out it went pretty quickly… only sliced up my finger twice!

I made a hollow shafted canoe paddle out of some scraps which now hanging on my dads wall…
Will have to snap some pictures of it next time I'm over there.
 

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very cool. I think I would want to hang it on my living room wall as art.

some day…. I hope to build one as nice as yours.

Glad you found LJ. You'll fit in just fine.
 

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First of all, welcome to Lumberjocks Andrew. Secondly, I would definitely say you have a knack for woodworking. In fact, by the looks of the kayak that is an understatement.
 

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That is so beautiful.
 
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