The Shearwater

When I first started building kayaks, my daughter was less than a year old. I thought to myself that it would be nice to build her a kayak, when she got old enough. Time went by, she got older, and I started to think it was time. I put her in kayak that I felt comfortable with her being alone in. It was wide stable and light. She seemed to like it, but she kept hitting her knuckles on the deck. So, I got her into a narrower boat that I knew she would not have any trouble moving through the water. At first she was not happy about being in such a skinny kayak. Thirty minutes later, the fear subsided and she was completely comfortable in it. She loves kayaking now, which makes her Dad very happy.

A Pose with the parts

I first thought that I would build it for her. Instead I decided to build it with her. At nine years old, she would have a story to tell for a lifetime. The plan was set, we started construction in November 2010.

The boat is a Shearwater 14 Designed by Eric Schade of Shearwater boats. I decided to pull some strings at work and had the entire boat cut from 3mm material instead of 4mm. This would save a substantial amount of weight. The Sapele deck was hand selected from our supply of plywood. The plan was to deviate from the normal build by using a thinner core and making up for the loss in strength by using Carbon Fiber on the interior. Fillets were kept to a minimum and epoxy was very carefully applied. Every step was an effort to minimize excess material and weight.

 After 6 months of construction, my daughter is now a self professed expert boat builder. She knows how to wire the boat, form fillets and fiberglass. I am proud of her efforts, she will have an heirloom to paddle and brag about, for many years to come. It is the most "tricked out" kayak a 9 year old could ever want. A wood and carbon fiber wonder, that weighs, just over 20 lbs.

Gluing Panels to their full length

She was thinking hard about the next step

Her small hands made quick work of stitching the panels

First weekend of work, it looks like a kayak!

  

This kayak would be a bit different that the designer envisioned. I eliminated the fiberglass tape on the seams and Carbon Fiber was installed to stiffen the very lightly built hull. Carbon requires more attention to lay out because the individual threads are a visual component and must be straight.

It also requires more care when wetting the cloth. A heavy application of epoxy ensures complete saturation.  Working very methodically is also very important for compete coverage. If there are epoxy starved sections of cloth, it appears as a bluish section that can be spotted under fluorescent light. The idea is to fully saturate the cloth with sufficient resin, so it penetrates the wood below. This ties the two together as one composite structure. The trick is to eliminate the excess resin to keep the weight down and more importantly, not float the cloth off of the core. This is achieved by scraping the excess off, much like using a squeegee on a window, after allowing sufficient time for complete saturation. Every square inch is scraped with a plastic epoxy spreader. It is a lengthy but necessary step.

Hatches are necessary to complete this style of build. This was another opportunity to put my expert to work. She did all the taping and marking for the placement of the hatches. Dad did all of the cutting, which was, of course, closely supervised.

It was important to include her on everything I could. Keeping a nine year old engaged, on a six month project is not easy. Fiberglassing was another opportunity that she did very well with. She picked up on this very quickly and managed to stay completely "goo" free. Working with materials, like epoxy worried me, because of the health hazzards. She did a great job of keeping it off her skin, hair and clothes. Which is more than I can say for myself.

In order to have a complete, one piece application of Carbon Fiber, the bulkheads were added much later in the process. I used ink toner to tint the fillets black. The result is a very clean, color coordinated appearance.

Speeding ahead, the deck was installed and it was time to form the coaming. I laminated the spacers to the shape of the deck, without gluing them down. This allowed me to sand the outside of the rings before the lip was attached. The step to the right, is something I came up with when building the Chesapeake Double. I used a scrap of wood, wrapped in tape to prevent it from being a permanent part of the lamination. I predrilled holes in it, and the spacers to prevent them from spreading apart during the clamping process.

The result is a perfectly formed joint. The four pieces of the coaming spacer set are now one and can be sanded smooth. I try to make things "pretty and smooth" when the access to the part is easy. It may not be something easily noticed, but I believe that feel is as important as appearance. Any part you can touch should be smooth and comfortable to the hand.

It is now apparent why I separate this into multiple steps. This finish would be nearly impossible to achieve, with all of the parts assembled. By paying attention to all of the little details, the end result will take care of itself.

A final coat of epoxy is applied prior to coaming installation

Keeping with the Carbon Fiber theme, I also wrapped the coaming in it. This is purely and aesthetic application, fiberglass cloth would have been sufficient and a lot easier. Again, the orientation of the cloth is important because it will be clear coated and VERY visible.

Since the kayak is hers, it was named "Notos", after a winged horse that was a character on one of her favorite websites. Interestingly enough, Notos is also the God of the west wind in Greek Mythology. On the Chesapeake Bay, a west wind is often accompanied by  good weather.

 Reinforcing the hull to deck seam was done with Kevlar tape. While overkill for the intended use of this kayak, it will be very, very strong. Since Kevlar resists being cut by traditional tools, (the scissors pictured are useless when cutting this stuff)  all of the separate sections were pre-measured and labeled for installation.It was important to get the orientation correct, since it is impossible to cut the tape once installed.

 Soft pad eyes for the deck rigging. Constructed in here favorite color, Blue. These are pushed through slots in the deck, for a low profile solution to attach the deck rigging. Of all of the different methods, these are still my favorite. Try climbing on the deck of a kayak after getting tossed, and you will see why. Life vest and clothing will not get caught on theses. Best part of all, they are easy to build.

A shot of the coaming prior to final sanding. This is why orienting the cloth is so important.. 

 Varnished, rigged and ready for launch! One day before leaving for vacation, of course. I don't know why, but all of my builds seem to end this way....Strapped to the top of my truck, gingerly. Because, the varnish is still curing. Below was an interesting shot. I was leaving and realized, mounted on my truck were the first and latest kayaks that I had constructed. The one that started it all and the one I had dreamed of building.

A pose before launch....

Messing with the ducks in Annapoilis Harbor