As time drew ever closer to the WoodenBoat show, the anxiety over making it to the show is getting harder to contain. I took a no compromise approach to this build, I fully intend to keep the promise I made in the beginning. The nights got longer, the mornings came earlier each day. Juggling my responsibilities at work and to my family were first, the build second. The goal was the same and there were points where I was ready to stop the madness and just breathe. Other times I was ready to dig in and work harder. My hands and mind were overtired, but the drive to succeed was always there.
Pictures of the progress became more scarce toward the end. I was focused on the end and there was not much time to document the progress. It honestly gets somewhat boring anyway, so maybe less is more.
More Carbon Fun
There is a lot of carbon in this boat. Quite frankly, I just love working with it and it's just plain cool. The shell is thin, so the rigidity gained is a plus. The skeg box was covered in a layer of 5.7 oz twill weave Carbon cloth. Overkill yes....How silly would it look to have a plywood case surrounded by a sea of carbon fiber? Continuity in the image was more important, so it got the treatment too.
The Skeg box with it's shiny new coat
I hate sanding the interior of a kayak. There are a million things I would rather do than smooth out the convex surface that no sander will conform too. So, I sucked it up and got to work. Carbon will highlight any bump in the surface. A rough surface will pull the threads of the cloth and guess what...the wood will show through. Once I was satisfied, I rolled out the cloth. I was shocked at the poor quality of the cloth. It was not what I was ready to see. The next few hours was spent pulling threads and straightening the weave so I could use the cloth.
An then there was one...
Looks pretty good right? Wrong!
With all of the interior work completed, it was time to bring the two halves together. Since they have been sitting separate for the last 18 months, I knew I was in for a fight. I was wrong, it was more like war. Coaxing the two together was the toughest part of the entire build. With a carbon interior, the hull and deck were locked into shape. There was not much flex and I had to resort to some pretty drastic measures to get them to cooperate. The top picture is misleading and the trial fit looks pretty good.
The temporary form.The stick was used to force it into position
The truth was, the stern seemed like it was from two different boats. The hull was a half inch narrower than the deck. I was feeling pretty dejected and was ready to throw in the towel. After taking a step back and formulated a plan to address the mismatch. I made the #15 form out of plywood and put a pull string in the center. It was jammed into the end, the hull spread out and I was on my way. The seam was sealed up to the form which locked it into place. I pulled the string and was back in business.
The finishing touches
Even the front bulkhead matches the deck pattern
With all the drama over, I was ready for things to start moving at a smoother pace. The final epoxy coats were done, sanding and all of the finishing touches were taken care of. Fillets were tinted black and the bulkheads sealed. My neurosis was getting out of control as the time line was getting more and more compressed. With little time to spare, I was given permission to use a spare bay in our building for final varnish. The coats went on with little trouble. The project came to a quiet end and the goal had been realized.
Not bad for a low tech application technique.
The outfitted cockpit
The grain of the Maple appears 3D
The matching feature lines put a few grey hairs on my head!
A view of the Carbon Skeg Blade
Even the stems got the bookmatched treatment
Final thoughts
With all of the anxiety leading up to the show, I really didn't get the chance to step back and appreciate all that had transpired. It didn't really sink in until the judges came to evaluate the build. I instinctively took the humble approach and described the features. It felt strange, condensing two and half years of work into a five minute interaction. I had the sudden realization of all that I could have done better. Would it be good enough? Had I rushed anything crucial? Suddenly I could see every flaw like it was a neon sign.
Saturday brought good news. My presence was requested at the awards ceremony. Would it be a goal realized or runner up to a more experienced builder? When they announced the runner up, I had a rush of emotion that overcame me. I had done it! Walking up to the podium was surreal. This was the goal that was set three years ago. "Mission accomplished" was all I could think of to update my Facebook status. I am not usually at a loss for something to say, but this time I was speechless.
Launch Day!
Pulled a few rolls to check the hatch seal. They work extremely well.
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