undefined
Above is the latest photo of my ocean kayak. I took it for its maiden voyage on Westwood lake this week (November 2000). It was a short trip since it was very cold outside, so I don't really have a good idea how it performs yet. It is a 17 foot ocean kayak (CH17) while the previous two were flatwater kayaks. The hull is made of 1/4" mahogany plywood and the deck is made from 1/8" mahogany plywood. The hull has one layer of 6oz fiberglass and epoxy and the deck is coated with epoxy and varnish. I tried to get fancy and made flush hatch covers with internal bungee cords to hold them down and I am not entirely happy with the result since I suspect they don't seal properly. I still have a little work left to do on it, like customizing the cockpit and adding deck rigging which I will do over the winter. I may add some photos of the building process when I get time.
I made this flatwater kayak about 8 years ago from "plans" I found in Wooden Boat magazine. It is made from 1/8" mahogany plywood with one layer of fiberglass and epoxy on the outside. The paddle is just a thick dowel with slots cut for the plywood blades. This photo was taken on Newcastle Island (Nanaimo, BC) this summer(2000).
My first kayak
I built this kayak while I was still in high school and learned a lot about what not to do. Here I am trying it out. It handles very well in grass, very stable. Even without a sprayskirt I didn't get wet at all.
My first and second kayaks together
Here are my first two attempts at kayak building side by side. The shiny one is my second, improved version. It is shiny because I used epoxy and varnish to finish it while with the first one I made the mistake of using polyester resin. I still have the shiny one and still paddle it occasionally, but it is a little small inside for me.
My first cedar strip canoe.
I didn't actually build this canoe, I restored it, but it would have been easier to build one from scratch. It had been fiberglassed with polyester resin and left outside so the fiberglass turned yellow and brittle and was delaminating on most of the canoe. I went through a lot of sandpaper getting the old glass off, then refiberglassed it properly and installed new trim, seats, etc. I only have black and white photos of it for some reason. You can see one of my kayaks in the background.
My first cedar strip canoe from scratch
After my experience restoring a cedar strip, I was convinced I could build one from scratch. It only took me a couple of months and it was easier than restoring the old one.
