The recommended approach to building a kayak is to start with the lower hull and complete that first. The advantage of this method is that you'll build your skill level, iron out any difficulties, and see how the process works. Having learnt from your mistakes—or rather, having built some experience—you can then move on to the deck of the kayak. That's the area you'll view all the time, so naturally, you want it to be perfect.
In my case, this was a very wise move. Not only did I reject the use of cove and bead strips, but I also perfected the sequence of adding strips so I could add more strips in a day.
Turning the Kayak
To turn a kayak with an internal strongback, one has to remember to knock the hot glue spots away from the forms and strips before you start to cover the deck. At some point, you will have created a complete shell and you need to remove the strongback and the forms. The first strip on the deck after turning the kayak to start the deck is not glued to the hull strip, and therefore when you have finished the deck, you can part the two pieces and remove the internal structure.
On the Micro Bootlegger Solo, the inner stem and stern are, during the build process, still in one piece, and the strips are glued to this piece as they terminate at each end. So to part the kayak, you knock the forms away from the strips on the hull and, using the thinnest blade saw, cut the inner stem and stern into two pieces—hull and deck.
Modifying the Design
Having loosened the forms, they have to be returned to their correct locations and made rigid to take the deck strips in the correct shape. I had decided early on in the build process that I didn't like Nick Schade's design with the very hard chines between the side deck and the curve of the aft and fore deck, so I had rounded the forms into a shape I thought looked more natural and smooth.
With the section around the cockpit especially—as I had also decided to markedly reduce the size of the solo cockpit—the modifications were compounded, and the natural flow of the foredeck meeting the cockpit side did require some ongoing building of the forms to take the strips. This is very noticeable along the aft deck. I had also decided that the aft deck, while having round sides, would look good being quite flat. It's a feature of this design and has some advantages I'll reveal later in the build.
The Aft Deck Challenge
The aft deck didn't quite go according to plan because as I tried to get the strips to conform to the increased curve from side to deck with it being flat, the side strips started to part from the forms. I had to use a strap around the whole kayak with wedges to get them back into shape and add some hot glue blobs to keep them together. A further cause of this issue was that the tape I had used to attach to the forms started to come away from the form along with the hot glue drops. This wouldn't have occurred if I had used staples.
The result came out OK, but it had me worried for a few hours. I overcame the rounded chines and then set about filling the flat deck between them—from the central Marbo dark highlight strip out to the side deck. As you progress outwards parallel to the central strip, the added strips have a more acute angle towards the stern. Finally, you're adding short, narrow-ended strips until you've covered the aft deck right up to the back end of the cockpit.
Take a break and review the process.
The Foredeck
The final stretch of the strip build process is the foredeck. A beautiful feature of this design is the straight up-and-down bow, the big bold fore section of the kayak, and the round shape of the deck as it expands from the sharp bow out and up to the cockpit. It has all the attributes of a surf ski or seagoing surf kayak but with a sit-in cockpit.
With the high side of the hull completed—these strips extend from bow to stern—it was only a question of stripping in the foredeck. I had selected a few planks with interesting grain and stripped them, setting them aside for the foredeck. Again, the ends of the strips, which are set parallel to the highlight strip down the middle, get shorter and sharper as you fill the space.
With every strip you select, you match it to its place, lay it in position, then mark the cut to fit the sharp end. I use a Fein vibrating saw with a circular blade and very fine teeth. Having marked the strip, I cut it. If I concentrate and have a steady hand, I can almost cut a perfect fit for the end of the strip. It's only a case of a few strokes with the small hand plane or 80-grit sandpaper and the strip fits. Remember, near enough is not good enough. So test, test, and then retest until the strip fits all along its entire length. Apply glue to the correct side and then tap the strip into place after a quick application of hot glue in the correct places on the forms. Use masking tape to hold against the previous strip and clamps to ensure they stay down and alongside.
I initially tried to use a wooden wedge between the new strip and the outer side strip and found, to my dismay, that a strip end—while dry-fitted perfectly—had gaps at the end when glue was applied. Only after two attempts did I realise my error: without the wedge, the gap between strip and deck was normal, but with a wedge, it pushed the deck strip away from the centre line and increased the gap of the previously fitted sharp-end strip. Silly me.
The Final Whisky Strip
I finally came to fit the final strip in the kayak—a short strip on the starboard foredeck. Measured, fitted, tested, retested, dry-fitted, glued, and finally fitted the last strip.
At this point, the shipwrights of old, mostly from North America, would celebrate with a nip of their local brew. But having many ancestors born and raised in Scotland, I went to the cupboard and got out an Edinburgh Crystal Thistle Whisky Glass Tumbler and toasted the final strip planked on my kayak.
Parting the Hull and Deck
Now came the parting of the two pieces to epoxy the hull and deck and to remove the strongback and work on the interior.
I cut the bow and stern inner pieces and used soft, wide wood wedges to drive the two-part strips apart and separate the hull from the deck. It started to come away from the hull where I had previously separated the forms from the strips, but the end pieces remained stuck. A few more wedges and a gentle lift of the bow, and the two pieces came away in my hands. Success.
I turned the deck over on a set of trestles and removed the form distance separators, then firmly tapped the forms away from the end towards a wider part of the kayak. Thankfully, the forms came away and I was able to lift the forms and strongback out of the kayak.
In parting the hull, a few strips sprang where the glue had taken to the forms and not been cleanly released. It was a quick and easy task to apply glue to the gap, push the strip back into place, and apply some masking tape—or in one case, a 10kg piece of lead—to keep it down and in place.
Preparing for the Next Phase
I had kept the excess length of square aluminium tube I'd secured for the strongback and used it to make a second strongback. I used every second form on the hull section and created two strongbacks for hull and deck. The kayak now rests on the forms and hopefully won't lose its shape during the final sanding and application of glass cloth and epoxy fibreglass.
I am in Canberra, Australia, where we are entering winter—officially on 1st June—and we have during our winter many nights falling below freezing, but then the day temperature rises to about 15 to 18 degrees C (65°F).
The question now is: will I have a day temperatures long enough to apply the epoxy, and how long will I have to wait for the temperature to rise?
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