First trip
The ones who had finished their kayaks come October had already test paddled them, except for J who finished coating the skin and adding a few minimalistic lines the night before(!). Who’s in a hurry anyway 🙂 Hers is the…
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Reskinning a skin on frame kayak
Yep, it’s that time of the year. Here is my documentation and a few findings about how you can tinker with your Skin On Frame Kayak after you have put it through it’s paces. This one is a replica of…
Kayak speed build
Let’s see. We have a temporary workshop, tools and lots of scrap wood. Why not build another kayak? The featured image is from the 22nd of September. I’m writing this the 29th and haven’t built for two days. Waiting for…
Coating the skin
So come Gooping Day we gathered early and slowly worked up a sticky mess everywhere in the workshop 🙂 Even when using disposable gloves, you take them off, forget them or just try to fix something quick without them. Being…
Skinning the East Greenland kayak frame
So, first you start off with the faint idea that for stitching you need a needle and thread, right? Some claim they’re Irish and can’t sew… others have fixed skydiving rigs for friends in a previous life. That is to…
Spray skirts and covers
Too many kayaks and logistic problems… I needed som hatch covers and spray skirts, so I made some. Ahh, automatic, not very smart phone functions… so here’s the result.
Kerfing for endplates
The endplates are thin hardwood pieces that are attached with dowels to the gunwhales and stems in our case. You don’t have to have them but they help make a nice continuous line along the deck. They also lock in…
Setting up the Masik and footrest
The Masik is the cross beam above your thighs. It’s best if it fits tight for good control over your kayak, but not as tight you can’t shift around for harder rolls without a paddle. Your Masik can be almost…
Coating a skin on frame kayak
There are many kinds of Polyurethane which work for a SOF kayak and even more kinds that don’t work. You need to look out for certain properties and I will try to list some challenges here. The fact I am…
Finishing and attaching the cockpit coaming
Copper nails look cool I think. These are ring shank nails driven into the oak/ash coaming. If the glue would by any chance come loose, the coaming will probably still hold up.
Tightening the skin on the frame
There are several methods for how to tighten the skin on the frame. Something close to this one was used by many seal hunters back in the day and is advocated by Brian Schulz at Capecalconkayaks. You can also stretch…
Sewing the skin on frame
The first time can be quite intimidating, with just one chance with the hot knife and what not, but once you get comfortable with everything pinned down you will feel like you have everything…pinned down 🙂 Greenland style stems take…