Grand Traverse Kayak

Been a Few Years

2010-07-26T22:04:00.002-05:00

I thought I would take a few minutes and post a few new thoughts. The kayaks have been great the cirrus is a great comfortable kayak. The Sea Ranger is a very advanced kayak, and this becomes very evident if you take some time away from kayaking. The sea ranger is very unstable and difficult in all but the calmest water. I recommend, strongly recommend, that you perfect the art of rolling before attempting anything too far off shore.

The second cirrus, well..that is still unfinished, lost some motivation. And what always is going to be a next summer project keeps on getting pushed back to next summer. So, maybe next summer.

Anyways, I LOVE TRAVERSE CITY!!

Dyed and Coaming attached

2007-05-17T18:43:00.000-05:00

Check out the progress, just waiting for a warmer day to use the two part urethane from skinboats!!

SOF in the works!

2007-05-03T22:31:00.000-05:00

This kayak design is great. I love this boat. It's quick, relatively easy, cheap, and lightweight. Thanks to my good friend Amtt I have made some serious progress on the SOF. Check it out on his site! http://mikayaker.blogspot.com/

Selling my 1999 Jeep Cherokee Classic

2007-03-30T19:08:00.000-05:00

Here's some pictures, I will post more soon. $4000.00 buys it. It is a great truck!

Onward HO!

2007-02-14T18:26:00.000-05:00

I love this kayak, the build is fairly easy and Rewarding! I have decided on 3/16" dowels secured with Rhino Glue. This process took a few hours, but I also managed to cut out the bow and stern piece. The next steps involve epoxying the bow/stern, and then cutting off the excess dowels, and a quick light sand. Following that I will build a seat, coaming and then look at skinning it.

I did add two pieces of wood to the section behind the coaming. I did this for two reasons. To add support to reenter the boat in open water, and to give me a place to secure any type of cargo. I figure it may have added a half an inch.

Check out the pics.

Progress is oh so Sweet

2007-02-09T20:18:00.000-05:00

I love this design. It is a quick building kayak! I have cut the forms, trimed the forms, and epoxied the forms. I have also scarfed the keel, chines and gunwhales. And since I have an existing strongback I bought some zipties and on we go.

I do have a few dilemmas all in all. I have a very hard time epoxying in the current weather 20 degrees. And I am divided on how to attach the boards to the forms. There are several schools of thought: Epoxy, dowels, sinu(sp), screws, or a combination. I am thinking a fast set epoxy and stainless screws, not very traditional, but in the watehr in may work. I have to do some more research, for now zipties.

A New Boat!!

2007-02-01T19:55:00.000-05:00

OK, so here's the story. I got married, traveled to Eurpoe for about a month, and then had the holiday's.

But now, with the help of Matt, I am back building a Tom Yost Sea Ranger!! I am excited, because unlike the Cirrus this boat should prove to be easy. So tune back in and get ready for the new build.

So here's a few pics opf the stations, the wood for two boats and me! (Thanks Matt for the Pic).

So far I have cut the stations, epxoied them, stripped the wood to the proper length and scarfed the joints to make them 19' or so. I am atempted to epoxy them tonight, but I could only keep heat in the garage for about two hours, so I am keeping my fingers crossed for a good epoxy joint. Stay tuned!!

Launching Matt's Point Bennet!!

2006-08-18T19:25:00.000-05:00

Matt built his point Bennet in record time, and let me tell you this is a beautiful boat. Anybody who needs advice should check Matt out at his blog Mikayaker

Launched! Finally!

2006-07-17T21:23:00.000-05:00

I managed to lanch on time, a tak in itself. My friend Matt and I headed out to Grand Traverse's West Bay at about 8 am on Sunday for the Cirrus's first day in the water! What a great feeling it is to build your own boat and work towards this moment.

The boat handled fantastic, itis a great touring boat. It has a lot of room above your legs to stretch out and change positions. It handles like a charm, like Vaclv sid, it does not need a rudder, it will track straight.

After about an hour of paddling we decided to practice some rolls, braces and recoveries in shallow water. Matt's Anas Acuta, was used for this exercise.

More news is I figured out how to roll the Anas,
my first roll. Being I am a begginer and this was one of the first few times ot, I would have to give most of the credit to matt's teaching and patience.

Speaking of Matt, the expert roller that he is, managed to roll the Cirrus on his first try. Many may say this is an easy task, but he lacked, thigh braces, a footbrace and tight hip braces. Great Job Matt. Check out some Pics.

Varnishing!!

2006-07-10T00:07:00.000-05:00

I am finally getting to the end. I am on y third coat of hull varnish and have to say that this my least favorite part of the build. I choose to use Captain's Varnish by Pettit. It works nice, but I keep on getting sags at the chines. I sand these with a 220 grit and rinse an recoat. I am hoping to get this process down, as I was only going to do four coats per side. I would appreciate any susggestions, and will be seeing you on the water soon.

ETA launch date, next Sunday, if all goes well!!

Almost, is not just a ways away!

2006-07-03T19:31:00.000-05:00

I have made a lot of progress. I decided to perform some end pours, in order to seal the inside shearline, and to add some rigidity to the tips. This is a hell of a task! I have also began the under the deck mounts for the bungee cords. This also has been tedious. Also, I have siliconed the bulkheads in, three of them, fornt rear, and another rear for a day hatch area. I began the backrest today and it looks promising.

The only few taks left are to cut the slits for the nylon loops, epoxy that, then final sand, varnish, outfit and build a seat. Not much on what bean as a huge list. I may also add some in hatch bungees to ensure the hatches will not fall out during paddling. I have the itch to paddle.

Another interesting thing to look at is inside of the boat, check out the light of day!

Quite a Bit!!

2006-06-21T18:39:00.000-05:00

Accomplished! I have finished the hatches, footbraces and hip braces, and have even begun attaching the top and bottom. It is getting to be a bit difficult to work on the boat again, especially as the weather is so beautiful and I have the motorcycle staring me down! But all in all it is go time and this boat has an ETA of 3 weeks. Check out the pics!

Hatches

2006-06-09T08:43:00.000-05:00

I have made some advancement on the kayak. I have cut three hatches, and have managed to begin the OOK version of the hatch seals. I posted on the kayak forum board and recieved several positive feedbacks about the OOK design.

After working on it for a bit I found that the OOK design is a better design than the others. Some of the reasons seem to be a more flush design, especially on a curved deck. I am getting very excited to prepare the bulkheads and the footbraces over the weekend, but work may take precendent.

Stay tuned for some new pics to be added tonight. Thanks for checking in.

And the work goes on

2006-05-24T18:24:00.000-05:00

I have the hull and the deck reattached to allow for the hatch cut out. I am going to attempt the difficult flush mount hatch design. This, I suspect will not be an easy task.

In these pics you can see that I have applied what I hope to be the final coat of epoxy to the deck. As soon as this dries the hatches will be cut. This according to most is a hair-raising task, as an error here will cost the flush mount hatch for a none matching top mount gasket hatch.

Stay tuned as the suspense builds on the next episode of amateurs building boats.

Sorry But No Pictures

2006-05-20T10:27:00.000-05:00

I have been working on, but nothing to exciting is happening. I have the inside of both the top and bottom fiberglassed. I even reinf0rced the back deck and front deck with some S-glass. This was If I need to do a rescue the boat will be plenty strong enough, and I can crawl on the back deck with no worries.

If I had pictures you would see the two halves hot glued back together. I have to put one more coat of epoxy on the deck and then I can begin the hacth construction. I met a guy at Backcountry Outfitters in TC who suggested using two bulkheads behind the cockpit, his way you can have an assesable hatch while paddling. I think I will incorporate this into Vaclav's design.

Other than that the weather has not been playing to my favor the past several days and epoxy work has been pretty much out of the question. Hopefully, it will hit about 70 in the next few days and I can get the last coat of epoxy on the deck. Stay Tuned.

Keep Marching Soldier!

2006-05-15T23:18:00.000-05:00

So on and on it goes. I have managed to split one of the kayaks. The next step was to finish the inside fillets. Vaclev says that these are very important to the structure. I decided to put the secon kayak down until I get this one closer to finished. It should help the progress.

I hope to glass the inside this week and move on from there. The glass does not have to be sanded, just positively filled. This phase should fly, then it's hatches, attaching the footbraces, meanding the sheerline, adding bulkheads, seat, hardware and finishing the outside. The checklist is shrinking.

On and On!!

2006-05-11T20:09:00.000-05:00

Somedays I just want to build a big kayak bonfire! Then go buy a fiberglass boat!! I know if you read through my past posts I sound a bit
skitso, but wow somedays are better than others, and after 5 days of resin, sand, resin, sand, you bgin to wear thin.

So I added an brasion patch, against what some good friends say, I felt this makes the boat bulletproof. So a second layer of of 6oz was placed to build the hull. Check out the pics and stay tuned.

Also, I peeled the top of the other boat to free the coaming. All in the same time I decided to to fillet the inside. That was a sloppy mess, but made the top a lot more rigid.

More Work!

2006-05-04T21:50:00.000-05:00

But I love it! I finally got the bottom of the hull filleted and I am in the process of glassing it. This involves 6oz glass and a ton of resin. But all in all it looks great. I even added the stem bands for decoration.

However, Michigan weather sucks. Tonigt is supposed to drop to 39 F that sucks for the resin. After the second coat, I ran my propane heater for about an hour to boost the temp.

Also I had a bit of a problem with the glass bubbling, It's really kind of weird seing as though it was not there to begin with. But it's not a huge deal, as the sander will take them right down.

For my last trick, I also finished the coaming on the other boat. I do not suggest this coaming any more. It is very, very , very expensive, and it is just a coaming. But on the other hand it is very unique and strong.

Keep Truckin!

2006-04-30T23:04:00.000-05:00

It has been a busy few days. I have a lot of other priorities and the kayak, one of my personal favorites, tends to fall to the back of the line. But I got a few strong hours in over the past few days. I have permanetly glued the coaming on, resanded the boat and best of all flipped and I am now moving forward on the hull.

I have to say that this is an exciting part of the build, as I have not seen the boats in any other positions than the one I began the build in. I took the time tonight to fillet the hull plates on the outside, the first round anyway. Tomorrow, if the epoxy hardens, I ill remove the stitches and begin sanding. With the cold night expected tonight however, I suspect thy will need anothe day.

But I have planned or that, as I have the coaming ready to be built on the other yak tomorrow. So either which way I am putting in a few solid hours tomorrow.

Last, I have to say moving the Kayak to the floor for the station change was very cool. I haven't even realized how nice the okum and sappelle contrast each other untli tonight. Also seeing the boat in a more natural setting was motivating. Sometimes you loose steam in a project this size, but all it takes is a change of scenary to keep truckin!

The Verdict!

2006-04-24T09:36:00.000-05:00

This turned out great. It is a great looking coaming, although it was a lot of work.

A couple of thoughts, I used less carobon than suggested as I ran out. So i believe I had three coats of fiber and four of glass. It uses a ton of epoxy, a ton of patience and a ton of prep time.

Be sure that the mold is set up correctly, I had to pry this out of the mold for about an hour. It may have been easier had I used more masking tape, as I think some of the epoxy found wood to set up to.

Also be sure to use a tool to draw the lines for the cutting, it is real easy to build.

All in all I am very happy with the outcome, but it was expensive. I used around a square yard of carbon, a ton epoxy, and a half of rolll of masking tape. So I would estimate the cost to build around $30 each. maybe more.

What a Mess!!

2006-04-21T21:16:00.000-05:00

What a Mess! That bears repeating. This coaming design is so expensive and messy. A square yard of carbon fiber square yard off glass and a ton of epoxy. This thing had better be nice. I will tell you that I am not optimistic of this progress. I hope that OOK has not lead me astray.

Also, the carbon fiber is nearly impossible to find right now, so I am stuck on wht to do with the oter kayak. Maybe I will just use glass and S glass.

Oh, I forgot. I ran out of West System epoxy right before the end and had to mix some MAS to finish. I didn't mix resin and hardner, just used two types of mix. I am a little worried about mixing the two, hopefully they will still harden together. We will see. Working through the troubles.

Last, I hve to give a shout to US Composites, they have great glass, epoxy and carbon price. Google them, they are great. Stay Tuned.

Coaming Time!!

2006-04-20T20:33:00.000-05:00

Check it out more progress. This is exciting, I love building boats. Although you do have to persavere the hardships. For example, in order to bend the corners for this I had to find some 1/8" Luan, and this is not sold at the Depot or Menards. But after a wasted day of calling around I finally located some.

This may seem odd to some builders. The design is straight from the OOK website, it is a carbon composite coaming that is a bit tricky to build. According, to my buddy Matt another overkill in the construction of the kayak.

The installation is tricky, I probally snapped 6 peices trying to get th bends to be close. After they where stitched into place with a glue gun and spread with the middle pieces of wood, I applied a thick fillet of epoxy slurry. About thirty minutes later I applied the glass and wet it out with resin, that was a mess. I think in the morning I will apply another coat of resin and then begin the triming and composite coaming. Stay tuned.

Moving On!!

2006-04-16T21:42:00.000-05:00

Today I cut the cockpits out. That is a scary process. The first time taking a jigsaw to a project that has this kind of work devoted.

I also spent a ood amount the day sanding the epoxy smooth. it takes quite a long time, some ear plugs, and a ton of sandpaper to smooth it down to try to get a mirror like surface. Check out the pics!!

The Cirrus

2006-04-16T18:04:00.000-05:00

For anyone considering building a stich and glue kayak I have some thoughts. First the Cirrus is a great boat. However, it is an advanced build, and very costly. Consider that you have 3-4 sheets of marine plywood, $150. 2-3 allons of epoxy/hardner at least $250. Fiberglass and carbon fiber, $220. And don't forget about sandpaper, paintbrushes, tape, station wood, and strongback setup. This willl easily add another $100 or more.

I do have to say you will be building a beautiful kayak, that most likely will last forever. It will become your pride and joy.

There are other plans out there, CLC makes some, Point Bennett has a great kayak, Guillimont has a few. I am familiar with CLC's designs, they use a compltetly different setup that uses less epoxy, fiberglass and much less time. Although, CLC has introduced a new kayak named the Sheerwater, which to me looks very similiar to the Cirrus, and has similiar construction methods. As they both utilize stations, a strongback and a lot of seperate pieces.

So, before you begin your project do some research. Choose a difficulty level and a cost that is suitable to your budget and time constraints. Email some poeple who are in the 'know' and try to learn as much as you can from them.

The Weather

2006-04-16T17:51:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe this weather, it is so beautiful. And it has given me the chance to continue glassing the boats. It has been a lot of work, and waiting, but finally I get to move forward. These pictures are from the glassing of Jen's kayak.

The fiberglass process takes some practice, and I don't have much. You can see where the epoxy stops, this is where I ran out of epoxy. I simply did not have enough and at 8:00 pm it is a hard item to come by. This is alos a great picture of both boats. The one on the right is 100% okume, the near one has both okume and mahogony.

In the second picture you can see where the plates join and the blue tape, which allows some clean wood to help join the top to the bottom.

In the other picture you can really see the difference in colors of the wood.

I do have to say I am so excited to get these on the water. I have been thinking that I really only need 6 more weeks of work, maybe les if all goes well.

The Projects!

2006-04-13T21:43:00.002-05:00

Alright, by popular demand the kayak construction. It has been a long process, several months worth of work, and a long wait for warmer weather. This is the stitching of the the kayak plates. On this design there is 14 or more total plates, this makes a lot of wire ties to twist. Fortunately this was done several weeks ago when the weather would not permit epoxy.

It is also during this step that you must be very mindful of the gaps, and untrue plates. Taking time to plane these now will save a lot time, and epoxy work later. Although, I have to add it is nearly impossible to cut the plates perfect so remeber you are not building a piano and make it work!!
As far as the entire process goes, cutting the plate templates out of the plywood is one of the most time consuming and tedious process of the kayak. It takes a lot of attention, space and time. The wire ties is actually one of the easier tasks, although you will take some injuries, as these wires are sharp!

The Start

2006-03-29T23:46:00.000-05:00

I tell you my life has changed since I met a friend named Matt. He told me a tall tale about how he built a 19' wooden kayak. Not only did he hand build this monster but he also uses it it in open water and amazingly enough, it floats. I had never heard much about this entire culture of kayak building. I thought, up until this point that it took real experts, master craftmen to build things f this nature. But apparently I was wrong.

Matt told me about, buying marine grade plywood, scarfing joints, shear clamps, epoxy, coamins and more. This intrigued me and a hobby was born.

I ordered my plans from oneoceankayaks, and began building my very own 17' greenland style kayak. Mind you, there has been challenges, such Michigan winters to slow the progress, but ultimatley it is coming together and this is to be the story. Stay tuned.