Help, my house is a shipyard (pics)

White_Spring50lb

White_Spring50lb

Joined
Apr 27, 2007
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27
Ornery bastid that I am, I make a point of going bush for a month every year, to get back in touch with what's really important, and to hit the reset button so i can face another year of working for the 'man', being a productive member of society, dealing with idiot drivers, etc. You know, life in reality land.

This year, the he-trip involves a combo trek and kayak route up the inside passage, up the coast of British Columbia, centering on the very beautiful, and isolated, area known as the Great Bear Rainforest.

My buddy and I have been building the boats for this trip in my apartment over the course of the Winter. Here's some photos of the progress so far!






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Boat on the left will be a traditional Greenland style kayak. One on the right is a more modern design. Note that although many Kokanees were consumed during the construction phase, this project was NOT just an excuse to drink beer every night. I need no excuse for that.






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Wiring the hull planks together, and epoxying them into place.








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Held together with wire and a prayer, it's Frankenboat.
The boat that love built. With the help of booze and not getting enough sleep.







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Hulls are sewn together, time to satuate the wood with epoxy. My roommate loves me at this point, can't get enough of those epoxy fumes.
All future epoxying is done outside, but as I live in Raincouver waiting for a break in the weather to get this stuff done is a heartbreaker. I resort to womanising and more Kokanees to console myself.







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Love it when a plan comes together...







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Laying on the fiberglass cloth for reenforcment of the hull.



That's about where we're at now, I'll get more photos up when the boat's done.
It's a tough project, my apartment's a shipwreck, and between this and work I forget what sleep's even like, but it'll sure be worth it in the end!
 
All I can say is, I didn't know that they sold Kokanee in cans. I've only seen it in bottles. :D :thumbup:
 
very nice post! that looks fun and fulfilling :D It's like watching; "How it's Made" only without commercials! thnx 4 sharing guys...
 
so give us some construction details, where did you get plans, type of plywood, types of other materials you used, how you put the planks together.

alex
 
Really awesome. Two very different boats. Where'd you get the designs?? Have you done this before? Where do you plan to sand that fiberglass? How many layers? What will the finished boat weigh, and what can it carry? Are you putting on a top?

I rebuilt a canoe last year. Wow. Never again.
 
I built a stitch and glue Kayak out of door skins ten years ago with the self promise that I would build a better one when this one broke. Ten years and many miles later the kayak is still doing fine.
 
I've four sheets of Okume plywood and plans from Cheaspeake Light Craft for my summer building project al fresco. And I have no idea where I am going to store a 17' kayak once it's done.

Mike
 
Make sure you can get the boat out of the apartment without having to cut it in half. :)

cheers
 
Hey Guys.

The CLC boats look great, these aren't them though...

The company's called Pygmy Boats, www.pygmyboats.com, they're in Washington State, and the kit's pretty cheap. 800 - 900 bones + your sweat.

After I cram my carcass in any kayak cockpit, there's precious little space left over for gear, so we're travelling light this Summer. We SLAY fish though. With the salmon run on, plus halibut and ling cod, plus the clam beds, dungeoness crab, plus what we trap, we're only bringing the bare survival essentials. (Scotch, instant mashed potatoes, and the spice rack). Living off the ocean's bounty is a more than viable option for those of us fortunate enough to live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Kit comes with the planks pre-cut, fiberglass cloth, epoxy, and a lot of the hardware you need for assembly. (batteries not included). Never built a kit like this before, but I'd totally recommend it for someone who had the time, patience, workshop space, and inclination to take something like this on. Couldn't recommend building it inside an apartment, having to lower it off my second floor balcony in the dead of the night every time we need to run the sander outside gets old, fast.

Like Bikermikearchery says, the process is called Stich and Glue. You basically drill holes in the hull planks, and sew them together with wire. You then glue the planks, pull the wires, and saturate the wood with epoxy.
Then you lay on the fiberglass cloth, and build up a couple layers of epoxy on top of it to fill the weave. The whole boat ends up getting two layers of fiberglass total + about 6 combined coats of epoxy(rolled on lightly with a paint roller), ends up being tough as nails. The manafacturer claims a finished product that's 30% lighter, yet stronger, than a comparable fiberglasss boat. After chiselling a small epoxy spill off my kitchen counter, I'm inclined to believe them about the 'stronger' part. It's tenacious stuff.

Hull and deck are built in two different parts, then glued together.

For the price, I don't think these vessels can be beat. Less than half the price of a production fiberglass boat, for something that outperforms it, is unique, looks better, and gives you pride of ownership for having built it.

Thanks for looking guys, makes the project feel that much better now that it's internationally recognised!
 
My wife wants to kick your rear for building a boat in the house.

Take lots of pics of your trip.
 
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