LeeG
04-07-2005, 10:46 AM
ok,ok,,I was tainting the bilge,,,If we can't stay between the lines,,,it's timeto hit the water,,ok,,haven'tbuilt a kyak in a couple years and just finished a Merganser18,,EricSchades design,,,winter is not the time for building with 'poxy, don't know why I try,,,anywho here's my $.02. If'n you want to "make a sea kayak" check out his 17W,,pretty much takes the cake for kayaks.
And It Was Good!
good timing, i gotta finish puttin in/shaping thigh braces,,,,kind of slick with smooth epoxy and wet-suit.
This is a verygood design(Merganser), sure there are parts I'd change, the coamin needs to be about 3/8" wider(3/16" each side) cuz the overhang is minimal for a good grip,,maybe a thin sticky shmear of contact cement underneath will help. The neoprene skirt is popping off. I hope I don't have to grind the edge flat and glue on a strip and re-glass,,,I went to all that effort laying a thin strip of glass around the edge. 3.25oz tightweave from RAKA is the best for cuttingthin strips on the bias and wrapping 4mm okomen edges.
Anywho it's a Merganser18,,and I overbuilt again,,,two layers of 4oz s-glass on the outside with another 'football' layer of 3.25oz tightweave on that. I figure a person should be able to put a loaded kayak down on asphalt or coming slamming to shore and not worry. But it weighs a bit much,,54lbs,,eek.But the general idea was a kayak that could be tossed outside for a few years upside down and it wouldn't matter. After glassing the hull I put down a few fill coats of white tinted epoxy then paint. That way the owner has a gauge for wear.
It's a much better fit for my fat 200lbs than the 16 I made two years ago,,
I have the seat furher foward than most folks put theirs but I like some room behind the back band for torso movement. It makes the stern just light enough to turn easily but I don't notice any problem in weathercocking so mayb it's in the right place.
For folks used to splaying their legs out lot it won't allow that but just enough to hook thigh braces,,that's more to my preference anyway.
The hull is Brightsides yellow with varnished deck. Took the shine off with 2000 grit wet sanding.
Anywho I'll get it out again today once I got the thigh braces right. It's a tad twitchier than a Caribou but feels about similar for speed,,I'll have to find a fitter paddler to determine that...or start getting in shape.
One ofthe things about it that I like is the sloping angle of the outer forddeck panels,,it's pretty much the exact angle the paddle blade descends for a strong forward stroke so deck whcking is a glancing blow. Which is kind of nice when 5% or so of ones strokes hit the deck when paddling in bouncy water or hard.
The bow looks like it should bury,,,just like the Merganser 16 but it corks up at the rightmoment,,,this was something I was wondering about wth the 16 before I got it into the beach/ocean and it turned out good there,,a bit better than a Perception Avatar or the Caribou for greenwater over the bow.
Wait,,this is the bilge,,,I'm outa here!
And It Was Good!
good timing, i gotta finish puttin in/shaping thigh braces,,,,kind of slick with smooth epoxy and wet-suit.
This is a verygood design(Merganser), sure there are parts I'd change, the coamin needs to be about 3/8" wider(3/16" each side) cuz the overhang is minimal for a good grip,,maybe a thin sticky shmear of contact cement underneath will help. The neoprene skirt is popping off. I hope I don't have to grind the edge flat and glue on a strip and re-glass,,,I went to all that effort laying a thin strip of glass around the edge. 3.25oz tightweave from RAKA is the best for cuttingthin strips on the bias and wrapping 4mm okomen edges.
Anywho it's a Merganser18,,and I overbuilt again,,,two layers of 4oz s-glass on the outside with another 'football' layer of 3.25oz tightweave on that. I figure a person should be able to put a loaded kayak down on asphalt or coming slamming to shore and not worry. But it weighs a bit much,,54lbs,,eek.But the general idea was a kayak that could be tossed outside for a few years upside down and it wouldn't matter. After glassing the hull I put down a few fill coats of white tinted epoxy then paint. That way the owner has a gauge for wear.
It's a much better fit for my fat 200lbs than the 16 I made two years ago,,
I have the seat furher foward than most folks put theirs but I like some room behind the back band for torso movement. It makes the stern just light enough to turn easily but I don't notice any problem in weathercocking so mayb it's in the right place.
For folks used to splaying their legs out lot it won't allow that but just enough to hook thigh braces,,that's more to my preference anyway.
The hull is Brightsides yellow with varnished deck. Took the shine off with 2000 grit wet sanding.
Anywho I'll get it out again today once I got the thigh braces right. It's a tad twitchier than a Caribou but feels about similar for speed,,I'll have to find a fitter paddler to determine that...or start getting in shape.
One ofthe things about it that I like is the sloping angle of the outer forddeck panels,,it's pretty much the exact angle the paddle blade descends for a strong forward stroke so deck whcking is a glancing blow. Which is kind of nice when 5% or so of ones strokes hit the deck when paddling in bouncy water or hard.
The bow looks like it should bury,,,just like the Merganser 16 but it corks up at the rightmoment,,,this was something I was wondering about wth the 16 before I got it into the beach/ocean and it turned out good there,,a bit better than a Perception Avatar or the Caribou for greenwater over the bow.
Wait,,this is the bilge,,,I'm outa here!