a boat for SWMBO

[RichKrough]

Today was the big "Five oh" for SWMBO. I actually managed to keep this hid from her;
http://home.nycap.rr.com/richboat/ejyak2.jpg
http://home.nycap.rr.com/richboat/ejyak3.jpg
http://home.nycap.rr.com/richboat/ejyak4.jpg
I got it finished enough to be presentable at 2:30 am this morning. As you can see I still have some wet sanding to do on the deck, and I got some wrinkles in the cloth covering the paddle to sand out and varnish. I also still need to install the seat back straps and seat padding.
She went nuts when she saw it this morning, I never thought she would get this excited over a kayak, maybe I should build more boats than bikes

[crawdaddyjim50]

Well done! My Wife says the presents she likes the most(except for the diamonds) are the ones I make for her. And tell her HAPPY BIRTHDAY! from all of us. Jim

[Braam Berrub]

bootifull boat :D
bootifull idea :D

and like Jim said - pass on our regards!

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

Nice job Rich...

[bamamick]

I had every good intention in the world of doing the same for my wife. Ordered info from the Chesapeake folks and all that. Wound up buying a couple of plastic Old Towns so that we could go together. A friend of mine who spends a lot of time in a kayak told me that as picky as I am about looks that I had no business with a wooden kayak. When I went to WoodenBoat School my instructor told me the same thing and he carried his plastic rig around on his truck all the time.

I love the look of the wooden boat. So fine looking and to know that you built it for her has to mean quite a lot to your wife.

Congratulations and happy birthday to your wife. I hope she enjoys it for a long, long time.

Mickey Lake

[RichKrough]

Thanks for the comments fellas. She had a great day and weekend unfortunately we are off to the NC coast next weekend for a week so the boat won't see water for a couple of weeks, Maybe it will cure enough in the mean time so I can wet sand the orange peel out.

[CarlZog]

How did you ever manage to keep this hidden?

[Ken Hutchins]

Sweet boat.:) :) :) :)

[Sailor]

Carlzog;
if he told us that, then SWMBO everywhere would be in the cold, out of the loop, clueless as to what we are up to in our drydocks. They would worry about where we are and who we are with and then come looking for us.
Nope.....I'm convinced he
1) Built it away from home
2) She knew but wouldn't let on so as not to dissapoint him
3) Is blind and could have been in the shop and he told her it was a blanket chest he was building and she would never have known.

BTW Nice work on the kayak. I hope my canoe comes out as well.

[JimD]

A friend of mine who spends a lot of time in a kayak told me that as picky as I am about looks that I had no business with a wooden kayak. When I went to WoodenBoat School my instructor told me the same thing and he carried his plastic rig around on his truck all the time.



They are nuts to prefer the look of a plastic kayak over a wooden one. Hard for me to believe someone actually said that.

[RichKrough]

........ Wound up buying a couple of plastic Old Towns so that we could go together. A friend of mine who spends a lot of time in a kayak told me that as picky as I am about looks that I had no business with a wooden kayak. When I went to WoodenBoat School my instructor told me the same thing and he carried his plastic rig around on his truck all the time.......

Mickey Lake

I know what you mean, It is impossible to keep a wooden kayak looking good all the time and still use it with any regularity. It is simpler and less work to have a plastic kayak.
On the other hand a plastic kayak will never look better than the first day you brought it home. A wooden kayak with a little sanding and a fresh coat of varnish will look new every spring.

Last year's boat...
This morning http://home.nycap.rr.com/richboat/rikyak2.jpg
This evening
http://home.nycap.rr.com/richboat/rikyak1.jpg

[RichKrough]

Carlzog;
if he told us that, then SWMBO everywhere would be in the cold, out of the loop, clueless as to what we are up to in our drydocks. They would worry about where we are and who we are with and then come looking for us.
Nope.....I'm convinced he
1) Built it away from home
2) She knew but wouldn't let on so as not to dissapoint him
3) Is blind and could have been in the shop and he told her it was a blanket chest he was building and she would never have known.

BTW Nice work on the kayak. I hope my canoe comes out as well.

Actually I pulled a fake on her
She wanted me to build her a custom bicycle( my other vise)so she knew that was coming, But she didn't know the bike has been done for two months and stashed at a friends house . So for the past 2 weeks of evenings I worked in the shop she assumed I was building her bike, I kept the boat hid in the loft of the boat shed and used an electric heater to dry the epoxy over night. the trickiest part was when I had to measure her to determine where to center the foot pegs and rudder control so I cooked up a story about measuring her for a window seat in our next house .
This was the first time I ever pulled off a surprise without her finding out first