Taking a test drive in a pretty new flat deck F1 we just finished for a Bay Area customer. This is actually the third time we’ve rebuilt this kayak. On the first one due to communication issues it had a quarter inch too little rocker in the back and it just didn’t carve an...
"Taking a test drive in a pretty new flat deck F1"Continue readingCategory: F1 Kayak
On YouTube: Flat Deck F1 in detail
We just uploaded the new Flat Deck F1 building plans to our site, and a video on YouTube talking about the design (with some great old photos of me crabbing in the surf!). If you’re new here these are solo kayaks that can be quickly rafted together for a stable sailing, fishing, hunting, snorkeling...
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Video: A bit of maneuvering in the new modified F1
Here’s bit of maneuvering in the new modified F1 kayak. There’s music here if you like that sort of thing. The design progression of the F1 started 16 years ago with the closest skin on frame copy I could make of a Mariner Coaster. A lot of people have pulled lines from the Coaster...
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The thing I love most about skin on frame
The thing I love most about skin on frame is how easy it is to make changes on each new boat, allowing for both rapid design evolution and customization for individual paddlers. Here are my sketch notes from the recent highly modified F1 and some pictures of the finished kayak. This was going to...
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Time lapse: Flat Deck Sailing-Catamaran F1 Kayak Build, Post 12: Paddling!
Flat Deck Sailing-Catamaran F1 Kayak Build. Post 12, paddling! Hit that sound button. Apparently time lapse kayak paddling doesn’t look nearly as good as time lapse woodworking… The idea here was to take the new boat for a paddle through some of our local urban obstacles, and show off its capabilities with some Top...
"Time lapse: Flat Deck Sailing-Catamaran F1 Kayak Build, Post 12: Paddling!"Continue reading
Time lapse: Flat Deck Sailing-Catamaran F1 kayak build. Post 11: Outfitting the kayak
Flat Deck Sailing-Catamaran F1 kayak build. Post 11, outfitting the kayak. Don’t miss the music! I finally found some time to outfit the new boat with deck lines, backband, seating, thigh braces, camera mount, perimeter lines, drain plug, and rub strips. With a 12oz skin, frame reinforcements, extra ribs, and a brass bow rub...
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Time lapse: Flat Deck Sailing-Catamaran F1 kayak build. Post 10: Coating the kayak
Flat Deck Sailing-Catamaran F1 kayak build. Post 10, coating the kayak. Coated the kayak with the same two part polyurethane we always use. This stuff goes on in four layers wet on wet over the course of a single day. That’s about as close to a miracle as exists in the finishing world. It’s...
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Time lapse: Flat deck sailing-catamaran F1 kayak build. Post 9: Stitching on the fabric
Flat deck sailing-catamaran F1 kayak build. Post 9, stitching on the fabric. There’s music here. With the oil on the frame dry I was able to get to skinning the kayak. I returned to my original plan of putting 12 ounce cloth on this boat, not because I want that fabric on my boat...
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Time lapse: Flat Deck Sailing-Catamaran F1 kayak build. Post 8: Finishing and oiling the frame
Flat Deck Sailing-Catamaran F1 kayak build. Post 8, finishing and oiling the frame. As usual, there’s music here. I decided the shape of the bow wasn’t quite right so we scribed a new line and worked it in. The stern stem here is a little frustrating because with the sudden change of focus on...
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Time lapse: Flat Deck Sailing-Catamaran F1 kayak build. Post 7: Adding secondary stringers, deck stringers, and finishing the bow
Flat Deck Sailing-Catamaran F1 kayak build. Post 7: adding secondary stringers, deck stringers, and finishing the bow. Hit that sound button! Things are moving a bit slow right now because I’m finalizing a lot of decisions on the flat deck version and stopping to film the installation instructions. Today we got through filming the...
"Time lapse: Flat Deck Sailing-Catamaran F1 kayak build. Post 7: Adding secondary stringers, deck stringers, and finishing the bow"Continue reading
Time lapse: Flat deck sailing catamaran F1 kayak build, Post 6: Reframing the deck and adding sailing, catamaran, and drain plug reinforcements
Flat deck sailing catamaran F1 kayak build, post 6. Reframing the deck and adding sailing, catamaran, and drain plug reinforcements. Now that I’ve decided to keep this kayak for myself and build another for my customer, the design mission for this boat changes. I’m getting rid of the heavy skin, reframing the deck, and...
"Time lapse: Flat deck sailing catamaran F1 kayak build, Post 6: Reframing the deck and adding sailing, catamaran, and drain plug reinforcements"Continue reading
Time lapse: Flat deck rock garden F1 kayak build, Post 5: Adding stems and stringers
Flat deck rock garden F1 kayak build, post 5. Adding stems and stringers. Again, great music on this one! Put the stems and stringers on in the normal way. Not much else to report today except for the fact that I made the decision to keep this kayak and rebuild it for the customer....
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Time lapse: Flat deck rock garden F1 kayak build, Post 4: Bending the ribs, tying the keel, and fitting the stems
Flat deck rock garden F1 kayak build, post 4, bending the ribs, tying the keel, and fitting the stems. Don’t miss the music on this one! Yesterdays bend went relatively smoothly but I’m still not thrilled about the wood I’m using in this boat. It would be fine for any other kayak, But to...
"Time lapse: Flat deck rock garden F1 kayak build, Post 4: Bending the ribs, tying the keel, and fitting the stems"Continue reading
Time lapse: Flat Deck Rock Garden F1 build, Post 3: Pegging the deck beams and prepping the ribs
Flat Deck Rock Garden F1 build, post 3. Pegging the deck beams and prepping the ribs. Check out post 1 for the design brief on this project. To finish the deck I peg the deck beams vertically through the tenons and also diagonally through the deck beams and into the gunwales. The rib material...
"Time lapse: Flat Deck Rock Garden F1 build, Post 3: Pegging the deck beams and prepping the ribs"Continue reading
Time lapse: Flat Deck Rock Garden F1 Kayak Build, Post 2: Building the Deck
Flat Deck Rock Garden F1 Kayak Build, post 2: building the deck. Check out the first post in this series for the design details on this project. Finally got moving on the build today. Because this kayak is getting covered with a heavy skin I’m using the best possible wood to increase the strength...
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