Prototyping | Cape Falcon Kayak

Day 8: Row/sail canoe, version 2

February 2019September 2022Leave a comment

Day 8: Row/sail canoe, version 2. Build time: 4hrs. With 8 coats of varnish on I brought the spars out of the basement to get some real world measurements for the mast partners. One thing I’ve always liked about historic small boats is the generous use of sheet copper, sometimes to protect the mast....

Day 7: Row/sail canoe version 2

February 2019September 2022Leave a comment

Day 7, Row/sail canoe version 2. Build time: 6hrs. Marked the oar socket positions, made rub rails, made removable floor boards. I typically avoid floor boards wherever possible. They add a lot of unnecessary weight, expense, and time to a build. A thin pad in the bottom is all that is generally needed to...

Day 6, Row/sail canoe version 2

February 2019September 2022Leave a comment

Day 6, Row/sail canoe version 2. Build time: 4hrs. 4 hrs of work, 9 hours of work day. Things always slow wayyy down when the video camera comes out to document new things. Finally found a seat setting method I like for rowboats. For regular canoes it’s simple, glue some blocks on the gunwales,...

Day 5, Row/sail canoe, version 2

February 2019September 2022Leave a comment

Day 5, Row/sail canoe, version 2. Build time: 8hrs. I have an OCD-like compulsion about finishing things. Stopping part way through anything is like fingernails on the chalkboard of my brain. This can result in some serious lashing marathons. Luckily I have Liz to help my tie. Today was a 6 hour day but...

Day 4, Row/sail canoe version 2

February 2019July 2023Leave a comment

Day 4, Row/sail canoe version 2. Build time: 8hrs. Started the day by bending in some test ribs to make super sure the measurements were right before committing to my last plank of good bending oak. The rib measuring system I have developed is pretty neat but I’m still learning how it works in...

Day 3, Row/sail canoe, version 2

February 2019September 2022Leave a comment

Day 3, Row/sail canoe, version 2. Build time: 7hrs. Started the day by using the Slickplane to round all the stringers and some edges on the gunwales. For those of you not familiar with this handy little tool it’s a huge timesaver whenever you need to break a lot of edges. They aren’t built...

Day 2, Row/sail canoe, version 2

February 2019September 2022Leave a comment

Day 2, Row/sail canoe, version 2. Build time: 7hrs. Woke up in the middle of the night and realized I’d forgotten to do a glue up on the mast, did that, went back to sleep. Realized this morning that I keep ordering sail bits and bobbles I already own so I decided to get...

Video: Day 21, Skin-on-frame rower-sailer

February 2019September 2022Leave a comment

Day 21, Skin-on-frame rower-sailer. Test sail. Took the boat down to a variably breezy and cold Columbia river today for a quick shakedown sail. Stability is nice, it sits on a narrow waterline but hardens up considerably as you approach capsize. The fullness of the hull towards the ends makes it fairly insensitive to...

Day 20, Skin-on-frame rower-sailer

February 2019September 2022Leave a comment

Day 20, Skin-on-frame rower-sailer. Build time: 5 hrs. Spent the morning rigging the boat with all the usual last minute modifications. Set it up, take it down, set it up, take it down. I usually do my initial rigging with cheap polypropylene rope and the once I’ve sailed a few times I’ll replace it...

Day 19, Skin-on-frame rower-sailer

February 2019September 2022Leave a comment

Day 19, Skin-on-frame rower-sailer. Build time: 5hrs. Finished the replacement oars today bringing the total time for this pair down to 8 hrs, which is an acceptable amount of time. Loving the spruce looms with ash blades, seems like a perfect marriage of weight, strength and toughness. This pair weighs a bit over 3lbs...

Day 18, Skin-on-frame rower-sailer

February 2019September 2022Leave a comment

Day 18, Skin-on-frame rower-sailer. Build time: 5hrs. Started working on the replacement oars today, 7’2” long this time. I decided to go for a spruce shaft and laminated ash blades. This gives me a light oar that’s tough in the right places without having to get fiberglass and epoxy involved. I did all my...

Day 17, Skin-on-frame rower-sailer

January 2019September 2022Leave a comment

Day 17, Skin-on-frame rower-sailer. Build time 3 hrs. In the 3 days I’ve been varnishing Jared is almost halfway done with a new pair of pack canoes. This clearly shows just how much strings, foils, spars, and a gaggle of shiny bits add cost and time to a build. By the time I’m done...

Day 15, Skin-on-frame rower-sailer

January 2019September 2022Leave a comment

Day 15, Skin-on-frame rower-sailer. Build time: 1 hr. Started the long, toxic, expensive, annoying process of varnishing all the bits. Generally speaking I’m fanatically anti-brightwork for all the reasons I just listed, and on anything but a row/sailboat I just slap a few coats of pine tar/tung oil mix on whatever needs it and...

Day 14, Skin-on-frame rower-sailer

January 2019September 2022Leave a comment

Day 14, Skin-on-frame rower-sailer. Build time: 5 hrs. Started the day with the boat on the sidewalk and stuffed rolled up beach towels under the sides to get it firmly level. Dropped in the mast step and clamped on the partners and raised the mast. I always leave the two feet above the partners...

Day 13, Skin-on-frame rower-sailer

January 2019September 2022Leave a comment

Day 13, Skin-on-frame rower-sailer. Build time: 4 hrs Hauled the boat outside for some backyard row testing. I’m trying to set the mast partners so they will do dual duty as a backrest. It’s tricky because you don’t want to be whacking into them in normal row mode but you do want it to...