West Greenland Replica Kayak | Cape Falcon Kayak

Video: West Greenland Kayak Build, on the water test number 4

October 2021September 2022Leave a comment

West Greenland Kayak Build, on the water test number 4. More experiments with stability. In the previous test I added a secondary stringer to the outside lower edge of the gunwales, which didn’t increase primary stability much but did add noticeable secondary stability, at the expense of a bit of glide. For this latest...

West Greenland Kayak Build: Fitting and sizing and 3rd on the water test

October 2021September 2022Leave a comment

West Greenland Kayak Build, fitting and sizing and 3rd on the water test. I had my friends Jared and Tom over to check the frame fit on a larger body side. At approximately 6 feet and 190 pounds both guys should really be in the stretched version of this boat. Here I was just...

Video: West Greenland Kayak Build: Saran Wrap test 1 + 2

October 2021July 2023Leave a comment

West Greenland Kayak Build: Saran Wrap test 1 and 2. FYI there’s music on this one. When designing in skin on frame there’s always a dynamic tension between gunwales that are flared enough to project a reasonable sheer line, but still vertical enough to project the ribs down at an angle that will allow...

Why this sort of testing is necessary in the first place?

October 2021September 2022Leave a comment

Instagram‘s new video features are giving me serious frustration right now so if you notice videos popping up and disappearing that’s why. I’m about five days into testing this kayak every day with different modifications on the water and I’ve got a ton to say about it as soon as I can actually post...

Video: West Greenland Kayak Build Time Lapse 5: End plates, aft deck stringers, and Masik

October 2021September 2022Leave a comment

West Greenland Kayak Build Time Lapse 5: End plates, aft deck stringers, and Masik. Total build time so far, about 24 hours. The stems are joined to the gunwales with thin wooden plates that get recessed into the wood. I used to make these from ash but I’ve been really enjoying working with cherry...

Video: West Greenland Kayak Time Lapse 4: Keel, stringers, and stems

October 2021September 2022Leave a comment

West Greenland Kayak Time Lapse 4: Keel, stringers, and stems. Build time so far, about 20 hours. I love how the music came together for this one! The actual work in this video is a little over three hours but I spent the better part of a day and a half trying to decide...

Video: West Greenland Kayak Time Lapse 3: Steam bending the ribs

October 2021September 2022Leave a comment

West Greenland Kayak Time Lapse 3: steam bending the ribs. Total build time so far, about 16 1/2 hours. (Don’t miss that groovy music!) Here’s the new rib measuring formula in action! It takes about an hour to prep the ribs, 30 minutes to bend them, and usually another 30 minutes to double check...

Video: West Greenland Kayak Time Lapse 2.5: Steam bending test ribs

October 2021September 2022Leave a comment

West Greenland Kayak Time Lapse: steam bending test ribs. I’m not adding today’s work to the build time because this wouldn’t normally be part of the process (unless you’re designing your own boat!). If you followed the last build you know that the giant leap of progress that I made on this design was...

Video: West Greenland Kayak Time Lapse 2: Assembling the deck

October 2021September 2022Leave a comment

West Greenland Kayak Time Lapse 2: assembling the deck, total build time so far, about 14 hours. There’s something extremely satisfying about fitting the deck beams. Over the years I developed a super efficient system that allows first time builders make these mortise and tenon joints quickly and accurately. They don’t need to be...

Video: West Greenland Kayak Time Lapse 1: Setting up the gunwales and making the deck beams

October 2021July 2023Leave a comment

West Greenland Kayak Time Lapse 1: Setting up the gunwales and making the deck beams. Total build time so far, about 11 hrs. (Prepping the gunwales and making the coaming not shown) FYI there’s music. I think I’m gonna time lapse this one just to keep things interesting. Build times listed represent actual woodworking...

New West Greenland kayak. We start again.

October 2021September 2022Leave a comment

We start again. For the next iteration of this kayak I’m going to focus on improving the frame, expanding the size ranges, proofing the new rib measuring formula, and dialing in the new fitting system. I’m also going to bump the sheer a little higher on the ends to get a bit closer to...

Just a couple more pictures of the recent Greenland kayak

October 2021September 2022Leave a comment

Just a couple more pictures of the recent Greenland kayak build. I used rare earth pigment directly in the coating this time and really like the color. It’s a lot harder to get a nice finish with rare earth pigment than with acid dye, and the colors are limited, but if you manage to...

Video: West Greenland build recap

October 2021July 2023Leave a comment

So just to recap, the kayak pictured here is a West Greenland hunting kayak replica that I’ve been building with students for about 12 years. Over that time it has slowly evolved, so I wanted to build a new one as close to the historic lines as possible to check for negative design creep...

Video: Took the new boat down to the water for a quick paddle and a couple rolls

October 2021September 2022Leave a comment

Took the new boat down to the water for a quick paddle and a couple rolls. As usual there’s lots of positive and lots of negative things to talk about here but I’m not gonna get too far into that until I get out on the water a few more times. The thing I...

West Greenland kayak buid: Replacing the lashings with nails

October 2021September 2022Leave a comment

I was concerned that the oil in the lashings wasn’t going to dry in time for me to skin the next day, so as a nod to the original museum kayak, I decided to nail the ribs to the stringers and then cut away the lashings. This may be the traditional attachment method for...