F1 kayak build timelapse, Day 6.
I like to tell people that building a skin on frame kayak is quick and easy but that’s not entirely accurate. After 20 years there’s one part of the process that I still struggle with every single time: rigging the deck lines.
The crux of the problem is that I want the rock solid connection of the lines being tied through the gunwales on the inside, but I also don’t want them to leak where they penetrate the skin.
My answer to this problem is to burn much smaller holes in the skin than the underlying holes in the gunwales and then spend the next 90 minutes cursing my way through feeding the large rounded leather straps through those tiny holes. The really fun part is when you’re grabbing the tip inside with the pliers and pulling with the full grunt force of your arm and the tip breaks and your hand smashes into the other side of the inside of the kayak. Ouch.
This is a problem that gets worse every year because I’m continually reducing the size of the hole while simultaneously increasing the size of the straps, and my latest invention which makes these almost leak proof even with no sealant is to actually burn the hole offset from the underlying hole in the gunwales.
The net benefit of this frustration however is that you can rescue, tow, or carry by any line on deck with minimal leaks. Apologies to my students for the bruised knuckles!
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