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 resist the compressing force of the heavy 12 ounce nylon skin, I need more than just straight, clear, and bends well, I like the wood to be super dense and tight grain and this stick just wasn’t. Might end up just keeping this boat for myself.
As far as the actual design goes, I mentioned yesterday that I moved a rib in the cockpit to help deal with some sciatic issues the customer was having and I also added an extra rib at either end for strength. In addition to that I’m using a Port Orford Cedar keel for even more strength, and in the stern I’ve cut down the ribs and added a spacer below the keel that gives me room to crank the chines up even farther in the back for maximum surf performance.
The artificial sinew I’m using these days is much stronger than what I’ve used in the past which is nice because I can pull really hard without breaking it.
Used a batten to pull the line of the stem clamped in place this time which worked well. I’ll have to do that more often.
___
This post was originally featured on our Instagram feed.
See the original post and discussion here.
