Skin on Frame Shearwater build Day 2, 3.5hrs Today’s lamination went really well. I used West System epoxy with the 207 hardener which gave us plenty of open time in the 100 degree heat. This is my first time working with West system and it’s definitely more expensive, but I really like the pumps...
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Video: Skin on Frame Shearwater build, Day 1
Day 1, Skin on Frame Shearwater build. 5hrs I can’t tell you how happy I am to be starting a new design project! (unfortunately most of my time is spent doing administrative stuff for the business) I’ve built a handful of rowing and sailing boats in the past but I’ve never been able to...
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Video: Last day surveying boats
Last day surveying boats before I get to start the row/sail project! ___ This post was originally featured on our Instagram feed. See the original post and discussion here. Follow Cape Falcon Kayak on Instagram »...
Just a few photos from my friend Max in East Greenland
Just a few photos from my friend Max in the tiny East Greenland Village of Tiniteqilaaq. About five years ago, Max contacted me because he wanted to revive the native kayak building tradition in his village. All of our plans and video courses are free to anyone who is a member of a native...
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Mocking up a birdsmouth mast
I’ve always been intimidated by the prospect of building a birdsmouth mast, but with spruce hitting $17 a board foot, construction lumber, epoxy, and a bit of extra work is starting to look appealing. I built this mock up on my table saw in about 10 minutes and it really wasn’t that bad! Still,...
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Peter and Mindy’s tandem canoe
Congratulations to Peter and Mindy who just finished a 16’3” x 34“ wide tandem built with our system. (This started 36 inches wide, but they pulled in 2 inches of tumble home at the end of the build.) This is basically the same boat that Jake and Monty just used on the Appalachian Canoe...
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Jake and Monty’s Northern Forest Canoe Trail (record-breaking??) trip
Congratulations to Jake and Monty who likely just set a record time on the Northern Forest Canoe Trail in a tandem they built from our plans. The trail itself is 740 miles with 23 rivers and streams, 59 lakes and ponds, 45 communities, and 65 portages (totaling 70+ miles). It took them 17 1/2...
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Video: Surveying our West Greenland kayak
As long as I’ve got two brand new layout tables for the upcoming dinghy build, I thought I’d take advantage of them to survey the new West Greenland kayak that I designed a couple years ago. Unlike our previous boats, which were exact copies of museum specimens, for this boat I allowed myself to...
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Video: Jorgensen plane vs the Stanley 60 1/2
The new Jorgensen low angle block plane is an incredible plane for the price. However, the old Stanley 60 1/2 still cuts better. I have no idea why, so I cut the Jorgensen body to match the 60 1/2, but it didn’t really make a difference. Both planes were dressed identically. The only factor...
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Video: Just taking a quick spin in a customers boat before sending it out the door
Just taking a quick spin in a customer’s boat before we send it out the door. This is our F1 kayak design, which is 14 feet long and 23 inches wide and weighs 32 pounds at this particular size (it comes in eight sizes). Due to the length, weight and narrow waterline, it has...
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Video: A2 Tool Steel: Let’s settle this once and for all
Let’s settle this once and for all: is A2 to steel the superior plane and chisel material, or are we being lied to by Big Steel. “I WANT THE TRUTH!”. ___ This post was originally featured on our Instagram feed. See the original post and discussion here. Follow Cape Falcon Kayak on Instagram »...
Stumbled upon some CVG framing lumber
I’m getting ready to start building a small sailboat and I was planning to make the whole thing out of cedar and mahogany, but then I ran into this at the lumberyard. This is 80% clear Douglas Fir! Can you believe they were selling this as framing lumber? I paid $70 bucks for all...
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Video: Checking the blade carriage on a sliding miter saw
This is actually a known issue with this particular model. Apparently there was a bad batch made. One last thing I need to check is to pull the blade and make sure that the arbor assembly is seated correctly. But other than that, this is generally not something that can’t be adjusted. Love these...
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On YouTube: Tools for Skin-on-Frame Boatbuilding
We just released a brand new tool video on our YouTube channel as part of a larger website overhaul. In this video I show what tools we use and exactly what we use them for, and our specific brand recommendations are now live on theTools page of our website. That way it’s easier for...
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Video: Fishing on the lake in an F1
Just a moment from fishing on the lake with Liz. Notice the Greenland paddle used as a stabilizer. This is one of the huge advantages of using a Greenland paddle, with the paddle tucked like this Liz is extremely stable in both directions. ___ This post was originally featured on our Instagram feed. See...
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