With the deck drying, I started looking at the combing.
Here I also deviated from the plans, but for 'artistic' reasons. I picked up a really nice piece of 3/4" ash from The Wood Source and shaped it into a nice curvy combing. |
Unlike larger kayaks, the front of the opening is square (to allow the paddler easier access). A high front piece should keep the cockpit dry.
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The decks were ready to fit. Some thickened epoxy on the railings and breast hooks will secure it to the hull. Some weights and a few clamps, along with the ratchet ties held everything together until the epoxy dries. |
The deck is now tacked in place. The edges need to be filled with thickened epoxy so a tight seal is made. As with the hull, a bit of masking tape keeps everything neat. I needed very little sanding once this step was done. |
This step was probably unnecessary, as its a child's boat, but I had enough cloth left over. Besides, adding a layer of cloth to the deck will keep the stained wood from getting damaged. I wetted out with epoxy and used a plastic spackle spatula to remove the excess epoxy. By cutting the cloth long and using some tape along the edge, I was able to get a nice line. The drips were also kept from the rest of the hull. |
I let the epoxy set up, but not harden completely. Then with a very sharp chisel, I trimmed off the excess cloth. I gotta say, this was an easy way to clean up the cloth and the result was a nice, neat line. |
A couple more coats of unthickened epoxy, each overlapping the joint line by an inch or so, filled in the weave. Notice that I left the cloth across the cockpit. This was to keep any wayward drips from the inside finish. I trimmed this off once the final epoxy dried. Then - lots of sanding, more sanding and yet more sanding. |
I dry fit the combing. There is a slight curve to the deck and the opening so the clamps were used to hold everything flush. |
There is a slight curve to the deck and the opening. The clamps weren't quite enough to hold the curve, but a 2x4 helped hold things in shape. |
In preparation for gluing the combing, I taped off the deck and covered the bottom with wax paper. Notice the clamps standing by, I'll need as many as I can get my hands on for the next step. |
Time to glue the combing with thickened epoxy. Yup, every clamp I own. I even stood up a few pipe clamps add extra pressure. Any gap would show so a tight fit was required. Taking the tape off left a clean joint. |
Remove the clamps and more sanding. Staring to look pretty good if I do say so myself.
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The plans don't include a seat, but I figured that leaning against the combing would be pretty uncomfortable. I also wanted to keep the boat's profile, so I came up with a folding seat using a bit of left over ash and a warped piece of scrap plywood. The clamps let me test that the mechanism works before I glue it together. |
Things are getting pretty close to complete now. I glued in the seat along with the hatch plates. |