No paddling again this weekend so I put my time to good use and finished cutting the forms. I have put a request in for the cedar strips which I will order for delivery in a couple of weeks. I am getting the strips from Cedarstrip.co.uk who are very reasonable and have put aside some quality wood for me, best quality they've had in a long time apparently.
I drew the right half of the form on a sheet of graph paper then folded over the half and traced the left side. I then glued each form on to a panel of 1/2' MDF and roughly cut around each one. Tip for anyone using spray adhesive. Just spray the MDF not the paper, otherwise the glue starts seeping through giving the paper a wet look like some of the top forms bellow.
I then cut around 1mm from the edge of the forms and then sanded each form fair.
Bow and Stern End Forms
Both the bow and stern end forms have an outer stem at the end that is cut from a separate piece of cedar or other soft wood and temporarily glued on the to ends of the end forms. These stems are beveled to form a sharp edge upon which the strips are glued. These stems will form part of the actual boat and wont be removed. I have cut off the Stern stem here from the MDF just to practice until I get the cedar wood.
I can't help getting excited, hopefully I will have something similar in a few months!
My next job is to cut a hole in the center of each form through which the strongback it thread. There are various ways to construct a strong back but I am going to keep things simple and get a 12ft length of 2x4 timber. Once the strongback is constructed the boat will then be ready for stripping.
3 comments:
This is starting to get exciting now Stuart. Just seeing the forms stacked in the picture gives an idea of things to come.
Have you found a composites supplier for keel strips etc? If not try these: http://www.ecfibreglasssupplies.co.uk/default.aspx
I'm using them to get the materials to add a keel strip to the Reval when I get it.
Very exciting. Once I get those forms strung up on a beam I will be able to see the shape and size of it. All I have to do then is cover it in wood and glass!
Thanks for the link I'll take a look. I haven't put an awful lot of thought into the finishing yet, I'm taking each stage as it comes (mainly due to cash flow/time). I will probably be glassing the boat 'expedition' style anyway rather than lightweight, (extra layers around the keel/bow/stern/cockpit etc..). I need it to be practical, like you mentioned in your latest post, I'm also one of those kayakers that likes to get up close and explore rather than just pass by.
I recommend you get all your resin and cloth from ECF too. Very good service, also supply stainless fittings for footrests.
Start cutting the bottoms off plastic milk bottles to mix resin in and collect ice lolly sticks for mixing too!
Post a Comment