This week while I've been off work I managed to source a very straight piece of 2x4 timber for my strongback. This is where all the talk about forms and strongbacks makes sense. For the first time I get to see the actual shape and dimensions of my boat. The pictures here have been taken on a mobile phone because my camera has been shipped off to the workshop.
View from the Bow
As mentioned in the plans the volume of the boat is not huge, described not as an expedition boat but more of a day or weekend boat. Very slim and long, god knows where I'm gonna store it. The area behind the seat is very low and flat in the Greenland style for ease of rolling. The deck has a sharp chine to provide height for the knees but low overall. There is plenty of rocker for manoeuvrability. The chine forward of the cockpit is soft providing smooth performance pushing out into waves and prevents broach while surfing. The chine to the aft is much harder which provides shape to facilitate carving and leaned turns.
View from the Stern
I have not fixed the forms in place here. I have cut the holes in the forms, cut and shaped the strongback to size and simply stung them on. I need to move the whole lot to the farm before I start fixing things together. I also have to add the internal stems pieces to the ends of the bow and stern.
Bow to Stern
Considering I haven't fixed anything in place nor lined it all up properly it's looking pretty straight and fair. The are a couple of dips in some of the forms which I will have to sort when I start laying the strips. One other thing I noticed when picking it up and rolling it over is how it's so balanced already.
As for my finger, I've had the massive bandaged removed and a smaller one put on. I should be having the stitches out next Friday just in time for the Welsh Kayak Show.
4 comments:
Looking good!
How will you get your legs in with all those formers in the way! Lol!
The rear deck behind the cockpit looks very flat & low, I love boats with the really upswept bow and stern - looks ain't everthing, but it sure makes a pleasing to the eye shape.
I honestly did think that when I first saw one of these...where do your legs go?
It does look very flat, don't think I'll get much gear in there. It does help when it looks nice, especially when you spend so much hard earned cash on it. Get back to work now, earn some more and get stripping (the boat that is, ain't got the body for that sort of thing).
Thats a hard chine,Stuart, it'l be a bugger to strip that. You may have to use thinner strips at that bit.
Will send you Karitek skeg dimensions but I doo know you need 150mm internal clearance
There's a few tough angles in there, which is why I'm going to keep it simple as far as contrasting strips.
It's gonna be tight then with the skeg. The end of the stern end form is only 160mm (3ft from the stern). The following heights are 170mm (4ft) 175mm (5ft) and 180mm behind the seat(6ft). It seems very narrow to me I hope I done it all correct.
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