Supakoo a lá Rico
a hodge-podge of mish-mash … can you dig it?
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The Saga
May 2004
April 2004
March 2004
February 2004
September 2003
August 2003
July 2003
June 2002
May 2002
April 2002
January 2002
December
November
September
August
June
May
April
March
February
Welcome to my kayak building log. As I worked (and worked ... ) on the kayak, I kept a photographic log of the process, along with notes. You can access this log, by date. In the future I may work on an easier way to access the log (searching the text of notes and keywords) but won't get to that for awhile.
Details on why I built a kayak are below in the Background section. But I do want to let you know that I am not a woodworking expert. The last significant experience that I had with woodworking was in Junior High woodshop class with Mr. Tozer. I had to buy all of the tools before I could start to work on this project. The bottom line: If I can do it (and the jury is still out on this) then you can do it too. The key is to find friends who know something about woodworking and have the big tools (table saw, router table, etc.) and the knowledge to help. To this end, I offer my profuse thanks to Thaine Norris and Jon Pickett.
Thanks to my very good and longtime friend Jill Johnson, there was a launch party on Sunday afternoon, June 27, 2004. Thanks, Jill! Some photos from the launching are below (thanks to Bradley, Susan, and Eli for photos!)
Saying a few words to those who came to this auspicious event.
Putting the seat-pad in the boat. Yeah, I've still gotta carve that seat. I'll get to it ... someday.
How's this thing work?
Showing my stuff ...
You can rate my site in the SEE Kayak Directory. A higher rating means better placement for me and more folks 'round the world will see my progress ... and, of course, whether or not it floats when I get done with it.
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In January of 2001, I embarked on was certainly an adventurous journey. I began to build a strip-built kayak. I'd been wanting to own a 'yak for a few years, ever since my first kayak trip. I'd only gone kayaking twice, but I know it is something I want to do over, and over, and over again. I had given thought to buying a pre-fabricated boat — say, an Eddyline — but my friend, Jon Pickett, had this book that detailed how to build your own kayak using thin strips of wood. That book was "The Strip-Built Sea Kayak" by Nick Schade. I borrowed it from him and sucked it down. I knew then that I wanted to build one.
But, I had a small problem. See, I lived in a 2 bedroom condo ... and there was no place there to build a boat. I had considered buying a house anyway, so now the house had a new requirement: A garage big enough to build a kayak in. In May of 2000, I was able to buy that house. Seven months later, I started to build the kayak.
Since I've got this web space, of course I thought it would be groovy to try to document my progress. I'll pop some photos and comments up as progress is made, though there are other pages on the web that do this and do a better job than I most likely will. Some of those pages are:
Those pages are great and do a good job of documenting things. However, sometimes you have a question you'd like to ask about building a kayak, or the process, or what to do when things go wrong. When that happens, the best place to go is the Kayak Forum. Specifically, for building questions, check out The Kayak Building Bulletin Board area. Many high-quality and well-known designers and builders of strip-built kayaks frequent this page with advice, recommendations, and answers to questions. It is a tremendous asset, and if you're building or thinking of building a boat, you should monitor this group for information and guidance. Bookmark it.
In addition, sometimes it is nice to know what types of tools are involved in making a kayak. Nick Schade (the author of The Strip-Built Sea Kayak) has a great page listing the Tools for Making Strip-Built Kayaks. Nick's site (Guillemot-Kayaks.com) has a lot of information and should be on your list of sites to examine and consult if you're thinking about making your own kayak. And if you're really serious -- buy the book. You won't regret it.
So saddle up for the ride. Let me know what you think. If you have questions or feedback, or if you just want to hassle me, you can send email to me. I'd enjoy hearing from you.