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Gary,
Congrats, on starting a great kayak. I think you will be very happy with it.
> I am just beginning a wood and canvas kayak. As a beginner, I plan to rely
> rather heavily on George Putz's book as well as related advice I can
> receive here.
You should be able to ask plenty of Putz questions on this board, and get good answers. I have built this kayak and I know of others who are doing it too. Plenty of people helped me who hadn't built one.
> A few start-up questions: (1) I will be building in my
> unheated garage in Connecticut, although I will periodically be using a
> small electric heater. Putz recommends fastening with screws and epoxy.
> What kind of epoxy is recomended for these conditions (temperatures may
> vary from 15 degrees to 55 degrees in a 24-hour period)? I am assuming
> that some of the concerns I've read on this Board relate more specifically
> to strip building epoxy use and that the limited adhesive-related epoxy
> usage called for by Putz will raise fewer temperature-related concerns.
> Any thoughts would be much appreciated.
I used System 3 epoxy. It will cure at colder temps, but it may take longer. You may want a fast curing epoxy if you want to build in the cold. I heat my basement with two small electric heaters. I try to keep it above 60, but it is not nescessary. Your joints will be backed by screws so they don't need to cure immediately. Epoxy cure time shouldn't be a major issue.
> (2) I plan to follow Putz's
> approach and, assuming availability at local yards, use quarter-sawn ash
> for the keelsons and keel, and quarter-sawn Eastern white cedar for
> stringers, chines and gunwales. Any thoughts on alternative woods if these
> are hard to come by? Should I be concerned about structural integrity if
> 17 foot lengths are unavailable and I need to scarf shorter lengths?
I used western red cedar for the majority of the frame. For strength in the cockpit I used mahogany for those deckbeams and other cockpit parts. I bought my wood in 8 and 10 foot lengths and used 8 to 1 scarf joints. I also used mahogany for the external keel and rub rails.
> (3)
> Finally, assuming the wood stock has been planed to proper thickness (7/8
> inch), is it possible for a beginner to rip the required 3/8 inch strips
> using a portable circular handsaw (Putz appears to do it) or should I make
> sure to access a friend's table saw? Thanks in advance for all your help.
I used a table saw, but if you have a VERY steady hand....
Personally I'd try to use the table saw, all of the ripping could be done in a very short time. With the woods you are looking at using you might be able to get away with 3/4 x 3/8. This would allow you to by off the shelf 1 by stock.
A couple of pointers, use them only if you want to. When I build another one of these, I will give it a more traditional style of coaming. The arched coaming doesn't work well with a spray skirt. I cut away the floor beams to make the sole (floor) of the kayak lower and 'v' shaped. This will lower the center of gravity and give more usable volume to the kayak. I also recomend raising the bow a few inches to prevent the bow from plunging and to control weathercocking. I used Elast-o-Seal and Snow-Roof to seal the canvas. I like the Elast-o-Seal and Snow-Roof, but will use polyester or nylon on my next one.
Mine came in at 33 or 34 lbs., and handles great, but weathercocks slightly. It has a lot of flex, but appears to be plenty strong. The Elast-o-Seal and Snow-Roof take about a month to fully cure, but is quite usable after a week.
If you have any more questions, ask away.
Another pic of my kayak is at: http://www.redfishkayak.com/images/hanks-walrus2.jpg Thanks to Joe Greenley.
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Guillemot Kayak - High
Performance Wooden Sea Kayak Designs
