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> I'm building a S&G Northbay and have been thinking about some of the
> things I might do to "personalize" the boat. The other day I
> received the latest copy of the Woodcraft catalog and saw some wood inlays
> that could be purchased. They're 3' long, up to a 1/2 wide, and 1/28"
> thick. I was thinking of using an inlay down the center of the deck. After
> researching a bit more I found a few interesting books and am now
> considering making my own wood inlay strips (also called Intarsia) or
> getting real fancy and create some sort of design using a craft called
> Marquetry.
Below is a photo of the intarsia my brother did for the deck of my Chesapeake.
It's from a photo he took of the upper end of St. Mary Lake in Glacier National Park. The photo was taken from an island called Wild Goose Island, which is supposedly the most photographed site in the US. We went up there again last week during a XC ski trip and hiked to the point overlooking the island. The wind was gusting to 50-55 mph, and blew so hard it ripped my cap off my head, carried it 200' away and dropped it in the lake. I hope the water spirits take it as a goodwill offering!
At the foot of the lake, there was 1.5' of crushed ice piled up, and it was forming breaking waves from the wave action of the water underneath. Pretty cool!
Wow--how's that for off-topic?
> What I'm wondering about, though is the feasibility of creating an inset
> in the Okoume. The woodcraft catalog suggests routing a groove 1/28"
> deep in wood for the inlays but I don't think their talking about doing
> that on 1/8" thick plywood. Has anyone tried anything like this?
I think it would cause a bit of weakness in the outside of the curve of the cambered deck. Maybe adding a narrow strip of 3 oz. glass over the inlaid strip before installing the deck would be a good idea.
The link below is to the strips John is referring to. I particularly like pattern "E". I think it would be neat to strip it 1.5" wide in spruce and redwood on the deck of my boat.
Shawn
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Guillemot Kayak - High
Performance Wooden Sea Kayak Designs
