Kayak trip, anyone else do this?

[quickervicar]

Back on topic! Some shots from our latest excursion into Algonquin:

[quickervicar]

At the risk of going a bit OT

[quickervicar]

No kits available, to my knowledge. I took a course locally, but everything was done off of scale drawings from the Fram museum in Oslo. These are built to fit the paddler, so there aren't really any set dimensions.

As far as materials go, I used Western Red Cedar for the gunwales, bow planks, chines & deck beams. White ash for the ribs & cockpit surround. Cherry for the sit-boards and masik. All the lashing was done with waxed sinew.

[John Rocker]

I did mine for about 1/2 the weight and 1/2 the price. Besides, there's nothing quite like a skin-on-frame kayak.

do you have a source for the plans/kits that you use?

[quickervicar]

Here you go: http://www.skinboats.org/skinboats/home.html

e28forlife, I cannot recommend Algonquin enough. You can put-in at a dock with parking, paddle for a day, find a campsite, repeat for however many days you feel, then return to the same dock that you started at. Very convenient, yet very remote.

[twothrees]

Not sure what I'm going to use. I like the toughness of the Primo but prefer the tautness of the Standard cloth. Finishing is another matter entirely. There's a new, sprayable, tintable marine epoxy available from Germany now. I just don't know if I can trust Germans to build something reliable...:hitler:

Do you have a link to this stuff?

Thanks

[e28forlife]

Im thinking of building a kayak from a kit.

www.clcboats.com

Go for it, I built one last year or so. For a first-timer, I would go with a stitch and glue build. I already had a good deal of fiberglass/epoxy experience from building 'custom' boats but it was a great learning experience. The larger boats look like you need a bit more experience to build/. When I finished my boat I wanted to hang it on the wall like art work.

I really like the small sailboat they have, but I'm not sure if it would ever be used.

[e28forlife]

I've wanted to do some nice quiet river/lake paddling for quite some time now.

My father has always had kayaks, and as soon as I could swim I was in one. However, he is much more interested in surf kayaking, which I enjoy, but with big waves it still scares me (try paddling up a 8 ft wave and being flipped right over backwards, unlike surfers, we can't go under at that point).

I used to go up to Canada during the summer and paddle for hours.
I was actually planning a two or three day trip, where I would paddle during the day and camp out at night, likely having someone drop me off then pick me up down river.
We own around 20 kayaks, but most are surf skis and sit-on-tops. I have two really nice whitewater boats, one newer, but nothing like a touring/camping type boat. I considered bringing two boats and tying them together so I could put gear in the second boat, but there would be some safety concerns with that.

[quickervicar]

Not sure what I'm going to use. I like the toughness of the Primo but prefer the tautness of the Standard cloth. Finishing is another matter entirely. There's a new, sprayable, tintable marine epoxy available from Germany now. I just don't know if I can trust Germans to build something reliable...:hitler:

[twothrees]

850 Primo ballistic nylon & a 2-part urethane affectionately known in the skinboat world as "Corey's Goop." I am not pleased with the results. The Primo material needs to be soaked & stretched COLD to get it taut enough. I have some sagging on the bow area that I am a bit miffed about. Also, the urethane has been on for 4 months now and is still tacky in places. I was told that I didn't measure it precisely, but I know I did. I'll be reskinning this winter.

Are you going to try urethane again or something different?

By the way, I used to live in downtown Lancaster. It was a very nice apartment building on the corner of Orange & Duke, across from the Episcopal Church. I didn't like the area, but I miss the market, the taco shop around the corner, the Tuna Cesar salad at the Belvedere, The Meritage Restaurant; pretty much only the food.

Doug

[quickervicar]

What did you use for fabric and coating on your skinboat?

850 Primo ballistic nylon & a 2-part urethane affectionately known in the skinboat world as "Corey's Goop." I am not pleased with the results. The Primo material needs to be soaked & stretched COLD to get it taut enough. I have some sagging on the bow area that I am a bit miffed about. Also, the urethane has been on for 4 months now and is still tacky in places. I was told that I didn't measure it precisely, but I know I did. I'll be reskinning this winter.

[twothrees]

I hope to do that next season, put in around Gulfport, MS and paddle out to the barrier islands and do some camping. I've no idea how difficult it would be to make it out there, but it's quite a distance so I've gotta do a bit more research before trying that one.

I've always wanted to paddle out to the barrier islands, but never had the chance. You may want a different boat than the ones you are using on the river. Let me know if you ever make it down to the miss/al coast and want to paddle. Eric Giles has my number. By the way, you are a very lucky guy to have a hot girlfriend who is into paddling.

Doug

[twothrees]

I did mine for about 1/2 the weight and 1/2 the price. Besides, there's nothing quite like a skin-on-frame kayak.

Nice skinboat. I started one about 5 years ago and haven't finished. I keep getting distracted. I hope to finish it this fall after I finish my stroker and painting my wherry. I also have two stitch and glue's: a tred avon from clc and a Seguin from Kennebec Designs. I just finished a wherry, a 20 foot rower.

What did you use for fabric and coating on your skinboat?

[quickervicar]

Im thinking of building a kayak from a kit.

www.clcboats.com

I did mine for about 1/2 the weight and 1/2 the price. Besides, there's nothing quite like a skin-on-frame kayak.

[Miasma]

It's awesome going out to an island setting up camp and relaxing in the quiet. Have the whole island to yourself.

This is by far my favorite thing about it! I love just sitting by a fire on an island at night. So fucking cool.