Finishing the Kayak

After the do-over (here), we were back on track to get this boat finished!

Of course, lots of things seemed to get in the way but there was progress.

Applying several coats of varnish was the next step.  The fiberglass provides strength and waterproof-ness but needs protection from the sun (UV) – that is the purpose of the varnish.

I used Totalboat’s Lust product.  It seemed to work ok but like everything else… I learned a few things using it – meaning I didn’t do it right.

This looks pretty good in the photos but I wasn’t satisfied.  A bunch of sanding with 320 grit paper followed and then I tried something different. Spray on varnish.

That seemed to work better but I was getting a bit frustrated with the process and didn’t take any photos.  I gave it a good sanding with 400 grit sandpaper and decided to put the thing in the water to see if it would even float before investing more elbow grease.

I installed the skeg, foot rests, seat rest, and temporary foam seat.

Out to the lake we went.  I took a friend who is a super experienced kayaker to get her thoughts on the boat.  As you can see, the finish is dull from the recent sanding.

 

IT FLOATS!!!  Yay!

It performed REALLY well, felt great on the water, and I quickly fell in love.

My friend also gave it a thumbs up and even rolled it for me (since I’m an amateur and not capable of such feats!! – or too scared to try).

Here is a video of her rolling it.

After a successful outing on the water, enthusiam was renewed and I got back to work.

The following bunch of photos show the final product – or… final as of this moment! Nothing is ever final/complete.

The back rest and foot rests are items ordered from Amazon. The seat is MiniCell T-200 foam that I hand carved.

If you look carefully at the photos that expose the bottom you can see the skeg deployed.

I’ve now been on the water with her half a dozen times. All of my experience is with plastic production kayaks and this is like stepping up into a sports car! She is a really swell boat and a lot of fun to paddle!  When down/deployed, the skeg really transforms by providing significant tracking and stability.

Thank you to Nick Schade for designing such a great kayak!!

Here is a video that is start to finish of the building process.

Now… time to get started on another one so I can apply all the lessons and skills that I’ve learned!