After the cockpit coaming was installed and the exterior was faired (here), it was time to see what was underneath all the woodwork!
I previously mentioned the split line – it was time for it to leap into action.
With a bit of persuasion, the hull was carefully lifted free of the forms and strongback.
Believe it or not – underneath I found a whole bunch of wood strips that had been glued together!
Then next step was smoothing all those strips to make a nicely faired surface onto which fiberglass could be laid.
To accomplish that, I started with wood scrapers. The concave surface is much more work than the concave exterior. Eventually, I worked from the scrapers to sanding blocks (40 grit, then 80 grit, then 120 grit). I tried to use the electrical orbital sander where the surface was relatively flat but had minimal success there. It was mostly elbow grease – and my not so great elbow didn’t care for it!! But we eventually got where we needed to be.
An amazing project you made. I hope all that work was like Zen for your mind. That wood should look great after the fiberglass is on. I had a neighbor who built a wood boat over two years and he said it was the most calming thing he had ever done and it came out looking like it belonged in a museum. Thanks for the updates on your project.
I can not believe the amount of work it takes to build this! Amazing job!!
I’ve always thought I had project ‘stick to it’ until finished. However… I’m not so sure after seeing what it takes you to make a Kayak!!!! It looks as though you’re nearing the end What kind of finish will you apply to the outside strips??