A Couple of Plywood Kayaks

**tomtre** · 25th July 2013, 02:57 PM

Hi Everyone
I haven’t posted here lately, nothing much has happened to post about since I built my rowboat a few years ago. I do check in here regularly and I just thought Id post about a couple of kayaks I built over the past few years. (I sometimes like to see where I’m going and I sold had the Plastic yak I had because I didn’t use it much after building the rowboat)
First kayak was a JEM Laker, Plywood Boat Plans , quite a straightforward build with excellent plans, except that I wasn’t straightforward because I decided a curved deck would look nicer so that’s what I did (without designers permission). The build took twice as long as it should have because I had to work it out as I went but turned out reasonably well. (I didn’t alter the hull shape at all from gunwhale down). Most of the fiddling was making a reasonable profile and making sure at the same time I had space for my feet. The first photo is the boat having its deck profile worked out , the second is almost finished, the third during the hatchmaking part.
Working out Profile.jpg Almost done.jpg Fitting hatchs.jpg
The last pic of the Laker is of launch day, 12 Feb 2011
Launch 12 Feb 2011.jpg
I dont have the bits of paper or woodscraps I wrote the measurements on so please dont ask. I have since given that kayak away, it just wasnt the perfect boat for me, a mate wanted a kayak and I was making another. Nothing wrong with it, I just have too many small wooden boats. Darren uses it for chasing fish.

The second kayak was going to be a Eureka canoe. Eureka Canoes - Light Simple Wooden Touring Canoes Stitch and Glue - Michael Storer Wooden Boat Plans I got it cut out and stitched together and decided it was going to be a lot bigger than I needed so I abandoned that idea. I still had the cut and glued panels and rather than throw them away ( 2 x 1/4” sheets of $ 55 1/4” “marine” ply and a bit of glue for butt joints), not a lot of money but too much to waste, I decided to see if I could use them.
I downloaded the Carlson Hulls program and had a play with it. Carlson Design – Software – Add Ons – Shareware – Hull Designer(Thank you Mr Carlson for making this program freely available)
I put the bottom panel of the Eureka into Hulls, Then made bilge panels and side panels to what looked like reasonable shapes which could be cut from the Eureka panels producing something which looked reasonable on-screen. Displacement and trim waterline looked reasonable on the computer. Length 12'8” beam 24 1/2”
I cut it out (No chance of Eureka now) and wired it together and it didn’t look too bad so I decided to spend more money and started mixing epoxy. It came out a bit beamier than I really wanted but that was how the ply wanted to lie so I left it. No one else is going to know about my other deviations from the “plans”.
Wired up.jpg
A sheet of 3/16 “ ply was purchased for the decks. Curved deck again.
Adding Decks.jpg
After all the usual stitch and glue stuff I had a kayak shaped object ready to paint. I had decided while building to add a skeg to reduce corkscrewing while paddling. While painting,(house paint, this is a cheapie), I remembered I would need a paddle so I made one. Better to remember at that stage than at the waterside!
Lacking further excuses I launched a couple of weeks ago.
Launch 23 June 2013.jpg
It floated and didn’t leak so therefore is successful. I don’t have a photo with me in it, there weren’t many people about being mid winter so I am still not sure how the fore and aft trim worked out, Ive got a feeling I should have set the cockpit about 2" further back. It has plenty of initial stability and tracks well in calm conditions. I haven’t weighed it yet. Total cost about $250.
I was a half mile or so away when I took this photo of one of the stumps in the water in some parts of the lake. Most are just below the water waiting for someone in a rowboat (don't ask how I know that). Powerboats and skiing are not allowed here.
Afloat.jpg
All in all I am pretty happy with this kayak.
Tom

**labr@** · 26th July 2013, 09:52 PM

Originally Posted by tomtre

It floated and didn’t leak so therefore is successful.

I have to say something about that attitude Tom ......I like it!

I still have my Laker (launched Easter 2009). It was my first build and is the best of my 3 for river fishing as the other 2 are a bit cramped. Having ideas about adding outriggers and a sail but it probably won't happen for a while.

Are you contemplating any further builds?

**tomtre** · 27th July 2013, 11:05 AM

Hi Labr@

You asked
Are you contemplating any further builds?

Yes I am

I have a bit of a plan collection, ( I suspect most readers of this forum also have plan collections) and I also want to try another build method. I havnt built a glued lap boat yet and I also want to try a skin on frame, which will give me a visitors canoe. I also want something to sail, my existing sailboat (a Murray Isles Lark, built wayback) at 11" is a bit too small for comfort. I drew the frames for a Yost Sea bee on a sheet of ply last year and the frames of his Sea Tour on the other end of the sheet so it is probably time to toss a coin. In the meantime my father found a rather decrapit 30" radio control boat at Lifeline shop and thought of me. I think it is a Starlet class, I don't know how old it is. I am in the process of stripping the paint at the moment.
So there will be a few more builds.
Time to get on with it,
Bye for now,
Tom

**b.o.a.t.** · 28th July 2013, 12:39 AM

Good work Tom.
I kind of miss turning out a small boat per year since I started the TS.
Hulls is a good bit of kit. Drew up all of my boats with it except the first two.
cheers
Alan J

**Hawko** · 10th August 2013, 09:23 PM

Nice Tom. You have inspired me to post some pics of my humble creation (but it floats) and a work in progress. The completed one is a wood duck hybrid 12 which I use for camping/fishing trips in coastal lakes and rivers. I chose that one as my first as I wanted to try out stich and glue as well as strip building.
The work in progress is a Night Herron high deck that I plan on using for more coastal trips. Be interesting first time I try to paddle it as I recon I will go over a few times as its half the width of the wood duck. This one has felt far more complicated as I tried to get fancy with trying to sweep the strips to give it a bit of a different look. I just glassed the inside of the deck today and hope to have it ready for when it warms up a bit. I have gone with plans as I recon if I designed one it I would be in all sorts of strife- maybe next one I do. Been a lot of fun building them and keeps me off the streets.
Sean006.jpg 007.jpg 049.jpg DSC00328.jpg DSC00353.jpg

**labr@** · 11th August 2013, 09:55 PM

The wood duck looks good with the strip deck Sean but the Night Heron will be even better. The stability may not be such a problem either - you tend to adapt to the hull you are in after a short while.

And anyway I think that all of us who have kayaks would secretly like to be able to roll so if you do flip it you will have a good incentive to learn how

.

Don't forget to put up some photos of the Night Heron when finished.

**b.o.a.t.** · 13th August 2013, 09:54 PM

You'll probably find the Night Heron more stable than you think.
The extra length midships translates to extra stability.
If I extend my designs in Hulls by 2 ft, it significantly increases stability.

**Hawko** · 14th August 2013, 09:15 PM

Thanks guys. I must admit that I'm really looking forward to the first paddle as it will be a good laugh and I confess to having a strong rolling urge. Bit hard to roll the dumpy Wood Duck but a great stable fishing platform. I only hope that over time the rolling happens when I want to not at random moments but am sure I will get used to it as you suggest labr@
b.o.a.t It had never occurred to me that extra length would provide stability but the more I think about it the more it makes sense. Might try stretching the next build.
Will certainly post pics when it is complete and launched.
Sean

**anewhouse** · 15th August 2013, 09:06 PM

As Alan has suggested, the Night Heron has lot more stability than most people would expect a 20" wide kayak to have.

It was the first strip built kayak I built and I found it a lot more stable than my TK1 about the same width and about the same as much wider recreational kayaks.

Maximum width is only one of several things that affect stability. As well as the maximum width, you need to look at the waterline width and also at how much of the kayak is close to that width. That last point is the one that Alan referred to.

A few years ago I did a little experiment and demonstrated that it is possible to create two designs the same width but for one to have four time the righting moment of the other.

I posted the results here.

Blue Heron Kayaks • View topic - Width and Stability

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