Installed the cockpit carlins last week (glued and screwed at the front, lashed in the middle and back), installed the foredeck beam, added a "top seat", and oiled the frame. Before the carlins were finally lashed, I glued the split ends closed with wood glue, and then covered the remaining gap with a bit of leftover epoxy, so water wouldn't hide there. The only thing left to do before skinning is to put in floorboards. The top seat is an idea I saw in another designer's boats, and seems to provide a place to rest on the way in or out of the boat. I have doubts that the boat would be stable with weight up so high, but the other designer (Jeff Horton of Kudzu Craft) builds his boats narrower than Mr. Gentry does, so it's worth a try. I have certainly embarassed myself repeatedly with my attempts in getting out of my little store-bought kayak! The oil referred to is tung oil, several coats of which are rubbed into the wood of stringers and frames and polymerize as it dries, forming a moderate barrier to water. It darkens the wood slightly, but is otherwise almost invisible.
The floorboards will be something of an experiment: the design calls for a floor of slats or solid lumber to run the length of the cockpit resting atop the frames and lashed in place. I dislike sitting with my legs straight out, and the fact that I had to add spacer blocks between frames and keel to make the keel straight gave me an idea. Perhaps I could make floorboards atop the frames for the back half of the cockpit, but lash slats UNDER the frames in the front half. that way my feet would rest several inches lower than my seat. This is reflected in the floorboards shown (not yet lashed in): they stop at the center frame, rather than running full length. The slats for the forward end will be salvaged from a piece of Ikea furniture that did not last long. The Ikea slats are 7-ply, and appear to be fairly water resistant, since a few days in the rain barrel have made no difference to them. (These floor slats are not shown in any photo.) Finally, I will use a few pieces of 1x1 doug fir (same wood and about the same dimensions as the boat stringers) to make floors for the compartments under the deck in front of and behind the cockpit. This is storage volume, and while it isn't big enough to store a sleeping bag or tent, it could hold useful amounts of stuff--say for a nice picnic. I don't want stuff stored there to push against the cloth, hence the need for floor slats.
The top seat is lashed in place atop the frame, while the seat floorboards are resting in their places inside the cockpit.
None of these pieces are going to go in for awhile. I've decided that a frame at this stage is too useful as a teaching tool, so I will go no further with the build now. I plan to use the frame as it is to show the kids this summer what they are aiming for, how lashings should look, and so forth. About halfway through the July program I will add the floorboards and skin the kayak--I may even have the kids help so they do a better job on the larger kayak they will be working on.
The carlins are visible converging to almost meet as they connect to the second frame.
Where the carlins meet the frame, they are held in place by stainless screws and triangular "knees" glued with epoxy.
The floorboards will be something of an experiment: the design calls for a floor of slats or solid lumber to run the length of the cockpit resting atop the frames and lashed in place. I dislike sitting with my legs straight out, and the fact that I had to add spacer blocks between frames and keel to make the keel straight gave me an idea. Perhaps I could make floorboards atop the frames for the back half of the cockpit, but lash slats UNDER the frames in the front half. that way my feet would rest several inches lower than my seat. This is reflected in the floorboards shown (not yet lashed in): they stop at the center frame, rather than running full length. The slats for the forward end will be salvaged from a piece of Ikea furniture that did not last long. The Ikea slats are 7-ply, and appear to be fairly water resistant, since a few days in the rain barrel have made no difference to them. (These floor slats are not shown in any photo.) Finally, I will use a few pieces of 1x1 doug fir (same wood and about the same dimensions as the boat stringers) to make floors for the compartments under the deck in front of and behind the cockpit. This is storage volume, and while it isn't big enough to store a sleeping bag or tent, it could hold useful amounts of stuff--say for a nice picnic. I don't want stuff stored there to push against the cloth, hence the need for floor slats.
The curved carlins define the shape of the cockpit. When I sit on the floorboards with my back against the aft frame, me feet just reach the front of the cockpit, which is about four feet altogether.
None of these pieces are going to go in for awhile. I've decided that a frame at this stage is too useful as a teaching tool, so I will go no further with the build now. I plan to use the frame as it is to show the kids this summer what they are aiming for, how lashings should look, and so forth. About halfway through the July program I will add the floorboards and skin the kayak--I may even have the kids help so they do a better job on the larger kayak they will be working on.
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