Tisdag, 5th Juli continued

Day Three: Wait - there's a disconnect here somewhere. Yesterday was day three. Oh, well, get used to it,   this will probably happen again.

Next item : stems. These are the bits that go outside and inside the kayak to firmly attach the strips to in the bow and the stern. They function as the support and integrity of the kayak as well as a first line of defense when one gets a little too close to the shore. The stems are made from laminated pieces of wood. In this case, red cedar, that we picked out from a stack at the lumber yard, carted them home, and cut them into inch wide pieces, about 41 inches long. Then we cut the lengths into two slices about 1/4 inch wide. I mixed up the two part epoxy designed for project like this, and painted the strips and piled them up to resemble long skinny sandwiches of wood. Then the fun part... molding the sandwich to the form, attaching clamps every couple of inches and not having the slices skew or the wood crack on the bendy parts. It worked well for the bow. 

Bow stem

Not so much for the stern, which has a steeper curve to it than the bow has. It's a terrible noise - the cracking of wood when it bends too far. Back to the woodworking shop. We decided to cut thinner strips using the band saw and use more of them for the stern stem.

Stern stem - second and successful attempt

I love how the kayak resembles a prehistoric relic at this point. You can see Alex's kayak hanging in the background. It is an excellent reference. And really pretty to look at. I am stressing a little bit on the look of my kayak. I like the design Alex came up with for his kayak, but I don't want to copy it. I am sure the two kayaks will end up looking like they belong together, but I want mine to be, well, mine. I have a few more days to think about this... I like how the Newfound Woodworks Inc boats look in general, and the color scheme of the Rangeley rowboat  is one that I really like ... very classic and understated. I like the subtle striping on the hull, but for the deck, I want a deck design like the Excursion kayak, especially the way the strips swirl around the cockpit. Decisions, decisions. I'm also thinking of adding a veneer design - perhaps a mariner's compass - to the deck in front of the cockpit, perhaps behind the bow. Why not? The fact that I have not done veneer work before shouldn't prevent me from trying.

For now, the epoxy dries... and we can continue work tonight. 

An added benefit to this project, besides the mellow companionship and the process of working thoughtfully together on a task, is the being part. Yes, for the most part there is a leader and a follower- the master and the apprentice if you will - but this is such a nice way to spend time with my spouse. Small talk comes easily, punctuated by the excitement of the cat chasing a chipmunk into the garage. We keep an eye on the variety of birds that snitch mulberries from the trees in the front yard. We are relaxed and comfortable. Life is good. 

Stay tuned!