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James

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Maker,mender,woodworker.

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Bloggers post some photos and comments about their progress each time they work on their boats, along with an initial paddling impression and another one 6 months later. In exchange, they receive a partial refund on their plans or building course.

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The secret to any good boat coating is lots of lig

The secret to any good boat coating is lots of light, lots of ventilation, proper working height, good walking paths, and being well organized. Actually following the instructions is helpful as well.
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Here I’m working with the two-part polyurethane sold by skinboats.com. The product goes on wet on wet over the course of a day and then after that it’s completely done. No sanding, no recoating. This incredibly tough 100% solids coating will last about two years of extreme use, five years of hard use, 10 years of normal use, or even longer if you baby it.
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Due to the fact that this cannot be sanded or recoated, it’s impossible to get the kind of glass smooth finishes that you can achieve with epoxy, but I have spent the last 20 years perfecting my application instructions to get the cleanest finishes possible and avoid disasters. (I do not recommend using the manufacturers instructions).
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My biggest improvement over the last year was doing tests for all of the Earth pigments we sell and creating an accurate color palette to guarantee that your boat is actually going to end up the color you want. This year I’m gonna be adding to that color library by adding photos of the various colors on actual boats, and also covering one half of my color swatches, and then placing them in direct sunlight for 100 days so I can show the color change from UV degradation.
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The new larger size LPB and F1 are looking nice. Tomorrow we put on the liquid keel strips (another recent innovation) then we can rig these on Tuesday and hopefully get some on the water photos to compare the saran wrap test with the actual boats. (they aren’t the same because the boat usually changes shape a little bit with the skinning).
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#skinonframekayak #kayakbuilding #finishing #builtbyhand

Check out this lovely student built solo canoe! K

Check out this lovely student built solo canoe! Karl is 6’0” 225 lbs and decides to go 31” wide and 14’8” long. With tumblehome it’s 29” wide at the gunwales.
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Normally I would advise a bit more length to float that weight, but Karl took an interesting approach to adding a progressive measurement to the ribs in the center of the boat, flattening the bottom even further, which theoretically should increase the stability.
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Officially this is an “experimental” feature in our plan set, but for students with an appetite for risk this provides just one more way to tweak the shaping and performance beyond the shapes we have already tested.
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Right now the water is frozen where Karl lives but as soon as he can get out on the water, I’ll make sure to report back on how this approach worked out for him.
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I love the charcoal color he chose for the coating, and the fact that he had to cut a hole in the wall of his shop to get the boat out! Really nice work on this build.
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#canoebuilding #skinonframe #skinonframecanoe #canoe #builtbyhand

Just a little home-improvement project to deal wit

Just a little home-improvement project to deal with the out of control kayak prototype situation I’ve got going on right now. These simple racks are very space efficient and work great for boats or lumber.
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#diy #buildingshit #kayakstorage

We had an extremely successful wrap test of the ne

We had an extremely successful wrap test of the new 250 pound size F1 frame. This version is 15‘8“ long and 25 inches wide (but paddles like it’s 23 because of my hull shape) and the paddler is 6’5” 265 lbs. The extra 15 pounds is useful because it shows me what this kayak will look like on the water at its final weight with the paddler, dressed in paddling gear.
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I couldn’t be happier with what I’m seeing here, the trim is perfect, and the kayak was noticeably faster and more maneuverable than the same paddler in the 275 pound version. This is NOT to say that smaller boats are better, but rather that perfect sizing allows you to minimize wetted surface area which translates into less drag and more maneuverability.
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Every Boatbuilding technology has advantages and disadvantages but sizing and iteration are massive advantages in skin on frame if one is just willing to put the time in to figure it out.
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For example, if kayaks were shoes most kayaks would come in a size 9 and may be a size 7 and 11 if you’re lucky. And yes, you can put on a bunch of socks to fit into a size 11 or force your poor foot into a size 7, But if you’re not gonna have nearly the running experience, you could with an ideal fit. I was really blown away by the difference between the 1.10 scale F1 and this 1.14 scale F1 with the same paddler.
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Thank you again to Brian for coming down to help us with testing these larger sizes. I’ll get a skin on this within a couple weeks and post some video. I will probably have this version and the 275 pounds size available as plans within a month. It’s extremely rare that I put a prototype on the water that needs no additional work, so I’m pretty stoked here. The frame on this one also weighs 3.5 lbs less than the 275 which is nice.
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#kayakdesign #seakayak #skinonframekayak #boatbuilding

Turn the sound on, it’s kind of cool. I know wh

Turn the sound on, it’s kind of cool. I know what you’re thinking but this isn’t the same slow motion 1942 direct drive Parks Planer pornography I post every week… This time we are planing CVG Sitka Spruce!
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I bought this Spruce last year when I found a couple of rare, 15 foot sticks of straight quartersawn. Normally I stay away from exotic stuff like spruce and yellow cedar because it’s expensive, and heavier/stronger than I need for my applications. But last year, when the price of western red cedar reached cost parity (about $9 a board foot) it played a trick on my reasoning that made this wood suddenly seem like an irresistible bargain!
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For the most part, that’s just going to result in this years canoe build being 5 pounds heavier than it needs to be, but right now, I’m actually milling this for the front deck stringer for my kayaks, which is a perfect application for the strength to weight ratio of this wood. (to support the Catamaran and sailing system.)
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#woodworkingporn #woodworkingmachinery #wood

Took the new 230lb size LPB kayak frame down to th

Took the new 230lb size LPB kayak frame down to the water for some shrink wrap testing. I couldn’t get my hands on an appropriately sized paddler for the test so we had to rely on Tom plus some water bags for weight. This is a little risky because there’s no guarantee that the weight is actually distributed right but I think it’s pretty close.
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I brought the 160 lb size LPB (which this is an exact 1.065 scale clone of) down to the water for comparison.
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My first thought is that the target weight for this is kayak is probably closer to 225 pounds or even 220 for a general purpose kayak that can be loaded with 50 pounds of gear, but I think it could make a nice day boat for anyone up to about 240-250.
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Like all LPBs, this kayak has a longer waterline and a higher wetted surface which makes it a bit less glide-y and turn-y than the F1. On the positive side, it has a slightly higher top speed and excellent paddling ergonomics. (see yesterdays post)
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Both this size and the medium sized version are sitting slightly bow high which slightly negatively affects calm water efficiency and maneuverability, but I choose to keep it this way because this trim allows this kayak to punch out through the surf and also surf down wave much better. It’s also fairly effortless to shift the balance of a bow high kayak with gear loading but the opposite is not true of a stern high kayak. Also, this kayak will not weathercock, AT ALL.
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It didn’t cut quite as an aggressive edge turn as I wanted so I’m going to to slightly increase the stern rocker.
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The most positive thing about this test is that proves that the LPB can be scaled proportionately which means that I can create custom sizes for paddlers with pinpoint accuracy. I’m debating whether to skin it now or wrap it again to double check the trim with the correct size paddler.
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Next up saran wrap test on the New 250lbs size F1 frame.
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#seakayaking #skinonframe #maker #kayakdesignflaw

I am extremely happy with how the new 230 pound si

I am extremely happy with how the new 230 pound size LPB frame has come together. This version is 23 1/4 inches wide and 17 feet long, although just like all LPB’s it is 1 inch narrower where you actually take the stroke, and that combined with the flared hull makes it functionally equivalent to paddling a 22 inch wide kayak. Waterline length is 16 feet.
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Unlike my previous approach to scaling the LPB this is an exact 1.065 proportional scale of the medium size version (a kayak I love) which is normally 22 inches wide and 16 feet long.
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From the stern view, you can see the dramatically Swede form shape of this boat which is very different than any other kayak currently on the market. It’s basically the bow of a surfski glued onto an elongated version of my F1 stern. This gives superior paddling economics, but also much of the the surfing and rough water performance of my F1. It’s not designed as a true “fast kayak” but it’s quite efficient at high cruising speeds, and probably as fast as you can build a kayak that doesn’t weathercock a peep without a rudder or skeg.
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I did everything I possibly could to keep the weight to a minimum. I cut 2 inches off of the length in the bow., I thinned the Gunnels 1/32 more than usual, and I reduced the scantling on the first six ribs, and the last one rib. Final frame weight is 24.6 pounds without the coaming which isn’t bad for a kayak this size.
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For the framing, I decided to outfit this for our catamaran and sailing system because that way whoever I end up selling this to has those options if they want it. I used a NICE piece of Sitka spruce I’ve been saving for the bow deck ridge.
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Another interesting feature is that I built up the bow and stern keel much thicker than normal which gives me up to 3/8 of an inch that I can increase the bow or the stern rocker, without rebuilding the kayak if I find that the tracking is too tight on the test paddle.
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#skinonframekayak #kayakbuilding #seakayak #kayak #woodworking

Chopping tenons for the new boat. One of the thin

Chopping tenons for the new boat. One of the things I like the most about skin on frame woodworking is that it doesn’t need to be precise. This is great for beginners, because it’s a good way to get familiar with a bunch of different woodworking tasks and feel a sense of accomplishment without the stress of exact tolerances. For example, this hack job would be absolute garbage if I was building furniture, likely resulting in a joint that would quickly loosen and fail, but in this context, it’s actually a little bit stronger than a perfect fit, because it allows for flex under the extreme forces of weight and waves.
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#mortiseandtenon #woodworking #skinonframe #joinery

Just finished the scaling for the new prototype 23

Just finished the scaling for the new prototype 230lb LPB kayak size. I’m not exactly good at math (or thinking) and it’s not as simple as just multiplying all of the measurements by a ratio, so this is always a bit stressful. This time we are going for an exact proportional scale which is a little bit different than the modified scaling system I was using on the large size F1 prototypes last week.
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Whenever I’m designing any new frame, I’m thinking about how I can work with common lumber dimensions to optimize material yield for my students, and I try to keep as many of the measurements simple whole numbers as I can (the scaled sizes of my West Greenland kayak being an exception).

I think this comes from my days of building houses and the deep rage that I felt whenever I would look at a plan set just filled with unnecessarily complicated details, and stupid measurements that were a horror show for material yield. You builders know what I’m talking about, when you roll open a plan set to reveal a ridiculously cut up roof that is gonna melt the minds of your framers and leave you with a dumpster full of offcuts, or building details that are literally impossible to construct, or will make it impossible for the trades that come after you to do their job. Seriously there should be a law that all Architects must work for one year on the job site of whatever type of building they are specializing in. But I digress…
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Anyway, the scarf joint planed out nicely and the boards are perfectly straight and flex exactly the same, so that’s a win. Time to start building.
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#buildingstuff #layout #kayakdesign #kayakbuilding

I am absolutely thrilled to share this quadruple n

This is my tablesaw set up for cutting the tapers

This is my tablesaw set up for cutting the tapers for making scarf joints. It works well for pieces for my skin on frame boats but also for making pieces for spars for a little sailboats and what not. It cuts a 16 to 1 taper which is what I prefer for anything structural.
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The jig is normally just a piece of a 2 x 6 cut to a taper but for whatever reason this time I had a heck of a time getting the edge perfectly square even using my track saw so I gave up and screwed the tapered 2x6 to a rectangular 1x6 at an angle and ran the whole thing through the table saw to square the edge up that way. It worked great and when I was done, I just scribed the tapered side onto the 1x6 and then cut that angle with my track saw giving me a 3/4 inch taller jig than normal which gave me a cleaner, reference edge for the tablesaw, and also supported the work piece better. I think this is how I’m gonna build these from now on.
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Most important thing about making longer boards out of shorter boards is to make sure that the boards are perfectly straight with no curve and no crown because the scarfing process tends to magnify those issues. It’s also important to match grain and appearance if you want your boards to flex evenly which matters in my type of boatbuilding. Also, if I’m building a pair of Gunnels out of two 1x6 boards that I split in half I would never glue the piece that came from the same board to itself, but rather the piece from the opposite board on both gunnels, once again, to ensure symmetry and even flex.
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This is a super quick, clean way to scarf although obviously it won’t work for wider boards. The only thing I don’t like is how the offcut ejects backwards at the user. I wonder if this is one of those cases where a splitter would stop that from happening?
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#woodworkingskills #skinonframe #diy #boatbuilding #kayakbuilding

And here we go again… while I wait for a nice da

And here we go again… while I wait for a nice day to do a saran wrap test on the 250 pound size F1 prototype frame I’m switching gears and diving into a redesign on the larger sizes of my LPB design, starting with the 225 lb size which is currently 16’,3” long and 23 inches wide. The new version is going to be 17 feet long and 23 1/2 inches wide and I have a hunch it’s actually going to end up targeting a slightly higher weight paddler than 225.
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It’s pretty hard to find 18 foot long clear cedar so this means scarfing up some boards which I don’t do very often. I use a simple, tablesaw jig to cut the tapers and then after careful alignment and a thickness check, I glue the scarf joint with spring clamps and urethane glue.
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A useful tip for anyone scarfing up wood like this is to use a push pin to prevent the layers from sliding past each other once you start applying clamping pressure! Also, make sure you’re checking your scarf thickness with a dial calipers before you clamp! There’s a video on my YouTube channel that shows this whole process in detail.
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#woodworkingtips #boatbuilding #smallboat #skinonframe

Check out this 23 foot rowing shell in progress by

Check out this 23 foot rowing shell in progress by Joe in Maryland. Joe (a senior in high school) approached me last year to see if I would be willing to do a remote apprenticeship with him for his senior project. Having already built one of my Canoes I knew that he had the skills to make it happen, so I agreed to the project and we worked together over text and video call for the last six months and this is the results so far!
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The shell is 23 feet long and I think 18 inches wide but I might be wrong about that so Joe might chime in in the comments. Personally, I wanted to move the project more towards 22 feet long and 20 inches wide but Joe was looking for a more competitive shape.
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It’s pretty cool to see this come together with minimal tools in a homemade backyard shelter. Next step is going to be a brief saran wrap test to figure out the optimal seating location for trim.
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Excellent, work Joe!
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#rowing #skinonframe #boatbuilding #maker

New small size LPB kayak, paddled twice, $1250. (H

New small size LPB kayak, paddled twice, $1250. (Half price)
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Heading into the 2023 design season I’m about to have way too many boats here so it’s time to get rid of some of last year’s prototypes.
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This is the prototype of the smaller size LPB kayak, which targets a paddler weight of 125 to 145 pounds. Dimensions are 21.5 inches wide and 16’4” long.
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I built this as 1/2 of an LPB sailing catamaran, so it’s a few pounds heavier than normal with all the Catamaran reinforcements and the Smart Track rudder. Weight right now is about 40 pounds, 36lbs if you don’t need the rudder.
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This kayak has 4 thick coats of 2 part poly, double thick keel strip, brass stem band, Delrin rub strip stern, reflective perimeter lines, drain plug, stern camera mount, sailing and catamaran mounts and a suspended seat. It also currently has a smart track rudder system that I can either sell you for an extra $150 or I can remove to make the boat 4 lbs lighter.
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What I don’t like about it:
In the final production version of this boat, I increased the bow rocker by 1/2 inch to loosen the tracking and I changed the stern shape slightly which made the boat a bit quicker.
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My friend Lisa paddled this exact same boat with a little bit more bow rocker in the MR 340 race (340 miles) and placed well.
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This is a new boat and a great price if it’s the right boat for you. Price is for cash pick up. Cost increase is $100 for card, and there is $100 packing fee if we’re going to ship it. Feel free to come paddle it.
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Build another LPB, and you’ve got catamaran capability.
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You can find information about the LPB design on my website or on YouTube.
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#skinonframe #skinonframekayak #kayak #kayaking #woodenkayak

Sound on! Here I’m steam bending ribs into the

Sound on! Here I’m steam bending ribs into the second kayak in my recent design progression to update the largest sizes of both of my modern kayak designs.
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This is bend fought me a little bit because I was lazy and I let my rib stock dry out beforehand. A few ribs made it second trip to the steam box but overall it went pretty well.
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Hoping to do a saran wrap float test by the end of the week but I need to find someone that’s 250 pounds. Any volunteers?
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#steambending #kayakbuilding #skinonframe #boatbuilding

I switched over to these $40 Shop Fox calipers a f $I switched over to these $40 Shop Fox calipers a few years ago when my $120 Starret broke after just a couple months of use. (their fractional calipers aren’t rebuildable anymore). . I’m pretty hard on calipers, but this first shop fox lasted over two years. We’ll see how the next one goes. . Does anyone still make a serviceable fractional caliper? . Also, for all you digital caliper chuckleheads, please keep your filthy opinions to yourself! nothing sends me into an instant rage faster than a read out that says 63/128ths?! . . #woodworkingtools #woodworkinglife #maker #buildingstuff$

The kayak storage fence triumphs again! A rare oc

The kayak storage fence triumphs again! A rare occurrence in Portland, Oregon, a snow storm dropped 10 inches on us a few days ago. I invented this set up a few years ago when I was rebuilding the fence. It stores 8 sea kayaks in a space 28 feet long and 5 feet high. There’s a video on my YouTube channel that shows how it’s put together although I did increase the depth of the roof by 6 inches after I shot that video. Cost was only a few hundred dollars more than building a normal fence.
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#kayak #seakayak #diyprojects #storagesolutions

There’s nothing like volume and tight deadlines

There’s nothing like volume and tight deadlines to hone a building process down to razor sharp efficiency. Here I am laminating curved deck beams using a simple three peg mold and spring clamps. It only takes a few minutes to make the jig and I can build 30 of these in an hour using this method.
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For 15 years I worked with students in person where we completed six kayaks in six days every two weeks. What started out as a long, challenging, workdays, and slowly transformed into relaxed workdays where it felt like we were all just hanging out and doing a bit of woodworking, and at the end of it a kayak magically appeared.
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Interestingly much of that efficiency came from my students rather than myself. Nearly every class someone would suggest doing something in a way I hadn’t thought of before and I would incorporate that idea into the system. Even though it’s not visible to anyone but me, every single boat carries a secret history of everyone who has interacted with the system, which seems way cooler to me than it just being all about me and my ideas.
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I don’t teach in person anymore but this collective design process continues in the form of feedback from on my online courses and plan sets.
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#laminating #woodworkingskills #skinonframe #boatbuilding

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brian@capefalconkayaks.com
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