Developing VARDO kayak

Day 12

Maybe I should call it day 11 1/2 because I had to work on some other things and only got to spend about half a day on VARDO today. I started out by sanding and rounding over the edges of the coaming getting it ready to go on the boat. Oh yea, and drilling all those holes. Since I am using a Polyurethane for the finish I just oiled the coaming and will coat it with the skin.

Here is is in place just before I started sewing it on.

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I clamp the coaming in place with a strap so that the coaming is pulled down out of shape. I like to pull the fabric up and clamp it in place to get an idea of where it goes. Then I trim it with a hot knife and pull it in place and put on some spring clamps.


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Then it's just a matter of pulling the skin in place and working out wrinkles as I sew twice around the coaming. Once it is sewn in place and you release the strap the coaming will snap in place under tension.


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Once the coaming was done it was time to finish up the sewing. I trimmed the excess skin and started doing a whip stitch down the deck. I still need to do the front and then it will be ready for dying and finishing. Oh yea, I also need to stitch a rope lip onto the coaming.


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Looking very kayak-like there, Jeff. The pics are looking good, too. Looks like you're going to extra effort to document the build well. :thumb:
 
Loving these little boats of yours. I swear if I didn't already have several dozen incomplete projects laying around I'd pick one of these up in a second and start on it and never finish! :thumb:
 
Loving these little boats of yours. I swear if I didn't already have several dozen incomplete projects laying around I'd pick one of these up in a second and start on it and never finish! :thumb:

Yeah Brent, we've seen pics of all the open water and meandering rivers out your way. :rofl:
 
LOL I have a couple of unfinished projects and this one felt like one. It sat there over the holidays with nothing going on. Now that I have materials Paying Work is in the way.

As for the photos, I just snap a few as I go. I am really not spending much time on them. No where near like I did for the Assembly Manual!!
 
DAY 12

When I left the shop last the boat was pretty much sewn up. All that was left was to finish the bow with a whip stitch. That only took an hour or so and it was done. I ended up with some pull holes even in the nylon. I guess that is just going to happen on any fabric. Maybe in a year of two I will be an expert and won't have them, (said very tongue in cheek). At least they are easy enough to repair.

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With the stitching done I had to take it outside and shoot a few photos. There are some wrinkles in the skin that should be shrink out no problem.

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With the stitching done it was time to do the one job I always dread. Dyeing the skin! I have never had great luck with this so I always dread it. This time I tired a different method and I like it. It turned out better but I still have some work on my technique but I think I can get to where I don't dread this nearly as bad.

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I stopped long enough to take a photo an I realize that was a mistake. This needs to be done as fast as possible and don't stop to take photos! :)

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Overall it came out pretty even. if you don't apply the dye perfectly evenly your will end up with blotchy finish. The thing is you can not put it on perfectly even. There is going to be some uneveness, that's just part of it. So the idea is to work fast and carefully and keep it to a minimum. This side looks good.

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This is what happens when you stop to take a photo. If you let the dye puddle or stand in one area to long it dyes that area darker. So I ended up some dark spots. But I know what I did and I am sure I can do better next time. And, no you can not touch it up. I tried it one one and just ended up with a worse mess. The only thing you can do at this point is to tint the polyurethane, it will help even it out but it will never hide it. So I have learned to just live with it.

A few coats of sealer and a little rigging and she will be ready for the water.
 
Great stuff. I really like the color choice on this one, too. :thumb:

Have you considered spraying the dyes? I know I get much more even tones on wood when I spray dye instead of wiping it on.
 
Great stuff. I really like the color choice on this one, too. :thumb:

Have you considered spraying the dyes? I know I get much more even tones on wood when I spray dye instead of wiping it on.

Ditto What Vaughn said...

Or, here's a suggestion totally based on Ignorance :eek: (But I've never let that stop me before) Is there any way to dye it in like a big bucket before you put it on? Like I said, probably a dumb idea...
 
DAY 14 * Finishing up!

The last big project was to coat (waterproof) the skin. There are a few different things you can use but I like ZAR Exterior Polyurethane. It just works well and the price is lower than a lot of other options. Best of all, it's easy to apply. I chose to brush it on but it's hard to put on evenly. So I will go back to spraying it, it just looks better than brushing it on does.

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Once coated, the only thing left was rigging it out. I decided to try something different on this one. I laminated up a my coaming without a lip on it. So I drilled a series of holes and stitched on a 5/8" dia. piece of rope for the lip.

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I put in a Redfish seat and one of my backbands. Added some bungee's on the deck and a couple of paitners and she was ready for the water.

Here she is ready for her maiden voyage sitting next Randy's 21' Looksha II

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Vaughn, I was to tired to do write the "Final Issue" last night frankly. We were on the water about 5 1/2-6 hours yesterday and I was pooped! I am working on second cup of Texas Pecan Espresso so I think I can answer now.

Short answer, great! Exactly as I had designed it. For some reason that always surprises me too.

Longer answer, Curlew was designed to be the (near) ideal day boat. What I have discovered is that people have their own ideas about what is best. So, being the smart business man I wanted to design a boat to fit that niche that people want. Most people seem to be looking for something around 17' long and will haul camping gear for a weekend. Roomy and stable boat.

After spending most of the day in VARDO I feel like I hit those goals. It does paddle very good with no surprises at all. It tracks (goes straight) well well and course corrections area easy with a little lean of the boat. It has a large cockpit with lots of room. A bit more than I prefer but it is nice to be able to move around and reposition the legs.

My scaled died and have to returned for repairs, but based on the other boats I think this one weights in around 24 lbs. :D You would be hard pressed to hit that mark with carbon fiber!

It feels a bit sluggish on the water but you give up something to get something. In this case you give up a bit of performance for stability. I wouldn't call this a slow boat by any means, but Curlew is faster (as in requires less effort to paddle) at typical speeds.

Randy was paddling his Looksha 21, that is a fast racing kayak. He was anxious to paddle it and going from his Looksha to it he was impressed and didn't think it was slow. Obviously not as fast as his boat either.

So, all that is left is to update the website and get the plans up for sale.

Here are a couple of photos of Randy in Vardo.

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Beautiful !

That is one sweet boat Jeff. Great lines. And 24# for a 17' boat is just not fair. :eek::D:thumb: My 15'5" is just over 50# but it's plastic. I really like the rope coaming too-nice touch.

Great job again !
 
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