Building a kayak: Finish

This part of the boat building comprises cockpit coaming, hatches, deck fittings etc. plus joining deck and hull. Subsequently comes the priming & varnishing. It is perhaps the most time consuming, but the most rewarding part, in my opinion.

• Methods
• Preparations
• Hull
• Deck
• Finish
• Literature
• Pictures

Coaming

The coaming is composed of a vertical strip (drawing 1), over which several layers of fibre cloth are laid (drawing 2).

Drawing 1
The strip (blue) is placed inside the cockpit opening butting to the deck (grey). With thickened epoxy (greenish) a fillet is formed between strip and deck, fixing the deck vertically to the deck. The still wet resin is covered with a fibre glass band (purple).

  
And here the same as graphs:Around the clear cut opening a thin strip of ash (ca. 3 x 26 mm x 2 m) is placed. Clamps press the strip tightly to the deck. Then the fillet is added and covered with a glass band.

Aferr curing of the resin, the strip is trimmed back to 2 cm above deck, and flush with the deck on the inside.

drawing 2
Next is the coaming overhang. It is fashioned from at least 5 layers of fibre cloth (purple), which are shaped over a construction aid (bluish).

To do that, cover the area surrounding the opening generously with glad wrap, tape it well. Bits of foam pad (as construction aid) are fitted exactly around the vertical strip (dark grey). Make sure the foam is thoroughly covered with glad wrap, which stops the epoxy bonding fibre cloth and foam permanently.

The hip supports, which provide the paddler with a hold within the boat, can be inserted together with forming the coaming, see 3 boxes further down.

Here you can see the 5 layers of fibre cloth 163 g/m2 material, consisting of narrow strips cut from leftover of various length.The strips are cut diagonally to the direction of the fibres, this way they mould best. Even though, in stronger curvatures, you need to use shorter lengths.

After curing, remove the foam and wrap. Shorten the the overhang to an even width and sand. To help marking the cutting line, this simple tool is used.

The ready coaming can, if you dislike the pale ‚colour’, be dyed. Very classy looks a coaming fashioned from carbon cloth.

Hip support

The position of the hip plates (blue) is adjusted according to the position where the seat is going to go. The middle of the plates should be just forward of the lowest point of the seat. The plates are attached later to the hull. On the picture, the deck is upside down.

Adding the supports occurs either together with the coaming, see drawing, or afterwards.

A belt for the back rest can be attached to the hip support. The necessary openings are best cut before inserting the supports.

Hatches

As for hatches, I’ve chosen the watertight ones from Kajak-Sport in Finnland. Made of rubber, they come in different diameters (20 cm front, 24 cm back).

Alternativly the hatches can be made from scratch. To do so, prepare the hatch cover from the piece you cut of in the deck, and insert some sealing around the opening.

The hatch ring (black), which is flat, should sit horizontally in the curved deck. To do that, you need to insert a recess (blue). This spans the difference in elevation of the deck and lowers hatches a bit.

This looks worse than it actually is !!

• Cut 2 plywood rings, into which the hatch ring is inserted. Fix with Sikaflex and V2A screws (seawater resistent metal)·
• Cut hole into the deck
• Glue little wooden blocks or strip bits right around the opening
• Sand, fill gaps, glass over
• Insert hatch ring-plywood construction, glue and glass

The difference in elevation is more for the frontal hatch (right picture) than for the rear one (left picture). That’s why the different style for each insert.

Deck fittings

SFittings are the ultimate requirement to attach deck lines, but at thte same time they should not be so bulky and protrude above the decks surface (danger of getting hurt).

My solution: an oval-shaped hole in the deck is covered with a patch of fibre cloth. Through this, a slightly bend metal rod (blue) is fiddled (metal needs to be seawater resisant).
Step by step:

Newly drilled holes (tough going & wearing on the drill due to the fibre glass cover of the deck)

the hole is sanded and the edge shaped at an angle

Patches of fibre cloth placed over the holes, press a little depression

glass

For the rods, poke small holes, fiddle the rods in. Then, embed rods in thickened epoxy and glass a second layer of fibre cloth from below – finished.

Skeg
Guide, the skeg toggle and the recess housing the toggle within the deck

The skeg is operated with a plastic wine cork, which is glued onto the skeg wire.

The picture shows the recess, looking from the outside of the deck, bow to the left. The little box is glued from the inside to the deck, into which a hole the inside-size of the little box is cut. Insert and glue tube endings. Stopper the bow-ward tube ending with a little cork, leaving enough length for the wire to be moved back and forth.

Kompass mould & opening for a pump

A depression to house a compass could also be build now. To do so, proceed similarly to the hatch-depression-building. Furthermore, an outlet for a bilge pump could be made.....

Join deck and hull

Glue from the inside:
In the rear and front area of the compartments, 15 x15 mm lengths of wood is glued to the inside of the upper hull. It should be protruding above the edge. It is then fitted to the deck angle by rasping off the excess wood, see right picture.

Deck and hull should fit together without gaps along this central seam. You also see a massive wooden block at the bow & aft tip. It is used as reenforcement, where later the toggle lines will go through.

Next, cover the shaped 15 x 15 mm lengths well with thickened epoxy. Join deck and hull neatly, and strap with plenty of belts. IF nothing has warped, the edges should fit snug together, otherwise use strong strapping and some wedges to get a good fit.

Directly afterwards, the inner seams along the cockpit are glass with 25 or 50 mm fibre glass band. Let the resin cure well.

Gluing the outside:
Once you’ve taken off the belts, sand off the squeezed-out epoxy. Fill in any chinks. The seam is covered with a 25 mm fibre glass band around the whole of the boat.

Seal bulkheads

The upper edges of the bulkheads are sealed with the deck, either with thickened epoxy or Sikaflex. For the frontal bulkhead, you need to dive deeply into the cockpit, take care with the fumes.

Holes for the toggles

Drill holes into bow and stern, where the wooden blocks sit (if you miss the blocks, the compartments will leak – speaking from experience...).

Prime & varnish

The sanded and dusted boat is covered with several layers of primer and varnish each. Between each layer, the surface needs to cure to be sanded afterwards. And because you can do only deck or hull at any one time, this work towards the end takes quite some time – don’t get impatient.

TIP: The most important thing is cleanliness. Every little speck of dust will show as a ‘pimple’ on the surface.

Attention: To mix a 2-component primer or varnish, use tin cans or glass. Some plastics dissolve!

Toggles & lines

Take 2 handy bits off an old broom stick, drill holes and varnish. Ready are the toggles.
Then, fiddle the deck lines through the deck fittings and attach rubber bungies.

Seat

Take a mould from a well-fitting seat. To do that, cover the chosen seat with glad wrap and glass a single layer of fibre cloth over it. After curing, take carefull off and spread plaster on the bottom side for stabilisation (picture).

Now glass several more layers of cloth over this first one, maybe add some colour to the resin. Cut and sand. The seat is screwed to the hip supports, as well as the back support belt.

to TOP

and now: PADDLE!!!!