An amazing greenland style kayak built out of drift and found wood.
It was with uncertainty that I contemplated building a kayak with hand tools out of found wood. To help with the project I collaborated with Kiliii Yu, hunter, forager, and native skills expert. http://www.dancinghawk.com Together over the course of four days we constructed this kayak from wood we found on the beach and in the scrap piles of my wood shop.
Went to the lake with the family and a good friend today. I’m getting more comfortable in the SeaTour and had a blast paddling around the little inlet. I don’t think I’m ready for real waves yet but probably soon. We’re heading out again tomorrow morning before it gets crowded.
Here’s a picture of Hannah carving a turn in her Sea Pup. She’s extremely comfortable paddling and learned the limits of the stability very quickly.
I started rigging the kayak today. I finished the tabs for the deck rigging and paddle park. I also carved a ball from a block of WRC for the park/handle and sanded the toggles for the deck rigging. I’ll finish the front rigging tomorrow and with any luck actually get to paddle it this weekend.
You can see my fat Greenland Paddle in this picture. I still need to plane the blades a bit thinner but I wanted to paddle with it before doing so to see if it made much difference. It was carved out of a near perfect green 2×6 WRC that Tony and I found at Home Depot. We had to have looked at 1000 boards before he spotted this one buried amongst the usual crap they sell. I’m now on the prowl for a suitable board for a spare/storm paddle.
I got the nylon fabric for the spray skirt in the mail this week. It is a little thinner than I expected but it seems to hold water and it is very tough. I’ll be sure to post pictures and a review once I get to paddle with it.
For those curious, I got the 420 Denier Packcloth from Denver Fabrics. It was $5/yd and I got 3 each of red and yellow. Should be enough to make two or three skirts.
John has posted a few nice pages with some great information. I especially love the way he’s got seven kayaks packed into a two stall garage and still has room to spare for his cars.
I may try to make a set of the J racks before my next trip to Gavleston.
I’m sure that many of you have noticed the new look. Please drop a comment below to let us know what you think. If there are any other features or kayak related services you’d like to see please let us know.
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New Hat:
You should notice the new hat pictured above. Can you belive that Tony actually bought a new hat? Say good bye to those rusty rivets and that salt stained brim. I think maybe he took Kurt’s advice and bought a hat that floats now that he’s got some mad rolling skills.
I refered to this book a lot while building my Yost style non-folders and found it so well written and informative that I just have to give it a plug here.
Even if you aren’t building a traditional style Greenland kayak there are a lot of good general building tips, design criteria and history that make this book a must read for anyone building a skin on frame. Christopher includes a high level of detail in most areas and maintains a genuine helpful tone throughout. Many of the methods discussed within will usefull if you are using modern materials like the aluminum and plastic frames of a Yost style folder or carving and bending your ribs from driftwood.
The Amazon price is around $12 so it is easy to afford and worth the price soley for the entertainment value.
We made it to Canyon Lake in one piece and launched about noon. The weather was nice, partly cloudy and mild temperatures. The water is a beautiful blue and reasonably clear.
Hannah really enjoyed the Sea Pup and managed to dump it a few times. She doesn’t have a spray skirt yet so she had to exit each time. Travis even gave it a paddle and except for one trip a bit too far out he enjoyed himself.
The Sea Tour paddled nice. There isn’t a lot of initial stability (at least for my inexperience) but it’s got some secondary stability. I managed to lay back and sit back up a few times. Need to watch a couple more DVDs before I try rolling all the way over. I still need a lot of work on bracing and turning but it’s a fun workout.
Here’s a pic to tide you over till I can write more.
I finished up the skin today. The pucker in the middle of the cockpit will get taken care of when I glue up the coaming riser. I’m going to make a free standing coaming like Tom does here but using HDPE tubing instead of aluminum. I’ll post more tomorrow on how well that goes.
Working with the glue was a challenge today. It was very humid today (at least for a desert). The MEK and glue evaporate so fast it cools down the vinyl and condensation forms. I didn’t have this problem with the Sea Pup because it was so dry out then.
I’m still on track for a Friday launch. Just need to glue up the coaming tomorrow night and add enough rigging to park a paddle.
I laced up the hull yesterday and pulled it tight before gluing the bow and stern. The process is pretty easy and while the lacing isn’t necessary I think it gives me time to work most of the wrinkles out before stapling. The yellow skin lets a lot more light through than the red does.
I also made a simple backrest out of a piece of pool noodle. I still need to bungee it in place but it should work nicely.
Tonight’s tasks are to make a couple float bags and start gluing the deck in place. I should be able to get to the coaming sometime tomorrow and be ready in time for a launch on Friday or Saturday.
Building the Greenland Kayak